Openings
Cosmo Burger (1815 Locust St.)
Even though Cosmo Burger has always found itself within the walls of larger establishments like Waldo’s Dodson’s Bar and the Lenexa Public Market, the burger maker has gained a reputation as one of KC’s best smash burgers, despite not ever having its own dedicated space. That all changed last week, when Cosmo Burger officially opened its own shop in the Crossroads.
Inside the new space is a large bar that serves up boozy milkshakes and pickle margaritas and the food menu is the biggest we’ve seen yet from Cosmo Burger. You can order your burger dressed with your favorite toppings and the rarely-seen peanut butter burger, or goober burger, is now a menu staple.
Cosmo Burger Hours:
Sunday through Thursday, 11 am to 11 pm. Friday and Saturday, 11 am to midnight.
We featured Cosmo Burger in our Best KC Smash Burgers list in March. Read the list here.
Chicken Salad Chick (9222 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS)
Fast-casual chicken salad restaurant chain Chicken Salad Chick has opened its first Kansas location.
Chicken Salad Chick‘s Overland Park site celebrated its grand opening on July 1. The menu serves largely, you guessed it, chicken salad in various ways, and yet the national chain has garnered a cult following, with locals brimming with excitement over the Lee’s Summit location that opened at the end of last year.
Owners and sisters Jo Anne Williams and Cindy Sulzman are slated to open two more Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in Johnson County in 2026.
Homestead Kitchen + Bakery & KC Döner (8750 Penrose Ln. Lenexa, KS)
Two new merchants are officially open in the Lenexa Public Market: Homestead Kitchen + Bakery and KC Döner.
Homestead Kitchen + Bakery is a breakfast and lunch vendor that serves up a little bit of everything when it comes to comfort food. This is the second location for owners Kelly and Lori Gardner with the first Homestead Kitchen in Baldwin City, Kansas.
“Whether you want a healthy salad and protein balls, or you have a hankering for a burger, fries and ice cream, we have something for every mood,” says Lori. “We’ve been in business for close to nine years and we’ve worked very hard to build a concept that our customers enjoy. We look forward to sharing that with our friends in Lenexa.”
As for KC Döner, Owner Sami Jenedi teams up with his mother, Chef Nesrin Jenedi, sharing Mediterranean cuisine rooted in their Turkish heritage. Although the duo are no strangers to the food business with their successful pop-ups, this will be the their first permanent location.
“My mom leads the cooking, bringing the traditional flavors of southern Turkey to life, while I bring in my experience from when I worked as a cook at Hilton Barcelona,” says Sami. “Every dish is made with care, and we want people to feel at home through the food we serve.”
We featured KC Döner’s Turkish doner wrap in last year’s Sandwich feature. Read about the Jenedi’s specialty here.
Closings
ClusterTruck (clustertruck.com)
Indianapolis-based food delivery company ClusterTruck has shut down Kansas City operations.
“ClusterTruck Kansas City has closed,” the website states. “As we focus on franchising ClusterTruck, we hope to return to KC with the right local partner.”
ClusterTruck began operations in 2016 and was created to compete with existing food delivery concepts like UberEATS, GrubHub and Postmates.
Other News
Say Cheese
Weston-based sheep dairy Green Dirt Farm was recently honored for its lasting impact on America’s good food movement for none other than its own renowned soft cheese variety Dirt Lover.
As of June 28, Dirt Lover was crowned, along with 55 other winners across 18 categories, a winner of the Good Food Award by 15 Years of Good Food Awards. This award is part of a first-ever special recognition event celebrating the Good Food Awards’ 15th anniversary and highlights past winning products and the individuals behind them. The prestigious award marks the first-ever Community Choice edition, with more than 8,000 votes cast by the good food-loving public.
“We’re incredibly proud and grateful to be recognized by the Good Food Foundation,” says Green Dirt owner Sarah Hoffmann. “Our team works tirelessly to produce fabulous tasting sheep’s milk cheeses while at the same time caring deeply for our soil, our sheep, and our people and it feels great to have our efforts recognized.”
Green Dirt’s Crossroads restaurant Green Dirt on Oak was dubbed KC’s Best New Restaurant in Kansas City magazine’s 2025 30 Best Restaurants list. Read the list here.
High Hopes
In a ceremony held last month, Kansas City Restaurant Week presented this year’s chosen charity House of Hope with a large donation.
Read more about Kansas City Restaurant Week’s charitable efforts here.