Mainstay restaurant in Westport will not reopen: ‘It’s not a pretty ending’

The windows of this Westport mainstay are covered over, and most of its gear auctioned off.

The Corner Restaurant, at 4059 Broadway, will not reopen under its current owner.

“I am saddened to say the Corner Restaurant is going to have to close permanently. The whole thing is heartbreaking,” said owner Dawn Slaughter in a statement.

The Corner Restaurant temporarily closed in March for the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order. Slaughter spent the downtime cleaning out the basement and doing routine maintenance. She said she found “serious life-safety” issues concerning a hood in the kitchen and provided a 15-page report to her landlord, Westport Land & Management.

She said the repairs have not been made and the fire department has issued a “cease and desist order.”

“I believe the safety of our patrons, our employees, other tenants in the building, and the building itself are at risk,” Slaughter said.

Under the order, the restaurant can’t use the kitchen hood system until the original construction and final inspection permits are submitted.

Stephen Platt, a partner in Westport Land & Management, said the work was completed shortly before Slaughter took over the space and he is trying to locate the permit.

“So it’s a paper chase. And we haven’t had access to the building to remedy the situation,” he said.

During the shutdown, he offered to defer two or three months rent to the end of Slaughter’s lease, as he has done with his other tenants. He said all of the other tenants accepted the offer.

“She ran a good restaurant. It had good reviews and it was great for our retail since it brought traffic,” Platt said. “I think it is a great space. I think we will find a new tenant.”

The Broadway spot has long been a restaurant. In 1952 it was the Corner Soda Grill and by 1955 it was just going by Corner Grill, according to Kansas City Star archives. It also operated under the Iron Kettle coffee shop and the Golden Temple.

It reopened as the Corner Restaurant on Valentine’s Day 1980 and was long known for its generous plate breakfast and fast, friendly service. It changed ownership but kept the name. It closed in 2009 for health code violations.

Westport Land & Management renovated the space before leasing it to Slaughter and her former partner for an April 2013 opening.

But the Corner Restaurant has recently had an influx of new competitors within a few blocks: Snooze an A.M. Eatery, The Big Biscuit and Denver Biscuit Co.

Now Slaughter and Westport Land & Management are in mediation to settle their differences before a new tenant can lease the 3,000-square-foot space.

“It’s one of those things you wish you could avoid,” Platt said. “I don’t know how it spiraled down but it certainly did. It’s sad and it’s regretful. It’s not a pretty ending.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Mainstay restaurant in Westport will not reopen: ‘It’s not a pretty ending’."