60+ bars and restaurants closed in the Kansas City area in 2024. See where and why
Restaurants close for a lot of different reasons. A downturn in the economy. A bad landlord. Changing consumer habits. Inflation. Personal exhaustion.
Here on the restaurant beat at The Star, we try to pay as much attention to the dreary closings as we do the exciting openings. It is not always pleasant, calling a business owner on the day their dreams died. But ideally the information they are willing to share tells us something about our city, or the industry, or the country at large.
We heard a lot about inflation this year. The statistics tells us it has cooled dramatically since 2021, but it doesn’t seem to feel that way to most restaurant owners, who are battling rising costs for everything from insurance and credit card fees to labor and food.
In the last four years, food costs for the average restaurant have gone up 29%, and labor costs have increased 31%, according to the National Restaurant Association. Tough to navigate that landscape running what has always been a low-margin business.
We also saw a lot of contraction among the big sit-down national chains that have been staples since the 1980s: Applebee’s, Red Lobster, Hooters, On the Border. The reasons there seem to be as much structural (many have been sold to private equity firms keen to cut costs) as they are cultural (the dining experience often feels cheesy and antiquated).
In all, we tallied 60 restaurant closings in the KC area this year, though there are surely some we missed. Here’s hoping we see less than that in 2025.
JANUARY
Wyandot Barbeque
Ron Williams opened the original Kansas City, Kansas, Wyandot Barbeque at 8441 State Ave. in 1977 and an Overland Park location at 7215 W. 75th St. in 1980. After Williams died in February 2023, his son, Ron Williams II, took over both restaurants. Juggling both proved to be a challenge, and the Overland Park restaurant shut down in January. The State Avenue location remains open.
WingStand
The quick-service chicken joint closed its 7715 State Line location in Kansas City, with ownership saying the restaurant was looking for another location better suited to its needs. A WingStand in Mission remains open at 5438 Johnson Drive.
Boho Sway at Canary
The Caribbean-inspired restaurant with a popular rooftop lounge closed a few months after a deadly shooting took place outside. A real estate agent for the building at 3835 Main St. told The Star that the closing was unrelated and “had more to do with operations” at Boho Sway. Blanc, a new champagne bar, opened in the space in October.
Jukebox Heroes
This music venue opened in August 2023 and featured a live band on stage and a large jukebox where guests could pay to have the band play one of 180 songs. It announced five months later that it would be closed “until further notice.” The 18,000-square-foot space at 3951 Broadway Blvd., also known as Warehouse on Broadway, remains vacant.
Sahara Mediterranean Food
The Overland Park restaurant at 10150 W. 119th St. closed permanently so the owners could focus their efforts on their Lee’s Summit location at 705 SE Melody Lane. The OP spot opened in 2021 and sold gyros, chicken shawarma sandwiches, hummus plates, kebabs and other Mediterranean dishes.
Bijou
The European-style bistro at 301 Westport Road closed “temporarily while details are worked through regarding new ownership and lease agreements,” the restaurant announced in January on social media. Bijou was owned by Jeffrey Schmitz and Gene Switzer and managed by Chad Alexander. Alexander told The Star at the time that he hoped to reopen Bijou in the space with new owners and management, but it remained closed as of December.
Zaxby’s
The Georgia-based fried chicken franchise closed its last Johnson County location, a drive-thru at 12195 S. Strang Line Road in Olathe. The company entered the local market in 2016 with locations in Overland Park and Olathe. It still has restaurants in the Northland and Kansas City, Kansas.
Fountain Haus
David Brinkerhoff and partners Dan Meiners and Ryan Overberg opened the LGBTQ-friendly nightclub at 401 Westport Road in 2022. The three-floor, 13,000-square-foot space featured multiple dance floors and a rooftop “pool deck.” It closed in late January. David Hollins, a former minority partner in the business, alleged in a 2023 lawsuit that the owners had not paid back his $50,000 investment in the club, which according to court filings amounted to a 2% stake in the business. The suit was settled, and Hollins’ attorney told The Star he didn’t know if the settlement was related to the closing.
FEBRUARY
Bridger’s
The hip-hop-themed nightclub at 504 Westport Road shut down with plans to update the interior and reopen in the summer. In May, owner Brett Allred announced that he would be collaborating with the founders of Queer Bar Takeover to open an LGBTQ-friendly club called Q Kansas City in the space. A fall opening was planned, but as of December, Q Kansas City was still not open. Allred opened Bridger’s in 2016, though it was originally called Johnny Kaw’s Bar & Grill. Before that, it was the Gusto Lounge.
