Zoës Kitchen taking former Blonde space on the Country Club Plaza

Blonde nightclub has been dark for so long, many people may have forgotten about this little space tucked between Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and Fred P. Ott’s Bar & Grill on the Country Club Plaza.

Now Zoës Kitchen plans to open in the spot at 100 Ward Parkway. No opening date was available.

The Plano, Texas-based company wants to open as many as six area restaurants and is looking at such sites as Corbin Park in Overland Park. The restaurants average 2,750-square-feet and have a patio.

Founded in 1995, Zoës Kitchen is a fast casual restaurant concept serving fresh Mediterranean-inspired dishes using recipes from founder Zoë Cassimus, made-from-scratch daily.

Menu items include chicken and orzo soup, hummus and salad plate, pimento cheese sandwich, grilled chicken and slaw pita, grilled Gruben sandwiches, and entrees like a chicken pita pizza, steak roll up, and a variety of kabobs - chicken, steak, shrimp or salmon.

Glenn Stephenson, vice president and division manager for Plaza landlord Highwoods Properties in Kansas City, said in a statement: “We were very impressed by the passion Zoës Kitchen has not only for the food it serves but for its customers as well.”

Highwoods Properties sued Stephanie Entertainment Inc. (doing business as Blonde) in mid-2010 saying it owed nearly $78,000 in unpaid rent through Dec. 17, 2009, along with late fees and interest. According to the suit, monthly rent was $8,102.50, not including other fees. Blonde started winding down operations and had a series of closing events in mid-2010.

This story was originally published December 1, 2014 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Zoës Kitchen taking former Blonde space on the Country Club Plaza."