Longtime Brookside restaurant closing for good after struggling to pay rent

Brookside favorite Avenues Bistro has closed after nearly 15 years.

“We are incredibly grateful to the entire Brookside community and the property owner for the many years of success and memories,” owner Joe Birch said in a statement Tuesday. “While we are sad to say goodbye, we look forward to the next adventure ahead. We sincerely appreciate all of the support we have received over the years.”

Birch couldn’t be reached for further comment.

Avenues Bistro had been offering curbside, to-go and delivery options during the pandemic. But it had struggled before the pandemic hit.

In a statement, Wright Sigmund, national director of leasing and senior vice president for landlord First Washington Realty, said: “We wish Joe and the entire Avenue’s team all the best as they embark on this next chapter.”

Avenues Bistro opened at 63rd Street and Wornall Road in mid-2006 and quickly became a neighborhood favorite with a menu that ranged from its signature lobster ravioli to braised short ribs. It added a lounge and event space, L’Cove Lounge at Avenues, in late 2014.

Birch also operated an Avenues Bistro in Leawood’s Mission Farms for a short time before it closed in mid-2012.

But GRI Brookside Shops LLC filed suit against Pinch LLC, doing business as Avenues Bistro, and Birch, in September 2019, seeking back rent and possession of the space. By the end of the year, Birch said he had paid in full.

GRI filed suit again in late 2020. It said the restaurant owed $85,167 as of Nov. 8, plus interest and legal fees as a result of the breach of the lease.