Gravity
The Prairie Village bar and restaurant at 4160 W. 71st St. closed after two years. The restaurant group KC Hopps opened Gravity in 2022 as a replacement for one of its other restaurants, Blue Moose, which had operated there for over 20 years. Penny’s in the Village, a new Thai-food venture from the owners of Bamboo Penny’s and Aqua Penny’s, plans to open in the space.
Dave’s Stagecoach Inn
A fixture of Westport nightlife dating back to the Truman administration, Dave’s closed permanently following multiple shootings near the dive bar. “We’ve been thinking about it for a while,” said Joyce Hess, who owned the bar with her husband, Jim, whose father, Dave Golad, opened the bar in 1952. It was originally called 423 Club, after its address at 423 Westport Road. Golad moved the bar across Broadway Boulevard to 316 Westport Road in 1972 following the construction of Westport Square. The Hesses auctioned off the bar’s inventory in October. The space remains vacant.
Ça Va
The Westport Champagne bar and bistro Ça Va closed shortly after celebrating its 10th anniversary at 4149 Pennsylvania St. Owner Howard Hanna said at the time that he planned to reopen with a more international menu later in the year. But in September Hanna acknowledged it would not reopen. The bar and Hanna left behind a trail of unpaid bills and unhappy investors.
Bonefish Grill
The Tampa-based seafood chain closed its restaurant at 6334 N. Lucerne Ave. in the Northland. It had been open for nearly 18 years. Its parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, had previously announced it would be closing 41 underperforming locations due to declining sales and shrinking customer traffic. The Bonefish Grill in Leawood at 5021 W. 135th St. remains open.
MARCH
Noah’s Cupboard
The four-table, fine-dining destination in Weston held its final day of service March 2. “The overall goal is to spend more time with our kids,” said chef Nick Martinkovich, who owned the restaurant with his wife, Andrea. The restaurant opened in 2018 and was renowned for its tiny size and big culinary ambitions. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, each item on its locally sourced, farm-to-table menu was made by Nick Martinkovich, cooking alone in a small cubby in the back of the room. Not long after closing the restaurant, the Martinkoviches reopened the 400-square-foot space at 521 Main St. as a market and deli called Noah’s Delicatessen.
On the Border
The Tex-Mex chain closed three Kansas City area restaurants: in Kansas City’s Northland (8340 NW Roanridge Road, at Barrywoods Crossing), Independence (19921 E. Jackson Drive), and Lee’s Summit (1800 NW Chipman Road). One On the Border in Overland Park, at 11855 W. 95th St., remains open.
Cozy’s Cafe
After 15 years, this Overland Park restaurant closed following the death of one of its owners, Albert Kreka, in October 2023. Kreka’s wife and the cafe’s co-owner, Kozeta Kreka (“Cozy”), wrote on social media that the loss of her husband made it “impossible to continue” operating the restaurant at 6740 W. 75th St. The family’s Greek restaurant, Paros Estiatorio, remains open at 10561 Mission Road in Leawood’s Mission Farms development.
APRIL
Guy’s Bodega
A sister operation to Guy’s Deli & Pizza in Westport, Guy’s Bodega opened in March 2023 selling sandwiches alongside prepackaged chips, dips, salsas, sauces and other snacks. It closed less than a year later. Its space at 2101 Broadway has been home to a string of short-lived eateries, including Foodlove Cafe, Broadway Deli and Pezzettino Deli & Market.
Westport Ale House
The upscale sports bar opened in 2014 in the former Streetside Records space at 4128 Broadway. “Like numerous bars and restaurants across the United States, we are closing due to the numerous inflationary increases from food and beverage costs, insurance, and rent, which made operations unsustainable,” read a Facebook post from the owners. “We would have been forced to raise prices to amounts not feasible for our customers.” The bar was also the site of a 2022 shooting that left one dead and five injured.
Saints Pub Express
The Shawnee restaurant first opened as Taco Hangover in early 2023, then switched concepts that fall to a more fast-casual iteration of the popular bar and burger joint Saints Pub + Patio. It closed in April. “We were just kind of spinning our wheels,” owner Scott Anderson said. “I still think it’s a really good concept, it just didn’t pan out great in that spot.” Saints’ other locations at 16804 W. 89th St. in Lenexa and 20220 E. Jackson Drive in Independence remain open.
