Turkey & cranberry sauce sandwiches, meatball subs: Friends open Kansas City restaurant

Las Vegas-based chain Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop has expanded in the Kansas City metro.

A franchisee opened the first area location in Overland Park in mid-2020.

Now another franchise group — Mike and Kathleen Brooks, and Mark and Sumer McPhee — have opened a restaurant at 10406 N.E. Cookingham Drive in the Northland.

Capriotti’s offers a variety of specialty subs.

Its top seller is The Bobbie, with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayonnaise on a soft roll. It slow roasts its whole, all-natural turkeys in-house overnight and then hand-shreds them each morning.

Other menu items include the Capastrami (hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and coleslaw), the American Wagyu Slaw Be Jo (with ultra premium wagyu beef, provolone cheese, Russian dressing, coleslaw and mayonnaise), and the Homemade Meatball (with marinara, provolone and grated Romano cheese).

It also has vegetarian sandwiches and salads, including a barbecue chicken with a corn and black bean mix, and it offers catering.

“The food is amazing and fresh. You are proud when you send it out,” Sumer McPhee said.

The couples originally lived and became friends in Las Vegas, where they home-schooled their children and enjoyed Capriotti’s sandwiches. The Brookses sent three of their children to Benedictine College in Atchison, and the McPhees’ oldest daughter also is attending Hesston College in Hesston, Kansas. So they knew the Kansas City area.

“I had been bugging my husband for a long time to move out of Vegas. Mike pitched the idea of opening a Capriotti’s in Kansas City while they were on the golf course,” Sumer McPhee said.

They relocated a year ago.

They plan two more area locations — perhaps the Northland or in Leavenworth.

The Overland Park location is at 11902 W. 119th St. It is owned by another franchisee.

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop was founded in Delaware in 1976 and now has more than 125 locations across the country.