‘All-in-one’ restaurant coming to Johnson County Applebee’s & KC shopping center
A pan-Asian restaurant is opening two locations in the Kansas City area late this summer, including in a former Applebee’s.
The new concept — created by the owners of Magic Noodle — will serve dishes from Thailand, Japan, China, Vietnam and beyond. Fittingly, its name will be All In One Eatery.
The restaurants will open within a few weeks of each other, first at 8654 N. Boardwalk Ave. in a former Kirkland’s at The Shops at Boardwalk in the Northland. Then, it will open in the former Overland Park Applebee’s at 11000 Metcalf Ave.
Owners Jack Yu and Elvin Liu are excited to bring a unique offering to the area.
“(Pan-Asian restaurants are) really, really popular in the East or West Coast, but in the middle, especially Kansas, there’s none,” Yu said. “We’re really excited.”
While they don’t have their menu completely fleshed out yet, they’re planning on serving sushi, dim sum, noodles and several other dishes. The restaurants will also have a full bar, serving cocktails and more.
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When customers walk into All In One Eatery, tablets on their tables will display a variety of foods from several different countries. Customers can select which options interest them, and the food will be made to order, then delivered to their tables.
Yu shared photos of the restaurant concept — sleek, modern spaces with art hanging from the ceilings and mood lighting — a switch-up from the casual dining rooms the former Applebee’s was known for.
Yu and Liu opened the first Magic Noodle location in Overland Park’s burgeoning Bluhawk development, 8013 W. 159th St. It sells soups and stir-fry with hand-pulled, made-to-order noodles.
Its second location opened in January at 1020 NW Pryor Road in Lee’s Summit.
In October, eight Applebee’s locations closed overnight, leaving just two left in the metro: 6069 NE Antioch Road and 1100 NW Highway 7 in Blue Springs.
The local franchise, Apple Central KC LLC, made the decision to shut down the restaurants.
“This situation is unfortunate, and we continue to believe the Kansas City area is a great neighborhood for Applebee’s restaurants,” Tony Moralejo, president of Applebee’s, said in a statement at the time. “We are exploring options about the future of these restaurants.”
Applebee’s told The Star the closures appeared to be because of financial reasons. None have reopened in the area.
Applebee’s was formerly headquartered in Kansas City. In 2015, it relocated to California, where its parent company, Dine Brands, is based.