Stylish new Southern restaurant debuts in Johnson County. See inside
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tupelo Honey opens its latest location in Lenexa’s expanding Restaurant Row.
- Owner Steve Frabitore emphasizes Southern hospitality as chain expands.
- The Lenexa restaurant features Southern dishes, floral decor and full bar service.
The smell of fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits mingled in the air Saturday morning at Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar.
Steve Frabitore, owner of the North Carolina-based chain, walked around the new restaurant in Lenexa, greeting attendees of a trial run ahead of its opening Tuesday.
The patrons gathered around his dining room are the primary reason Frabitore bought the original Tupelo Honey Cafe 18 years ago. Secondary is the chance to spread the love of shrimp and grits around the country.
“I love everything about creating a dish, nurturing a dish,” Frabitore said, sitting in a leather booth under a wicker light fixture. “The amount of thought as to what you see in front of you may seem simplistic, but it’s really not. It’s choreographed.”
A careful dance of flavors and aesthetics, Tupelo Honey’s Southern-style dishes sit atop floral blue china.
“You eat with your eyes first,” Frabitore added.
New restaurant in growing Lenexa project
Perhaps Tupelo Honey’s artistic philosophy bleeds into the restaurant’s decor. When customers first step into Tupelo Honey, they’ll likely notice the greenery and florals dripping from the ceiling. A bar with an oaky backsplash lines one side of the restaurant, where customers order mimosas like the tangy “brunch punch” drink.
Several more parties sat on an outdoor patio Saturday with string lights and spinning fans.
The 16720 City Center Drive spot is part of a Lenexa City Center development project dubbed Restaurant Row.
Earlier this year, Cactus Grill and Enjoy Pure Food joined the mix. Zhoug Mediterranean just opened its second area spot right next to Tupelo Honey.
More restaurant and retail spots are coming to the area, near the upcoming AdventHealth campus north of West 87th Street. Several of those tenants have yet to be announced.
The Lenexa restaurant is the company’s 27th spot. Or, maybe 26. (“I don’t spend my time counting,” Frabitore said.)
Southern hospitality in KC
With locations across the South, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and beyond, Frabitore said Tupelo Honey has been especially embraced in places like Kansas City, where Southern restaurants are few and far between.
Staff often find themselves teaching customers about the ways of the South. He told The Star, with eyebrows raised in astonishment, that diners have tried to order fried green tomatoes without the grits. A cardinal sin.
“Maybe they don’t know what a grit is,” he guessed. “Let’s go out there and introduce them to grits.”
After customers chow down on honey-dusted fried chicken with a side of collards, a waiter offers them desserts: brown butter pecan pie, banana pudding or chocolatey Mississippi mud pie. (One waiter proclaimed to The Star that the banana pudding was his favorite thing on the entire menu.)
The original Tupelo Honey opened in 2000. At the time Frabitore bought it, it was a breakfast and lunch place called Tupelo Honey Cafe. In lieu of a bar program, it served a few canned drinks.
Business savvy Frabitore, who previously worked in outdoor power equipment, yacht building, and consumer packaged goods, saw an opportunity with the beloved Asheville cafe. Despite his lack of experience in the restaurant sector, he expanded the company into the entity it is today.
Regardless of the growth, he doesn’t want any of his locations to lose their warm, local feel.
After all, what’s a Southern restaurant without Southern hospitality?
“I think what we do is noble,” he said. “Because people come in, and you don’t know what kind of day they’re having. … But when you come in here, we got it.”
When the restaurant opens Tuesday, it’ll serve customers from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
It’ll celebrate its grand opening Thursday, July 24, where the first 50 guests will be treated to free biscuits all day.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.