Waldo combo restaurant closes. Social media misses with new White Castle speculation

The longtime Waldo KFC/Long John Silver’s combo has closed.

In a statement, the franchisee, KBP Foods of Overland Park, said it was shut down in mid-June after “careful consideration.”

“Generally speaking, openings and closures are just part of the restaurant business,” the statement continued. “KBP Foods continues to grow through acquisition and new restaurant openings. In fact, KBP Foods opened more than 20 brand-new restaurants over the last year and closed far less than that across our territories.”

KBP directed customers to its KFC at 4700 Troost Ave.

The Waldo location, just west of Wornall Road at 420 W. 85th St., is now listed for lease by Real Estate Dynamics in Lenexa.

The building first shows up in The Kansas City Star archives as a KFC in mid-1982. In early 2006, it was remodeled and enlarged to include the Long John Silver’s.

Recently the building was painted a bright white, leading some people on social media to speculate that it could soon be a White Castle. But the realtor said the fresh paint was part of KFC’s process to “deidentify” the location.

The property is on the outskirts of the Wornall Village Shopping Center. Plans are in the works for a $6 million-plus redevelopment of the center which includes a Price Chopper. The redevelopers couldn’t be reached for comment.

This story was originally published July 2, 2019 at 5:00 AM.