His Kansas City restaurant closed after 7 years. His next one closes after 7 months

The City Market’s Le Chronic Cafe has closed after just seven months of operations.

Owner Bryan Merker said the concept was well-received and he had a loyal group of fans that he will miss.

He blamed the closing on the lack of foot traffic on weekdays and the cars allowed to park too long in the nearby spaces. And he said there haven’t been enough events to draw local tourists.

“I didn’t think I would have a successful winter,” Merker said. “But I’m not blaming anyone except for myself. Let’s be honest, if the concept was so amazing, everyone would be lined up for it.”

In a statement, City Market officials said: “City Market is disappointed to see Bryan leave Kansas City; he certainly had a great run at City Market with Beignet and Le Chronic Cafe. The rest of City Market’s restaurants have been successful throughout the pandemic and are reporting strong monthly sales with steady weekday traffic and no parking issues since our paid parking program was implemented in 2018.”

Le Chronic Cafe, at 419 Main St., opened in March.

The quick-service cafe offered an eclectic menu including Hungarian goulash (using his mother’s recipe), and mozzarella-stuffed meatloaf with smashed red potatoes.

Merker also had Nica’s Cafe in south Overland Park and Lagniappe Nica’s Cajun Kitchen in the Crossroads. His Beignet, a City Market favorite for seven years, was one of the first area restaurants to shut down in the pandemic. On its Facebook page, Merker said: “Happy trails to you until we meet again.”

That follow-up operation was Le Chronic Cafe.

Now he plans to move to Florida to help a friend of his, another chef, franchise his restaurant concept.