KCRag Forum

kcjak wrote:

studentper wrote:Ingredient closed (permanently) today. Might have happened some time ago, but workers were moving out supplies over lunch.

Bread & Butter Concepts (Gram & Dunn, Taco Republic, etc.) is opening Republica in that location. The Star said it would feature Spanish food with a twist - and not just tapas, thankfully.

swid wrote:I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this, but cynical me notes that they should update their slogan to:

"Bread & Butter Concepts: Shamelessly ripping off other Kansas City restaurants since 2010"

swid wrote:I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this, but cynical me notes that they should update their slogan to:

"Bread & Butter Concepts: Shamelessly ripping off other Kansas City restaurants since 2010"

studentper wrote:Ingredient closed (permanently) today. Might have happened some time ago, but workers were moving out supplies over lunch.

brewcrew1000 wrote:

swid wrote:I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this, but cynical me notes that they should update their slogan to:

"Bread & Butter Concepts: Shamelessly ripping off other Kansas City restaurants since 2010"

Yeah, i have been saying that for years that Bread and Butter just rips off other successful concepts and markets it them to the JoCo crowd. I'd expect them to hop on the Gourmet BBQ bandwagon any moment and open a Q39 or Char Bar type restaurant in PV

Midtownkid wrote:

I noticed they are keeping the details on the old Halls building, as of now.

Hope they are there to stay, not just awaiting to be carefully removed and sold somewhere

msmith011 wrote:

Midtownkid wrote:

I noticed they are keeping the details on the old Halls building, as of now.

Hope they are there to stay, not just awaiting to be carefully removed and sold somewhere

Unfortunately, the moorish archways will be removed from the retail side of the building. According to Slaggie Architects, they may be repurposed elsewhere, like the back or near the entrances to the parking garage.

msmith011 wrote:According to Slaggie Architects, they may be repurposed elsewhere, like the back or near the entrances to the parking garage.

MidtownKid wrote:Are you basing that on the renderings or conversations with someone at the firm? I wonder if their renderings don't include the arches just for the sake of time (take too long to render those ETR details)

The Country Club Plaza, which Highwoods owns, also has seen its fair share of changes.

"We've gone to a lot more national-type stores because there's not as many locals around as there used to be," he said.

Asked whether the switch to more national chains has negatively affected the Plaza, Stephenson said "the cash register never lies."

"At the end of the day, you push the total button, the drawer opens up, and there's either cash in there or not cash in there," he said. "When I first came here (nearly 18 years ago), our sales per square foot were around $200 a foot, and today they're approximately $560 a foot. You see the growth."

The Plaza also has moved toward more exclusive stores, and currently, more than 50 percent of the stores on the Plaza have signed exclusive agreements, meaning they can't open another location within a 10- to 15-mile radius. Another change has been switching up the merchandise mix to target the tourist business.

"Forty-two percent of our business is tourists, so we're looking for product they cannot find in Des Moines, Lincoln, Omaha, Topeka or Wichita," Stephenson said. "We're the suppliers for those midtown areas, so when they come to Kansas City they can find a product that they can't find in their own cities."

...

The Plaza is negotiating contracts with additional tenants, and Stephenson expects to add at least 10 to 15 stores this year. "The occupancy rate of the Country Club Plaza is north of 96 percent," he said. "I see nothing but good things in the future."

Midtownkid wrote:

I noticed they are keeping the details on the old Halls building, as of now.

Hope they are there to stay, not just awaiting to be carefully removed and sold somewhere

It is taking a 3,825-square-foot space at 4700 Broadway, former home of A/X Armani Exchange. It plans a June opening.y

Midtownkid wrote:Boring. That would have made more sense back in 2006 or so when the uber-preppy thing was in style. I wish we would get something new or unique.