Longtime Kansas City restaurant relocating to south Plaza, adding Johnson County spot

After two decades in the Crestwood Shops, Cafe Europa is planning some major changes.

Ben Cascio, who purchased the business about four years ago, will relocate it to 4928 Main St. and expand the operation, making it his flagship location under Cafe Europa Gourmet Market & Bakery. After a remodel, it is scheduled to open in October.

But that’s not all.

He also is taking over part of the former Zoes Kitchen space at 4343 W. 119th St. in Leawood’s Town Center Crossing for a February opening.

Town Center Crossing officials declined to comment.

“We wanted to expand the bakery, to add specialty items, and we never had the space,” he said. “The pandemic allowed us to make that hard pivot and it was so well accepted by our customers. Now we can go deep into categories such as Italian cookies, beignets, and also keep selling longtime favorites such as the lemon cake.”

He currently has 10 employees and plans to have about 20 at the new Main Street location, which was once a fire station. Planet Sub formerly occupied the space but recently relocated to 4960 Main.

Cafe Europa Gourmet Market & Bakery will have a fast casual restaurant where customers order and pay at the counter, then have a server at the table.

The menu will include current items — quiche, fried chicken, burgers, Reubens, soups and salads, chicken salad sandwiches, and hot panini sandwiches — along with new weekly features.

The bakery also will have a greater variety of cakes, cupcakes, mini pies and whole pies, and cookies, along with more coffee drinks and Italian sodas.

The market will have more imported olive oils, pastas and olives, along with a variety of cheeses — from local to imports. Its Cafe Europa Home section will sell cutting boards, hand-painted ceramics from Europe, juice presses and more.

Cafe Europa Gourmet Market & Bakery also will have a larger kitchen to handle more catering orders for corporate and private events.

In a statement, Rich Muller, executive vice president of VanTrust Real Estate, landlord for the Main Street location, said: “Ben is a proven operator with a great following that we are excited to welcome into the South Plaza neighborhood. We think with the addition of his dine-in and carryout market concept will complement the other robust offerings that exist up and down Main Street.”

Cafe Europa opened as Europa! A Cafe at 323 E. 55th St. in 2001. Cascio plans to continue to operate in the spot until early 2022.

He was one of the first local restaurants to pivot during the pandemic.

He closed his popular full-service restaurant, put the tables and chairs in storage, and replaced them with high-end wood shelves holding specialty products such as pasta, olive oil and Italian sodas. A cooler has prepared items, and he also offers cooked-to-order items that travel well for to-go customers.

Cascio’s grandparents had a grocery store in the Armourdale community in Kansas City, Kansas, that was destroyed by the 1951 flood. But their customers rallied behind them to help with the rebuild. Cascio felt his customers did the same during the pandemic.

“That meant the world to us. You’re changing something and there are so many unknowns and you are hoping you are doing the right thing,” he said. “And they embraced the concept and were so supportive and told others. It was wonderful.”