KC restaurant closes on the Plaza after 20 years. Owner says more are on the way out
.JPG "Brio Italian Grille closed its location on the Country Club Plaza.")
Brio Italian Grille has closed its restaurant on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza after more than 20 years.
The casual Italian chain at 502 Nichols Road has been dark since at least Monday.
“Sorry, this location has closed. Thank you for your patronage over the years,” signs on the doors read. “It was our pleasure serving you.”
The restaurant joins an exodus from the Plaza that is likely just beginning. The latest closures include Casper at 319 Nichols Road (its last day is Wednesday) and Evereve at 225 W. 47th St.
The Plaza’s new ownership group, The Village Collection (the new name for HP Village Partners) told The Star more businesses will leave as an part of an effort to improve the space.
“Since the acquisition,” Drew Steffen, chief executive officer of The Village Collection, said in a statement, “our team has been hard at work envisioning the future of Country Club Plaza. We are eager to transform the Plaza to the gorgeous shopping and dining destination which everyone can be proud of.
“With that, Kansas Citians can expect to see some strategic closures as tenants leave or relocate to help pave the way for important renovations and improvements that will help us restore Country Club Plaza as the crown jewel of the Midwest.”
An employee with Evereve told The Star this month that the new ownership group had also informed them that they would not renew the store’s lease at the end of the year. It was one of at least 10 tenants that exited the shopping center in 2024.
The Village Collection purchased the Plaza last year and promised to restore the shopping center. Part of the plan, principal owner Ray Washburne said, was to make “addition through subtraction.”
His vision: more local restaurants, high-end tenants, less “junk retail.”
The new ownership group also plans a $100 million revamp to the center’s infrastructure. Dates for construction have not been announced.
Brio opened in the Plaza in late 2004.
Another casual, family-style Italian restaurant — Buca di Beppo — holds a space on the Plaza. It’s been at 310 W. 47th St. since mid-2000.
Brio is owned by Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, which also owns Italian chain Bravo Italian Kitchen.
Bravo closed in Leawood’s Town Center Plaza at 5005 W. 117th St. in 2023. It still has a location in Zona Rosa at 7301 NW 87th St.
Brio has more than two dozen locations still open in the United States. The closest spot is in St. Louis.
The Star’s David Hudnall and Eric Adler contributed to the reporting of this story.