Author Spotlight
Caroline Chisholm
Closings
Two Kansas City area locations of the American restaurant and bar Houlihan’s closed their doors this month.
Both Fairway and Olathe residents found their local spot closed suddenly on Jan. 1. The Houlihan’s locations were just two of HRI Holding Corp’s 47 restaurants located in 14 different states. The closings came after Houston-based hospitality corporation, Landry’s, bid the highest to buy assets of HRI Holding Corp. out of bankruptcy, including the locations that closed.
According to court documents, HRI Holding Corp. filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November for reasons that included senior management changes and unfavorable leases.
Senior Tatum Hood, a Houlihan’s employee, felt blindsided by the close. By the close she, like many employees, were given no notice. She got a call hours before her scheduled 5 p.m. shift informing her the business was closing effective immediately.
“It was really confusing because when we heard about the bankruptcy we had a huge meeting about it,” Hood said, continuing, “and they were like ‘We are fine. This location is going to stay open and is one of the most profitable locations. Everything is going to be okay,’ but then one day out of the blue I got a call saying that they were shutting down.”
Other HRI Holding Corp restaurants include Mccormick and Schmicks on the Plaza and The Bristol in Power and Light, both of which are set to stay open under Landry’s control.
Houlihan’s was a neighborhood staple in the Fairway triangle according to Hood. It was a spot for families to grab dinner, friends to celebrate birthdays or adults to meet for drinks.
“The Fairway location had the most community feel just because Fairway is a very small neighborhood,” Hood said. “I cleaned tables and hosted, but there were always a lot of regulars that knew me by name. We had a lot of people who had come in for many, many years.”
The space, owned by Block Real Estate, has yet to be filled. Its doors will remained closed until a new tenant contract is created.
Prairie Village Macy’s is clearing its racks with a final clearance sale as they close their doors after 62 years in business.
The sale is expected to last 8-12 weeks as they take the next 90 days to slowly wind down their business.
The Prairie Village location is one of 30 nationally in the department store chain that are set to close early in 2020. According to Business Insider, the closings are reportedly due to six consecutive years of declining sales. The company has been closing locations as their leases end.
The decision to close the Prairie Village location came after “careful consideration,” according to Macy’s spokesperson Carolyn Ng Cohen in a public statement.
East parent Ingrid Adel has worked at Macy’s for a little over a year part time. Adel is sad to part ways with the employees she has built relationships with through the job.
“I am sad because even though I have only been there for a little over a year, I have feel like I really fit into that group [of employees]. This [location] is a very family oriented community for not just the customers, but also the employees.”
Many employees at the Prairie Village location have been working at the store for more than a decade according to Adel. She hopes that they are relocated to other locations and continue to be a part of the Macy’s family despite the location close.
Senior Director of Leasing, Elise Bueker at First Washington Realty said they own the building, but are not commenting on plans to fill the space quite yet. They plan to inform the public as soon an update is available regarding the space.
Openings
National chain breakfast spots Another Broken Egg Cafe and Snooze: An A.M. Eatery are making their debut in the Kansas City area this month, a common time for business development in KC.
Another Broken Egg Cafe, originally founded in Florida, opened on 133rd and Metcalf by franchise owners John and Britney Valas. The franchise began serving Kansas Citians on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
They serve upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch options. They pride themselves in specializing in award-winning, Southern-inspired menu options with innovative twists and signature cocktails, according to the company website.
Denver-based restaurant, Snooze: An A.M. Eatery took over a 5,000-square-foot building located next to Westport Ale House on Broadway and will be opening on Feb 5.
Snooze is a chef-driven restaurant known for its six signature Eggs Benedict options, according to their social media accounts. Nation’s Restaurant News reported that Snooze takes “a whimsical approach to comfort food and brunch cocktails as well as a focus on sustainability efforts and community giving.”
Math teacher Andrew Walter discovered Snooze on a wedding trip to Colorado and became a huge fan.
“My wife and I did some research on the best brunch spots in Denver and Snooze kept coming up,” Walter said. “So we went and we enjoyed it so much that we went back again the next day, and then every time we went back to Denver for wedding stuff we always made a point to visit Snooze. It has great food, but also has great memories for us.”
Walter has been spreading the word about the new addition to Westport. He is excited to make the new local location a place to celebrate special occasions with his family.
“Everybody I talk to about brunch I mention how much we enjoy going to Snooze,” Walter said. “I am really excited [that it is coming to KC].”
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