New VinZant restaurant will come to the former Houlihan’s site. The details
The promise to bring American Fire, a new W. VinZant Restaurant concept to the former Houlihan’s site at the Shops at Fairway in Johnson County, has been rekindled.
On Monday, Whitney VanZant, the founder of the restaurant group — whose holdings include Gram & Dun, Heritage by Bo Ling’s on the Plaza, Cafe Trio, Louie’s Wine Dive, Taco Republic, BRGR and other concepts — signed a development agreement to bring what he described as an upscale restaurant to the site just off Johnson Drive.
For 16 years, the 6,000-square-foot building at 2820 West 53rd St. housed a Houlihan’s restaurant before closing in 2019. The site has been empty since.
The VinZant group announced in December that it intended to undertake a $3.3 million renovation to fill the space, owned by the Fairway Restaurant Group LLC, whose agent is David Block of the Block & Co. real estate firm. Renovations were expected to start in February and be completed this summer.
That same month, at the request of the VinZant group, the Fairway City Council passed an ordinance creating a CID, or community improvement district, that encompassed only the address of the restaurant. The development agreement allowed for an additional 2% tax to be levied on sales at the restaurant to be used to reimburse some costs of the project.
VinZant, however, did not sign the agreement amid financial disagreements. The project failed to start. VinZant in later interviews suggested the project may not take place.
Signed deal with Fairway
But on Monday the city and the VinZant group signed a “modified” development agreement, in which a 2% sales tax levied at the restaurant could be used to reimburse up to 50% of the project’s eligible expenses to a level not to exceed $1,658,000.
On Friday, the city of Fairway sent an email to residents emphasizing details of the arrangement.
“The reimbursement will be funded by an additional 2% sales tax on sales within the CID,” it read. “The CID only includes the former Houlihan’s property; it does not include any other businesses in the Fairway Shops or elsewhere within Fairway.
“The City of Fairway is not responsible for any portion of the reimbursement. The level of reimbursement WVRG (W. VinZant Restaurant Group) receives is solely dependent upon the success of American Fire.”
On Tuesday, Whitney VinZant said construction and renovations would begin Aug. 1 and be completed by the spring of 2027.
“We are excited for the future of Fairway and the surrounding communities,” VinZant wrote in a statement, ”and are proud to keep Fairway tenancy local.”
VinZant specifically thanked Fairway Mayor Melanie Hepperly, City Administrator Nathan Nogelmeier and Councilman Lee Story “for their support in navigating the many challenges presented through this journey.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 3:59 PM.
