The partners behind Burgers American Grill plan to make it a new fast casual chain, starting with their first location in Blue Springs.

The restaurant opened in early February in Sunset Plaza, 770 S.W. U.S. 40, at the southeast corner of U.S. 40 and Missouri 7.

The menu includes its signature burgers such as the Buffalo (with hot wing sauce, blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms and crispy onion straws) and the Smoke House BBQ (with barbecue sauce, crispy onion straws, double-smoked bacon and cheddar cheese).

It also has several varieties of chicken sandwiches, along with gyros, cheesesteaks, pork tenderloins, BLTs, soups, salads, chili, shakes and malts, hand-shaken lemonade and American Freeze drinks (a cross between a smoothie and an Orange Julius). Sides include kettle chips, chili cheese fries and fried pickles.

Managing partner Nathan Havercroft said a portion of sales will be donated to local charities. Havercroft was formerly the executive chef at the Saddle & Sirloin Club.

“I’ve done private clubs for a long time and wanted to try a different market segment,” Havercroft said. “We’re just trying to do good food right. Good quality products, fresh ingredients, but served in a ‘no muss, no fuss’ atmosphere.”

The Sunset Plaza space formerly housed a Tanner’s Bar & Grill. Havercroft has opened the space up and put in corrugated steel dividers to section off seating areas. Customers order, pay and pick up their food at the counter.

Just as the owners hope to expand with as many as 15 to 20 locations regionally, new menu items are already being planned. They could include a Kansas City beefsteak sandwich (a play on French dip and Philly cheesesteak), a variety of house-made sloppy Joes (Mexican, barbecue, classic and teriyaki), and 99-cent dessert specials that will change daily or weekly — cookies, lemon bars, and brownies — all house-made.

Blue indeed

Blue Willi’s plans to close its Overland Park store — its last company-owned retail outlet in the U.S.

A store-closing sale will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at the store in Hawthorne Plaza, 4817 W. 119th St. It will be open extended hours the first week of the sale.

Blue Willi’s is a Danish company that produces women’s and men’s clothing sold in at least 27 countries. The company has built a loyal following by using natural fibers for its clothing, which make the pieces both durable and comfortable.

Last fall it announced that it would go out of business, citing several factors, including the weak global economy. It later closed three other stores in the U.S. However, several Blue Willi’s employees convinced the owners to keep the company going through Internet sales and supplying boutiques.

Georgann Norton, who has managed the Overland Park store since it opened in mid-2010, said the economy is still an issue, with consumers not spending as much on high-end products as they have in the past.

The Overland Park location has many loyal customers, but Norton said they would still be able to order the clothing online.

“I’ve worn the clothes ever since they came to the U.S. and still have the stuff I bought 15 to 20 years ago,” she said. “It’s casual, but you can dress it up or dress it down, very versatile as well as comfortable.”

The store’s lease runs through the summer, but the store will close once the inventory is sold, Norton said.

A Blue Willi’s also operated in Town Center Plaza in Leawood for several years.