Beloved KC breakfast spot aims to reopen — but details are uncertain
On July 4, the air-conditioning at Happy Gillis went out.
Owner Cory Stipp received the call about the malfunction after an already hectic few weeks — the restaurant’s longtime manager had recently decided to step away.
So, Stipp had to close the brunch restaurant at 549 Gillis St. until the AC could be fixed.
But now that “all systems are a go” on the heating and cooling system, he said he’s still trying to figure out the staffing situation and a few other technical details. As such, Happy Gillis is still closed one month later.
“We’re slowly but surely working through all these scenarios and looking at all the possibilities,” Stipp said.
At this point, a complete closure is not on the docket, Stipp said.
“It will reopen,” he said. “What exactly that looks like, I don’t know.”
He knows the neighborhood loves the restaurant, and he said he wants to make the space worthwhile for his investor and the property owner.
He’s also sifting through possibility of new menu offerings in addition to the beloved dishes it already sells.
“We love the neighborhood, love everything down there so we’re kind of in a holding pattern,” Stipp said. “It’s beloved. I’ve always loved that space.”
Restauranteur Todd Schulte first opened Happy Gillis in 2008. (Schulte now owns Earl’s Premier, Bacaro Primo and Sea Capitán.)
In 2013, Josh and Abby Eans took over the space. Ten years later, they moved overseas and sold it to Stipp, a friend of theirs.
Stipp told The Star Tuesday that he had enjoyed eating at Happy Gillis long before he bought it.
Happy Gillis offers a rotating menu that includes salmon toast, biscuits and gravy, the “AM” breakfast sandwich and more.