So if you showed up at the Village Shops yesterday with a hankering for fajitas, chances are you were pretty disappointed.

Jose Pepper’s, the Tex-Mex restaurant that had been operating out of the space at the intersection of Prairie Lane and Mission Lane, greeted visitors Monday with a sign in the window letting them know it had closed for business.

The good news, however, is that a new, independent restaurant owned and operated by a Prairie Village resident with a long history in the business is slated to open in the space this February.

LANE4, which owns the Village Shops, put out a press release yesterday announcing that Kelly Manning, a Mission Hills native who has worked for PB&J restaurant group as well as Houston’s and Morton’s The Steakhouse, had assumed the lease for the space. Manning will be extensively remodeling the suite to create a “sophisticated but comfortable” atmosphere for the new restaurant, Tavern in the Village.

“Tavern in the Village will be a place where everyone feels like a VIP, but has all the comforts of a great neighborhood restaurant,” Manning said in the release. “The menu will be moderately priced and the restaurant will offer great value in both food and experience.”

LANE4 vice president Jeff Berg gave a hint about what patrons can expect from the new eatery, saying, “The surrounding neighborhood has been asking for a restaurant of this type since the closing of Fairway Grill.”

Previous tenants of the space include Cactus Grill, Movie Gallery, and (a really, really long time ago) Calico Corner.

See the full press release after the jump.

Prairie Village, KS (November 15, 2010) – LANE4 Property Group announces that Tavern In The Village restaurant will open late February of 2011 at the The Village shopping center in Prairie Village, Kansas. Tavern In The Village’s owner/creator, Kelly Manning concluded after much due diligence that The Village was the ideal location for his new restaurant concept. Manning approached Jose Peppers offering to buy out their lease, they agreed and the transfer occurred on Monday, November 15. “The surrounding neighborhood has been asking for a restaurant of this type since the closing of Fairway Grill. We are thrilled to offer this new concept to our patrons.” stated Jeff Berg of LANE4 Property Management Group.
Tavern In The Village will offer an American styled menu focusing on fresh ingredients and classic dishes with a twist, open 7 days a week serving, lunch, happy hour and dinner. “Tavern In The Village will be a place where everyone feels like a VIP, but has all of the comforts of a great neighborhood restaurant,” stated Kelly Manning. “The menu will be moderately priced and the restaurant will offer great value in both food and experience,” Manning said. Manning will extensively remodel the former Jose Peppers space to feature a sophisticated but comfortable atmosphere.
About Kelly Manning Kelly Manning is a 20-year veteran of the restaurant business and has worked for some of the most successful restaurant groups in the nation, including; PB& J, Houston’s Restaurants and Morton’s The Steakhouse. Manning is a Mission Hills, Kansas native and attended the University of Kansas. Kelly Manning and his family reside in Prairie Village. For more information contact Kelly at 913-991-5450 or email him at [email protected]

About LANE4 Property Group LANE4 Property Group specializes in project leasing, tenant representation, development and property management of retail, office, hospitality and mixed-use projects throughout the United States including The Trails in Kansas City, Mo., The Village and Corinth Square in Prairie Village, Kan., Briarcliff Village in Kansas City, Mo., One Kellogg Place in Wichita, Kan., The Shoppes at Market Pointe in Papillion, Neb., and Tiffany Springs MarketCenter in Kansas City, Mo. For more information on LANE4 Property Group, visit www.lane4group.com