Whatever happened to Kansas City chef’s plan for wine bar, diner? Here’s the latest

Chef Howard Hanna — founder of the former The Rieger restaurant in the Crossroads and Ca Va in Westport — announced plans for two new Crossroads venues more than a year ago.

The natural wine bar and modern diner would open in the new City Club Apartment building at 1989 Main St. Hanna signed the lease before the pandemic and has since pushed the openings back.

Now he is planning for a late spring or early summer opening and offering a few more details.

▪ Small Axe will serve classic diner fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

▪ Afi natural wine bar will pair North American, African, Asian and Latin American dishes with sustainable natural wines.

The operations will have rooftop and street level patios.

Many industry employees chose to leave the field during the pandemic, and restaurants are struggling to find enough workers.

So Hanna and Kyle Gardner formed the Manaia Collective — a restaurant group with a goal of offering employees living wages, health care benefits, a work/life balance and opportunities for advancement and ownership. They hope to raise at least $100,000 on the Mainvest platform.

“We think that people will feel it is a different kind of company. ‘I can work in a restaurant again if I got a voice, if I got a share of the profits or I need time off.’”