ONE MIGHT think Nadya Yamasaki is crazy for opening a new bar as Hawaii's economy faces its biggest challenges in more than 15 years.

When Slammers Bar and Grill closed in July following a rent dispute, Yamasaki could have easily gotten a job at another establishment. She entered the industry as a 19-year-old cocktail waitress, working her way up from server to bartender positions before assuming management roles in recent years at Scores Bar and Grill and Slammers.

But more than a decade of experience selling alcohol taught her an important lesson, which led to the opening of Kanpai Bar and Grill on Sept. 12.

“;I believe that people, whether they are celebrating or drowning their sorrows, will still come out to have a drink,”; Yamasaki said earlier this week. “;My theory has been if you have great service and great food, people will come.”;

  WITH A RAISED central bar and three distinct seating areas, there are plenty of options for lunch and dinner customers in addition to the traditional late-night crowd at Kanpai.

“;We're a sports bar, but one where you can come in by yourself,”; Yamasaki said. “;And you don't have to break your bank to come here and have a good time.”;

Free parking at the Sports Authority lot across the street and complimentary wireless Internet access make it easy to get inside and stay inside, with sporting events of all kinds playing on 11 flat screens that ring the room.

Yamasaki enlisted the help of her husband, Bryan Yamasaki, to redecorate the former Tio's space and coordinate the bar's entertainment offerings. Along with University of Hawaii football and NFL pay-per-view packages, he added three dart machines, multiple touch-screen game machines and a pair of heads-up poker video games that are new to the local bar scene.

You'll want to sit inside for a good view of the action on TV, but visit on a Friday or Saturday night when a predominantly 20-something crowd descends on Kanpai, and you'll probably end up at one of a dozen tables outdoors. Things get comfortably chaotic as guys who are too lazy to get dressed up for a night at the W Honolulu or LEVEL4 mingle with ladies who like the laid-back look—or simply understand the concept of “;shooting fish in a barrel.”;

If you're rolling deep during the week, try to grab a table in the area to the right of the front entrance. The room's design makes this space feel a little more private, with a dedicated flat screen so you can still follow the game.

Otherwise, the large booth in the opposite corner is good for groups of four to six and provides a great perspective of everything going on in the bar.

NO MATTER IF you come for lunch, dinner or late-night drinks, one thing is a given at Kanpai: You must order something to eat.

Some of the same people behind the kitchen at Slammers made the move with Yamasaki, bringing a number of favorite dishes with them to the kitchen at Kanpai. John Estrella, Brandon Hamada, Jensen Hirota and Neil Nakasone run the food operations as Quatro Foods after starting their culinary careers in the kitchens of a noted Honolulu chef.

“;It's about comfort food and putting out the best possible product we can,”; Hamada said. “;We can do what we want here without people saying 'no.' ... We're our own bosses.”;

Yamasaki worked with Hamada and Nakasone at Slammers, so she was comfortable giving them free reign in the kitchen at Kanpai. Dishes like the Kim Chee Steak ($16 for a 12-ounce cut, $22 for a 16-ounce cut) and pork chops ($14) are holdovers, with the Quatro crew adding a full roster of cheap(er) eats to go with a few high-end choices.

You can't go wrong with the Kanpai Burger ($8) with a choice of American, pepper jack or Swiss cheese, plus add-ons like a fried egg ($1), sauteed onions and mushrooms ($1), and bacon ($2). You can even add a second patty for an additional $4. Loco moco ($8), hamburger steak ($10) and fried rice ($8) are other good plate-lunch-style picks.

Bigger groups will appreciate the serving sizes of some items, including the Spicy Garlic Chicken ($8), Crispy Chicken Gizzards ($7) and Ahi Poke ($10). Buy a few plates to share and you'll save some money in the process.

“;If we can, we use local products,”; Hamada said. “;Being able to do our own type of food and ... sharing that with other people is a reward in itself.”;

  AFTER LESS than two months in business, Yamasaki is well aware that changes will need to be made.

“;We'd like to give everybody a chance to create their own identity,”; she said. “;This is my first venture as the complete owner ... (and) we want feedback, that's the main thing.

“;A lot of the little tweaks and changes that are still occurring right now are because of their feedback.”;

Despite hiring an opening staff of 35 people, Yamasaki admits there simply isn't enough staff to “;keep up with business right now,”; which explains why drinking here can be pleasant on a Monday afternoon or Thursday night, but pretty sketchy on the weekends.

And while she's trying to hire the best employees she can, it's pretty obvious a few got the job based on their looks and not their personalities. That wouldn't be a problem, until having multiple servers bringing drinks to the same table results in getting overcharged at the end of the night.

On two separate, anonymous visits to Kanpai before interviewing Yamasaki for this column, we encountered servers who added beers to our tab despite not bringing them to our table. That, after the server that did bring the beers also added them to our tab, resulting in bills that were $5 to $10 more than they should have been. Itemized bills would be nice, but we were told Kanpai's current system doesn't provide for that option.

Another frustration is the bathroom situation, which hasn't changed since the Dixie Grill days. In order to use the facilities, you must exit the bar and walk up a flight of stairs to a shared bathroom in the upstairs office area. Not a big deal for restaurant customers, but frequent trips for bar customers can get annoying after a while.

Still, the growing pains at Kanpai are worth it when you consider the overwhelming number of positive aspects this new watering hole offers. It's not the cheapest option in town, but Kanpai provides more than enough value to lure new customers in addition to an already loyal following.