Owner of new Crown Center barbecue restaurant puts in full-service Starbucks next door

Six months after it was scheduled to open in Crown Center, Starbucks is in business.

PB&J Restaurants Inc. in Overland Park softly opened the coffee shop at 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 132, next to its new Burnt End BBQ.

The 2,216-square-foot, full-service Starbucks has a complete line of the company’s drinks and menu items such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches and wraps, as well as Starbucks retail items.

“People are going crazy, asking if we have these certain Starbucks cups. It’s hilarious,” said Pat Khoury, president of PB&J.

COVID-19 safety measures will include employee wellness checks at the start of each shift, face masks on employees and a “sanitizing specialist” on site.

In mid-2019, PB&J took over the former Milano Italian Dining restaurant space on the first floor of the Crown Center Shops for the two new operations. Burnt End BBQ opened in 6,200 square feet of the space in late February.

Crown Center closed during the shelter-in-place order and construction delays also pushed back the Starbucks opening.

Khoury hopes to be a licensee of two or three more Starbucks in the metro.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 4:15 PM.