Openings & Closings

Growing Johnson County development adds another restaurant: A breakfast/brunch chain

Breakfast and brunch restaurant First Watch is opening another Kansas City area location this year.
Breakfast and brunch restaurant First Watch is opening another Kansas City area location this year. First Watch

As Overland Park’s Galleria 115 project continues to develop, it will soon add a First Watch to its roster.

The breakfast and brunch restaurant is expected to open in the fall, joining existing tenants Chick-Fil-A and Andy’s Frozen Custard.

Sprint Corp. sold the 24.5 acres northwest of 115th Street and Nall Avenue to Block Real Estate in 2018. The property was once part of the old Sprint World Headquarters, the rest of which is now the Aspiria business park: a campus of multiple companies and soon, a go-kart center.

The mixed-use Galleria 115 — built over several phases — also features two apartment buildings called The Residences at Galleria, as well as Fidelity Investments.

Development is marching along with the Galleria 115 project at 115th Street and Nall Avenue.
Development is marching along with the Galleria 115 project at 115th Street and Nall Avenue. Elevate Property Advisors

A few lots remain undeveloped, but Coleby Henzlik with Elevate Property Advisors said he and developers are working to ink deals.

“We’re talking to some nice restaurants in there,” he said. “We can’t say who they are yet.”

Henzlik said developers are also in negotiations with a coffee shop, but he can’t provide details.

First Watch will move into a new multi-tenant building, which has 2,800 square-feet still for lease.

The Florida-based chain has more than a dozen restaurants in the area, according to its website, including a spot less than 2 miles away at 12040 Blue Valley Parkway in Overland Park, as well as one in Olathe at 1177 W. Santa Fe St.

In 2021, First Watch unexpectedly closed a restaurant that had operated over 30 years in The Shops at Corporate Woods at 9916 College Blvd.

Some of its popular menu items are its Floridian French toast (brioche bread with powdered cinnamon sugar, covered with banana, kiwi and seasonal berries) and its bacado omelet (bacon, avocado and Monterey Jack cheese topped with sour cream and served with pico de gallo.)

This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 12:00 PM.

Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.
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