Longtime Leawood coffee and ice cream shop being ‘kicked to the curb,’ owner says

Foo’s Fabulous Cafe is closing after 13 years in Leawood.

The coffee and ice cream shop, at 9421 Mission Road, opened in Ranch Mart North in late 2006.

“We have been waiting 13 years for the shopping center to remodel. When we signed the lease they told us it would be within a year,” said Jeff Stottle, owner of the Leawood location. “But they called us in at the end of May and told us they were leasing our space to a national tenant. It breaks my heart. I was crestfallen when I found out we were being kicked to the curb.”

Trip Ross, principal with Cadence Commercial Real Estate and the redevelopers of Ranch Mart North, said Foo’s closing “is completely unrelated to the redevelopment.”

“We’ve spent the last several years pursuing options with Foo’s and had every hope they would be part of the future of the shopping center,” he said.

Ross said he is not currently negotiating a new lease for the Foo’s space.

The Leawood location is mostly a coffee and ice cream shop, but the menu also includes items such as waffles, specialty sandwiches, salads and soup.

Foo’s has been on a month-to-month lease, and Stottle said he was given an option of a smaller space in the center. But he said he put $230,000 into the interior of the current space and doesn’t have another $230,000 to invest in a new one.

“I can’t take it with me and I have investors and some difficult phone calls to make,” he said. “But it has been an absolute blessing to be part of this community. I would love to have our customers come in and say a farewell.”

Foo’s Fabulous Cafe coupons and gift cards can only be redeemed at the Leawood location before it closes at 4 p.m. Dec. 24.

Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard in Brookside is under different ownership and will remain open.

This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 1:14 PM.