It’s been a busy year already for restaurant openings, closings, awards, and restaurant news. Some chains have closed up locally, while other local chains expand. We are seeing new food trends and expansion of existing concepts and cuisines.
- This past weekend, Mo’ Bettah Hawaiian Food closed all of their Kansas City area restaurants. The Utah-based chain still has lots of location in Texas. The chain has not shared the reasons behind the sudden closure.
- Rye is planning to open a bakery called Cornflower.
- Beirut Taco opens this week in the former D’Bronx location on West 39th Street (KCMO). The Lebanese concept features a Mediterranean take on tacos. This marks another addition to the growing Lebanese options around KC.
- El Cali Mexican Restaurant is a new, authentic Mexican restaurant on James A Reed Road (9530 James A Reed Road). They specialize in shrimp dishes, chilaquiles, soups, and a large selection of tortas.
- Let’s Go BBQ is an opening an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue concept in October in the Independence Center Mall. Overland Park already has a few Korean barbecue concepts, so this will be an interesting addition of the genre to the east side of the KC metro.
- NaturalZ Ice Cream is a new Indian ice cream shop from the folks running Desi Chowrastha – Indian Eatery next door. In the Corbin Park shopping center in Overland Park.
- After a 15 year run, Story is closing their store in Prairie Village. Scratch Gourmet Kitchen will be moving into the location. The closing was rather sudden, right before Valentine’s Day, and the restaurant had to cancel dozens of reservations.
- TNT’s Tacos N’ Tortas is a new TexMex concept at 16600 W 135th Street in Olathe.
- Dillion’s Grocery has announced plans to open a store in north Kansas City, Missouri, at the corner of North Oak Trafficway and Shoal Creek Parkway. This should address a large grocery store food desert in that part of the metro. Chuck shopped at the Dillon’s in Lawrence, Kansas back in the 1980s.
- Boru Asian Eatery closed at the end of February. The Waldo restaurant was one of the first stores introducing ramen shop cuisine to Kansas Citians in the 2010s. I dined at the restaurant once, before the pandemic. My friends liked the food and the vibes, but I really disliked the blaring TV screens. Hard to talk to family and friends when the walls are louder than a sports bar.
- Mocha Point Coffee is a new Yemeni coffee shop on 135th Street, in the first building on the southeast corner of Antioch Road. Chuck visited the shop during one of its soft openings and on a subsequent visit. He really likes their mochas.
- A second Yemeni coffee shop, R Qahwah Cafe, is opening soon at 95th and Metcalf.
- Jarocho South closed their location at 13145 State Line Road in February.
- Bayou Box opened a location on Wornall Road in South Waldo.
- Valentino’s Pizza, a Nebraska-based pizza chain, opened a location at 135th and Antioch in Overland Park.
- Trader Joe’s is planning a third area location in Merriam, Kansas.
- The owners of Christy’s Tasty Queen in KCK, Marla and Lowell Christy, have called it quits after 50 years. They have sold the restaurant to a new owner, who plans to continue with the same menu.
- Hemma Hemma is opening a new version of their Wornall restaurant in downtown KCMO. Hemma Hemma Dinette is opening at 1100 Main Street and promises to be a “lite” version of it’s parent store.
- LaPeZ Mod Mex is an upscale Mexican restaurant which opened last year in Park Place in Leawood. Located in the space next to the ice skating rink, across from Bamboo Penny’s. I’ve long been in favor of more upscale Mexican and Latin dining concepts, but I’m afraid that Kansas Citians expect their Mexican restaurant food to be cheap.
- Finally, more restaurants opening along Bannister Road on the south side of the old Bannister Mall site. The Village at Three Trails at Oracle Cerner just opened a Starbucks and Chipotle. More restaurants are in the works.
- Chef J, a barbecue restaurant in the West Bottoms, is opening a new location on Clay Street in North Kansas City.
- It appears that Jayhawk Central, which supported the University of Kansas Edwards Campus at 127th and Quivira, has permanently closed. The Sarpino’s Pizza location there recently closed, with a sign saying that they are re-opening that unit of the chain at 11648 West 135th Street in Overland Park. We have been unable to find any news about the closing online. A sign in front of the building indicates that it is either for sale or the possible future home of a sports bar concept. The building also was home to a LaMar’s Donuts and Coffee shop.
- The Hardee’s at West 105th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park has permanently closed after a nearly half century run at this location. Back in 1982-1983, when Chuck was a senior at Blue Valley High School, this location was the closest fast food location to the high school in Stanley, Kansas. He could make it to the restaurant in 20 minutes, have lunch, and get back to German class. On most school days. He was late quite often.
