Northern Quest Resort & Casino has completed an approximately $1 million remodel of The Q sports restaurant space located in its West Plains complex and has changed the restaurant's name to Epic, says spokeswoman Kyndra Gamache.

The 8,500-square-foot venue that seats 340 people resumed full operation in late June after a 12-week remodel of the main restaurant floor, the kitchen, and a former broadcast booth that has been revamped into a small nightclub space and renamed Studio E, Gamache says.

Spokane Valley-based Lydig Construction Inc. was the contractor for the project, she says.

Work included adding 1,000 square feet of kitchen space, redoing all finishes within the restaurant, and adding five new semiprivate dining booths with individual TVs built into the booths, she says. Dining furniture within the restaurant also was replaced to create a "comfortable and cozy atmosphere," she says. In all, seating capacity decreased slightly from 345 previously, Gamache says.

Studio E, located inside the restaurant, is a 900-square-foot restaurant space with its own bar, and can be closed off for private parties or events, she says. On Fridays and Saturdays, Studio E is used as a nightclub, she says, with disc jockeys from Spokane-based 96.9 FM providing entertainment.

The restaurant remained open during construction, Gamache says, although portions of it were closed for several weeks while work was completed.

Gamache says the restaurant employs 70 people, up from 65 before the remodel.

Chef Michael Thornton, who previously was an executive chef at C.I. Shenanigans here and the Mirabeau Park Hotel & Convention Center, has revamped the menu to include upscale versions of pub and ballpark food, such as the Kobe sliders and a surf-n-turf burger.

The Q originally opened in January of 2009 as part of an expansion on Northern Quest's south side, Gamache says.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino is owned by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. In addition to the casino, a 250-guest room hotel and 13 other restaurants also are located there.