Johnny Kaw’s
Brett Allred opened Johnny Kaw’s in Waldo in 2015 at 7439 Broadway after opening Shot Stop in the same location in 2013. After closing in April, Allred converted the space into Waldo Bar & Rec, a game bar featuring vintage arcade systems, shuffleboard, pop-a-shot and other games. He had opened a similar concept, also called Bar & Rec, in October 2023 at 4120 Pennsylvania Ave.
Pizza Shuttle
The Overland Park branch of this local pizza chain closed after owners Traci and Ryan Wright were unable to find a new space when their lease at 12094 W. 135th St. ran out. The other two area Pizza Shuttles, in Lawrence at 711 W. 23rd St. and in the Crossroads at 1801 Baltimore Ave., remain open.
BurgerFi
The burger chain’s location at 11635 Ash St. in Leawood’s Park Place served its final patty in April. It was the only Kansas City area BurgerFi location. The Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant Mother Clucker has since taken over the space.
MAY
Ruby Jean’s
Owner Chris Goode said his smoothie and juice shop “never caught on in Leawood” at 11828 Roe Ave. in Town Center Plaza. “It just didn’t happen for us there,” Goode said. Ruby Jean’s still has two other locations, at 3000 Troost Ave. location and inside the Whole Foods at 301 E. 51st St.
Mo Bettahs
The Utah-based Hawaiian restaurant had been open for less than a year at 12005 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park before closing. Its other OP location at 7006 W. 75th St. remains open, serving customizable plates with white rice, grilled meat and macaroni salad.
Strip’s Chicken
Todd Johnson cited rampant crime as his reason for closing his Waldo fast-food restaurant at 420 W. 85th St. “I had eight break-ins in two years, and the only reason we haven’t had any since last summer is because we stopped taking cash,” Johnson told The Star in May. He has since opened a new restaurant and bar called Strip’s Chicken Strips, BBQ & Brewing in Lenexa. Johnson also owns Strip’s locations in Merriam and Olathe.
Back Yard Burgers
Owner Gene Scassellati closed both the Independence location of the char-broiled burger chain (15908 E. 23rd St.) and one in Blue Springs (1900 NW Highway 7). “I’m retiring,” Scassellati said. “I tried to sell (the restaurants) back to corporate. They seemed interested at first, but then I don’t know what happened. In the end they decided not to do it.” Back Yard Burgers filed for bankruptcy in 2023. The chain entered the local market in 1990 in Olathe, growing to nearly a dozen locations. None remain.
Red Lobster
The seafood chain closed locations in Olathe at 14904 W. 119th St. and in Kansas City, Kansas, at 10700 Parallel Parkway as part of a nationwide move that saw more than 100 locations shutter in 2024. Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in 2024 after losses stemming from bad real estate deals and an ill-fated all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion. Red Lobster’s other Kansas City area locations remain open at 4328 S. Noland Road in Independence, 9475 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, 450 NW Barry Road in the Northland and 670 NW Blue Parkway in Lee’s Summit.
JUNE
Michael Forbes Grille
Michael Forbes opened in Waldo in 1985, closed in 1999, and reopened in 2012 in Brookside, at 128 W. 63rd St. It closed again, permanently this time, on June 30, after owner Forbes Cross announced his retirement. Cross opened more than a dozen restaurants over the past several decades, including Parkway 600 and Japengo’s on the Country Club Plaza, Martini’s in Leawood and Union Cafe at Union Station. (There was also, briefly, a Michael Forbes Grille in Prairie Village, in the early 2000s.)
Chuy’s
The Tex-Mex chain closed after 11 years at 209 W. 46th Terrace on the Country Club Plaza. It was the last remaining Chuy’s in the Kansas City area, following closings in Olathe and Overland Park.
Shinju Sushi and Hibachi
The Japanese restaurant opened in 2021 in the old C. Frogs BBQ Steak Whiskey space at 3935 W. 69th Terrace in The Shops of Prairie Village. It closed in mid-June. The owners could not be reached for comment, and representatives with First Washington Realty, which manages the shopping district, would not say at the time if the closing was permanent. The space remains dark.
Mission Taco Joint
The South Plaza location of this St. Louis-based taco chain struggled to find its footing after opening just before the pandemic. “Coupled with a depressed dining economy and higher cost of goods and labor, it simply wasn’t viable to continue operations,” co-owner Adam Tilford told The Star. Local coffee shop Mildred’s later announced it would take over the space at 5060 Main St. Two other Mission Taco Joints in the area — in the East Crossroads at 409 E. 18th St, and in Leawood’s Park Place at 11563 Ash St. — remain open, though they recently changed their name to Session Taco following a trademark infringement lawsuit.
Sutera’s
A restaurant fixture in Kansas City since the 1970s, Sutera’s closed its last remaining location at 6523 N. Oak Trafficway in Gladstone. In 2013, longtime employee Bruce Hamilton had bought the Shawnee Sutera’s from Jeff Sutera. That restaurant closed in 2021. Hamilton then relocated the business to a Gladstone strip mall, still serving the same Sutera family recipes.
Lion’s Choice
The St. Louis-based fast-food chain known for its roast beef sandwiches and custard closed locations at 10313 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, 14189 W. 135th St. in Olathe, 440 NW Chipman Road in Lee’s Summit, and 4049 S. Little Blue Parkway in Independence. Its Liberty location, 129 S. Stewart Road, remains open under a separate franchisee, the company told The Star. A Taco Bell has since opened at the Olathe location.
Pie FIve
The quick-service pizza chain is no longer serving slices in the Kansas City area, having closed its last restaurant in the metro at 9133 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park. The location had been open since 2015. It is now a Five Guys.
Hooters
The Atlanta-based chain closed two locations over the summer: in the Northland at 6411 NW Barry Road and in Independence at 19850 E. Valley View Parkway. “Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores,” the company said in a media statement. Two local Hooters remain open: in Overland Park at 10620 Metcalf Lane and at 1712 Village West Parkway near the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Hooters, which is owned by the private equity firm Nord Bay Capital, has faced increased competition in the so-called breastaurant space in recent years with the emergence of similar chains like Tilted Kilt and Twin Peaks (which has three area locations).
JULY
Gilhouly’s
Owner Joe Simone said the landlords of his dive bar at 1721 W. 39th St. in the Volker neighborhood refused to extend his lease. The bar opened in 1995. It was previously home to Huck Finn’s. The space remains vacant, though a For Lease sign outside the building was recently taken down.
Peter Piper Pizza
After just a year at 8809 State Line Road in Ward Parkway Center, Peter Piper Pizza closed to make way for Chuck E. Cheese, which is owned by the same parent company, CEC Entertainment.
Harp Barbecue
After five years at 6633 Raytown Road, Harp Barbecue closed up shop in anticipation of a move to Overland Park. “A lot of our customers come from that way anyway, especially on weekends,” owner Tyler Harp said. “It makes more sense to be where our customers are at, in a location with higher traffic and volume.” Its new location at 12094 W. 135th St. opened in November.
Burnt End BBQ
The barbecue restaurant closed its Overland Park location at 11831 Metcalf Ave. days before it opened another location in De Soto. Both had been expected to stay open, said pitmaster Stephen “Smokey” Schwartz, but expanding the small Overland Park location while opening another restaurant proved difficult. “It was too much to do two at one time.” Burnt End BBQ is owned by parent company PB&J Restaurants, which also owns YaYa’s Euro Bistro and a few Red Robin and Starbucks locations. Schwartz began working for PB&J in 2005 and opened Burnt End BBQ in 2011 at 11240 W. 135th St., relocating to Metcalf Avenue three years later. In addition to De Soto, Burnt End BBQ also has a location at Crown Center.
Privee
Owners Marcus Easy and Tim Harris took over the sprawling, 9,000-square-foot Spanish colonial-style building at 700 Southwest Blvd. in 2023 with the goal of combining fine dining and a high-end lounge under one roof. But it closed less than a year later amid lawsuits from former employees who have accused the restaurant of racial discrimination and from contractors who say they hadn’t been paid.
AUGUST
Soiree
The Southern-inspired restaurant in Kansas City’s 18th and Vine District closed at the end of August. “The lack of investors and ongoing economic pressures have left us with no choice but to close our doors,” chef Anita Moore announced on Instagram. “This marks not the end of Soiree, but the beginning of a new chapter in our journey, wherever we may pop up next!” Moore opened Soiree in 2017 in Smithville, relocating to 1512 E. 18th St. in 2019. The restaurant was heavy on New Orleans-style fare — po’boys, fried oysters, barbecue shrimp — and often hosted live jazz performances.
Messenger Coffee Co.
