Beloved Kansas City cafe will reopen after two-year closure. ‘Super excited’
It’s been less than two years since midtown’s You Say Tomato has seen a regular crowd for casseroles and breakfast croissants.
That won’t be the case for much longer. You Say Tomato will reopen to the public June 4.
Owner Anne Clark told The Star they’ve been hoping to reopen for a while but have been anxiously awaiting the sale of the building.
Now that the building’s new owner has guaranteed You Say Tomato, which rents their space, will be able to stay put, Clark feels comfortable opening her doors again.
“I’m super excited,” Clark said. “It will be nice to be able to have a lot of our regulars, and then new people.”
Since the restaurant closed for regular business hours, Clark has been running her catering business in the space. You Say Tomato will continue to cater once it reopens.
“I just have lots of ideas, just things that I’ve had to push back, push down … not knowing what was happening with the building,” she said. “I’m happy to be able to be there for a little bit longer.”
When You Say Tomato returns, it will operate Wednesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch.
Clark said she hasn’t figured out all the details just yet, but the menu will have many of the same items. The offerings will be more scaled back, however — at least at first.
“It might stay smaller or it might get bigger,” she said. “We’re trying to do it gradually instead of doing too much and being overwhelmed.”
Some of You Say Tomato’s past menu items include the French toast breakfast casserole and buttermilk biscuits.
While You Say Tomato, 2801 Holmes St., has welcomed customers inside the space for special events and select pizza nights, it will be the first time since September 2023 that customers will have regular access to You Say Tomato’s cuisine.
The building once housed Weneck Brothers grocery from 1928 to 1958 and the Anello Brothers Market from 1958 to 1988. About 19 years ago, Michael Pouncil, Randy Parks and Mark Wingard opened You Say Tomato.
Clark — who had worked at You Say Tomato since its inception — took over with her husband, George Rousis, in the fall of 2018.
She told The Star on Tuesday that there were many reasons as to why the restaurant closed two years ago. Not knowing who would buy the building was one of them, as well as staffing difficulties.
At the time of its closure, she also expressed a desire to spend more time with her family.
“For us, focusing on growing the catering will, I think, allow us a better quality of life,” Clark said at the time the restaurant closed. “Staffing the restaurant was hard, not being home and available to our kids has been hard. With catering, we can plan our weeks a little easier.”
Fans mourned the loss of You Say Tomato on Facebook when it closed.
“My heart just broke,” one wrote.
“There goes my top reason for moving back to KC,” said another.
Clark has already told some of her customers that she’s returning. They’re just as eager as she is, she said.
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM.