New JoCo lounge is open to the public for now. But soon you will have to be a member
During the pandemic, Bill George was sitting around with two friends talking about the kind of place they would like to go when the lockdowns were over.
“A place where we could listen to live music, have something good to eat — mostly out south, close to home — and have some fun with it,” he said. “And we didn’t know how long the lockdowns would continue. So we wanted to make it a private club.”
In mid-May, George and the two silent partners opened Final Final at 12687 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park.
For now it is in a membership drive so the public can come in with no cover charge. Soon it will convert to a members-only format with a $10 annual fee. Members will be able to bring up to five guests.
The name comes from when the three friends are out for the evening and they say, “Who wants to go out for a ‘final, final’ drink?”
Cocktails include The Gummy Bear (with Tito’s vodka and a sugared twist of lemon) and Per My Last Email (with Grey Goose, triple sec, strawberry puree, fresh lemon and a sugared rim).
For “small bites” it has toasted cheese ravioli, marinated warm olives, edamame, salted mixed nuts, bruschetta and a charcuterie board.
Bigger bites: a grilled cheese and tomato soup, meatballs, Margherita pizza, prosciutto and fig pizza, and a ham and brie sandwich.
Final Final is open from 4 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays.
A small stage is to the right as customers enter. It features live music from 8 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
High on the back wall is 3D wallpaper of three nude goddesses. Lights throughout the lounge change color during the evening.
George is CEO of zTrip, which has about 4,000 taxi cabs in 26 cities, including the Kansas City metro.
He also was a partner in the Northern Italian restaurant and nightclub, Seven, in downtown Kansas City, which closed in early 2009.
“I swore I would never do it again. But we wanted to go to a place for a ‘final final’ and we couldn’t find a place, so we built it,” he said. “We go there, we enjoy ourselves and it’s been fun.”
Joy Wok Super Buffet Hibachi Sushi also is relocating to the center, taking the 15,000-square-foot former Plaza III the Steakhouse space at 12631 Metcalf.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.