The popular Kansas City coffee shop closed one of its two locations on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, at 318 W. 47th St. The 4771 Jefferson St. spot remains open. Messenger has another location at 1624 Grand Blvd. and one in the Kansas City International Airport.
SEPTEMBER
Coco Bolos
The Mexican grill and cantina in Overland Park’s Prairiefire development closed its dining room and announced that it would only be available for catering and private events moving forward. Coco Bolos first opened in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1998. Its Prairiefire location at 5621 W 135th St. opened in 2014.
Rockhill Grille
Two years after opening, the upscale American restaurant closed at 4311 W. 119th St. in Leawood’s Town Center Crossing. The original Rockhill Grille, which debuted in 2016 in the Crossroads at 2000 Grand Blvd, remains open. Owners Bret Springs and Zach Marten, who also own the Crossroads Italian tavern The Wise Guy, did not respond to requests for comment.
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BLU HWY
Restaurateur James Taylor, who also owns the Southwest Boulevard tapas restaurant La Bodega, opened Blu Hwy in 2021 at 5070 Main St. on the ground floor of the 51 Main apartment complex. Named after the travel memoir “Blue Highways” by Kansas City-born author William Least Heat-Moon, Blu Hwy served a menu featuring fried pimento cheese, watermelon salad, Southern biscuits, East Coast corn chowder and Campo Lindo Farms roasted chicken. A social media post from Blu Hwy said at the time that the restaurant had “come to an impasse with the landlord.” A representative with the Justus Companies, which owns 51 Main, said they did not have any information to share.
Salty Iguana
The Mexican restaurant closed its Olathe location at 10478 S. Ridgeview Road. The spot had been open since 2009. Salty Iguana’s original Prairie Village location at 8228 Mission Road has been open since 1992. Its other restaurants are in Independence at 17717 U.S. Highway 40 and in Lawrence at 4931 W. 6th St. Its Overland Park location, 8420 W. 135th St., closed in 2019. It is now a Whataburger.
Good People Cafe
This nonprofit cafe in Grain Valley was conceived as a job opportunity for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, such as autism and Down syndrome. It closed after just five months. “We did not have enough capital,” said owner Kris Stevens. “We probably needed to have $1 million from the beginning to cover build-out costs and to absorb the losses every restaurant incurs when the days are slow.” The cafe, launched by Faith United Methodist Church of Grain Valley, opened in May in a former Mid-Continent Public Library branch at 101 SW Eagles Parkway. It was built on donations: furniture from Buffalo Wild Wings and Pizza Hut, a GoFundMe drive, and individual contributions from church members and people in the community.
Ombra
The Northland small-plates restaurant closed due to what owner Sarah Nelson called “a combination of decreasing sales and me coming to terms with the constraints of operating a full-service restaurant as a sole owner.” Nelson opened Ombra in 2022 at 4161 N. Mulberry Dr. in The Village at Briarcliff. In August, Nelson opened Carne Diem, an upscale meat market and seafood counter in the former GreenAcres Market, just down the road from Ombra at 4179 N. Mulberry Drive. It remains open.
OCTOBER
Flying Horse Taproom
After closing temporarily in October 2023 for a menu revamp, this Brookside bar and restaurant reopened in January, then closed permanently in October. “It was a tough decision to make,” owner Trey Sabates said. “We had a great six years and enjoyed serving the Brookside East community. After declining sales and the many growing challenges all small businesses are dealing with right now, we didn’t see any reason to continue our efforts.” Sabates owns the building at 600 E. 63rd St. and said he’s found a new tenant for the space but was not ready to name them yet.
Smitty’s Garage
After opening in 2017, the burger chain closed its only Kansas City area location, at 8811 State Line Road in the Ward Parkway Center. Manager Dustin Wall told The Star that the restaurant wasn’t making as much money as they would’ve hoped. “Not a fun decision to make,” he said. “We loved the area, we loved the concept. Wish we could’ve made it work.” Smitty’s Garage is owned by Oklahoma-based Hal Smith Restaurants, which owns several restaurants across the country, including Redrock Canyon Grill at 13505 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park and Charleston’s Restaurant at 8817 State Line Road (two doors down from Smitty’s).
Mesob
Mesob Restaurant & Rhum Bar closed its Northland location less than a year after opening at 5225 N.W. 64th St. “Despite our best efforts, the current economic climate has resulted in a significant decline in customer traffic,” chef-owner Cherven Desauguste wrote on Facebook. “We have explored every possible avenue to adapt and overcome these challenges, but unfortunately, we are unable to sustain our business under these circumstances.” The original Mesob, founded in 2012, remains open in midtown at 3601 Broadway Blvd.
