Lawrence-based pizzeria closes its final KC area spot. But something else is on the way
Lawrence-based pizzeria Papa Keno’s has closed its Overland Park location, but another pizza shop will soon replace it.
Papa Keno’s at 14850 Metcalf Ave. — the last remaining spot in the Kansas City area — announced that it had closed permanently.
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support and loyalty over the years,” the announcement on the website reads. “It has been a pleasure serving you.”
Its only spot open in the area is at 837 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence.
An employee with Papa Keno’s confirmed that the Overland Park spot closed a few months ago. The owners could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
While Papa Keno’s has vacated the Heatherwood Village space, its pizza ovens will begin cooking fresh pies again soon.
Topeka-based Glory Days Pizza will open its second Kansas City area location in the former Papa Keno’s spot. Kimberly Tranbarger, a real estate agent representing the landlord, said Glory Days hopes to open its location in the spring.
Glory Days’ other restaurant in the metro is at 13107 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee. It opened in 2021.
The chain also has four spots in Topeka and one in Lawrence. The original location opened in 1985, near the College Hill shops close to Washburn University.
Glory Days’ specialty pizzas include its baked potato pizza (ranch dressing, lattice-cut potato, mozzarella, provolone and cheddar cheeses, topped with hardwood and smoked bacon, then dressed with sour cream and chives), taco pizza (taco sauce, beef, onion, mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar cheeses, dressed with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and more cheddar) and bacon cheeseburger pizza (beef, red onion, pickles, blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, then topped with bacon).
Before it left, Papa Keno’s struggled in the Kansas City area.
The chain was founded in 1991 and entered Overland Park a few years later, with the opening of a downtown Overland Park location at 7901 Santa Fe Drive.
It then opened short-lived locations in the River Market, Waldo and Westport. When new owners purchased the company in 2012, they reopened the 415 Westport Road location three years after it had closed.
Papa Keno’s ruffled feathers in the Crossroads in 2017 when it rented a billboard next to its competitor, Pizzabella. An arrow patrons to its 1815 Wyandotte St. restaurant.
“My employees are upset. They said, ‘What can we do?’ But it isn’t our billboard. We can’t do anything,” Pizabella owner Shari Boles told The Star at the time.
Then-co-owner Philippe Lechevin defended the competitive advertising choice, saying it was meant to spread the word about his new shop on a busier street and wasn’t targeting Pizzabella.
In 2020, Papa Keno’s sued Lechevin for breach of license agreement and breach of contract after the Crossroads location’s social media accounts and signage changed to Buffalo State Pizza & Co. The menu changed as well.
Papa Keno’s downtown Overland Park location also became Buffalo State Pizza sometime later.
Its 14850 Metcalf Ave. location opened in 2020 but shut down in 2022 due to a lack of staffing. It reopened in 2023 under new management.
But now, with Glory Days on the way, Papa Keno’s days in the Overland Park spot appear to be over.