On the menu at this new Troost restaurant: pizza, deli sandwiches & Fluffernutters

There are several reasons behind the name of the new Troost Avenue restaurant The Combine.

It’s in homage to the building’s history as a Wonder Bread factory and a play off farmers’ combines. It’s also reflective of the three partners coming together.

But more importantly, it reflects a desire to bring area neighborhoods together and erase Troost’s longtime racial dividing line between communities.

“I grew up off 75th and Troost and that dividing line goes from 95th all the way down. But it is definitely fading,” said Alan Kneeland, managing partner of the new pizza, deli and bar.

He teamed up with Jason Pryor, founder of Pizza 51, and sommelier Charles Peach in the new restaurant.

Kneeland, 30, was just 16 years old when he took a dishwasher job at Panera Bread in Westport. Later, as a student at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, he would come home on the weekends and work 12-hour shifts. He then moved into management for about three years, while also working a second job at a nursing home.

When he decided to open his own small bar, he looked to a local business that was thriving, Pryor’s Pizza 51 and the former Pizza 51 West, and applied for a management position.

“I wanted to learn firsthand about running a business like the one I wanted to open and I told Jason that. He said ‘stick with me and I will show you the ropes,’ ” Kneeland said.

After about two-and-a-half years, Kneeland went back to Panera for the higher pay but kept in touch with Pryor through the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association.

They planned to open The Combine in April in a 3,700-square-foot corner space at the Wonder Shops and Flats, 2999 Troost Ave.

Kneeland resigned from Panera to give him a three-week window before the opening. But a week later, the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced. He relied on saving until it finally opened Nov. 12.

It has specialty pizzas using Pizza 51 recipes, including the Cowtown Lovers (with pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon and Romano cheese) and the Veggie Delight (with mushrooms, black olives, broccoli, onions, green peppers and spinach). Customers also can build their own pizzas.

But other menu items are The Combine’s own. It has hot sandwiches, including Reubens, turkey panini, and meatball subs, and cold sandwiches such as hummus wraps, along with soups and salads.

In homage to its home in the former Wonder Bread factory, it serves assorted Hostess Brands cupcakes such as Twinkies. The building was redeveloped by Exact Partners.

It also offers “Wonder Favorites” sandwiches with chips: peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, turkey and cheese, and Fluffernutter.

Peach, who has more than 20 years experience in the restaurant industry, created the bar menu and will offer a rotating list of 14 craft beers on tap, along with wine and craft cocktails.

The large space with soaring ceilings can seat 135 people without COVID-19 restrictions. Parking is available in a lot to the south.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 pm. daily.

The partners also have the rooftop event space. We Got It Covered is the caterer.

Ruby Jean’s Juicery and Love is Key are across the street, and Soulcentricitea also recently opened in the building.

This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 12:39 PM.