Oden’s
The family-owned barbecue joint, a Belton staple since 1982, closed at 1302 N. Scott St. “Due to challenging times, we are no longer able to keep our doors open,” owners Jim and Karen Oden wrote in a Facebook post. “We remain hopeful that a new chapter awaits. Our greatest wish is that the space will continue to be a place where people gather to create new memories, just as it has been for so long.” The Odens told Fox 4 News that operating a barbecue pit indoors had become “too complicated and expensive.” They also said they planned to sell to a new owner, but the deal fell through at the last minute.
Los Cabos Mexican Grill & Cantina
The Oklahoma-based Mexican food chain closed its Independence restaurant due to “inflation and continued rising cost of goods.” Owner Jim Blacketer, who had once opened a Steak and Ale at 79th Street and State Line Road in the early 1970s, brought the Los Cabos concept to The Falls development in Independence in 2016. Three other locations remain open in Oklahoma.
Applebee’s
Eight Applebee’s locations closed overnight in October, resulting in the chain filing a lawsuit against the local franchisee of those eight restaurants for violating their contracts and leases. “This situation is unfortunate, and we continue to believe the Kansas City area is a great neighborhood for Applebee’s restaurants,” said Applebee’s president Tony Moralejo. “We are exploring options about the future of these restaurants.” The closures leave the metro with just two Applebee’s, at 1100 NW Highway 7 in Blue Springs and 6069 NE Antioch Road in the Northland.
NOVEMBER
Paulie D’s
The pizza shop at 5735 Johnson Drive in Mission closed after serving customers for more than five years. Owners “Paulie” and Jennifer Doring said they had moved to the Pomme de Terre Lake area about two hours southeast of Kansas City to begin their “next chapter in life.” They said they plan to open a Paulie D’s location there sometime next year and encouraged customers to follow their Facebook page for updates. In their announcement, they expressed gratitude for their regular customers.
Jose Pepper’s
The Mexican restaurant closed its Mission location at 6870 Johnson Drive. Jose Pepper’s has nine locations and first opened in 1988, at 103rd Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park. The chain is owned by the same firm that owns Cactus Grill, which will soon open a location in Lenexa’s Restaurant Row at 8721 Scarborough St.
KC Daiquiri Shop
The Cajun/creole restaurant closed at 1116 Grand Blvd. in downtown KC. “We have faced a slow economy, challenges with local and state government and ongoing legal battles with neighboring businesses that have been less than supportive,” the owners wrote in a social media post. They did not respond to a request from The Star for more information. KC Daiquiri Shop opened in 2019, serving wings, po’boys, deep fried chicken, frozen daiquiris, gumbo and more.
Strang Chef Collective in downtown KC
A mini food hall featuring two restaurants and a bar, Strang Chef Collective debuted in December 2022 at 1100 Main St. in the Lightwell building in downtown KC. It closed just shy of two years later. “We planned this concept before the world changed from the pandemic and the new era of hybrid work weeks and flex schedules decimated downtown foot traffic, which made it extremely challenging to sustain long-term even with our best efforts,” CEO Shawn Craft said in a news release. The Lightwell location was a follow-up to Strang Hall’s first operation in downtown Overland Park, which opened in 2019 and includes six different chefs’ kitchens. The Overland Park remains open.
Prefix Coffee
The local coffee chain announced in March that it would be shutting down its two locations leased from the International House of Prayer, which has been mired in scandal since the fall of 2023. Prefix closed its south Kansas City location at 3523 E. Red Bridge Road over the summer and its Grandview location at the end of November. That leaves two Prefix locations in the metro, in downtown’s Lightwell building at 1100 Main St. and in midtown at 325 E. 31st St. Another Prefix is planned for the ground floor of The Grand apartments at 1125 Grand Blvd.
DECEMBER
Strang Chef Collective on the Plaza
Less than a month after closing the downtown location, Strang decided to close its food hall on the Country Club Plaza as well, which was inside Cascade Hotel. Craft, the CEO, cited construction delays, the placement inside the hotel and the ongoing issues with business on the Plaza. “We will continue to evaluate new location opportunities for the future of Strang Hall and to invest in our downtown Overland Park location, which the community has embraced,” Craft said.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 4:30 AM.
