A new combo dumpling restaurant and antique furniture shop may be on its way to south Leawood on a site formerly occupied by a now-defunct Winstead’s.
Driving the news: At its Tuesday meeting, the Leawood Planning Commission unanimously approved preliminary and final plans for to what will become a dumpling restaurant and furniture store at 135th and Briar — sending the application to the Leawood City Council for final approval at a later meeting.
Where exactly: The restaurant, Rakar Dumpling House, will occupy an existing building at 4971 West 135th St. that was once a Winstead’s diner.
- The building is on the northeast corner of the Cornerstone of Leawood retail development off 135th Street and Nall Avenue.
- The site also neighbors the Parkway Plaza shopping center across 135th Street and the Prairiefire mixed-use development across Nall Avenue.
- It’s also just north from Leawood’s United Methodist Church of the Resurrection on 137th Street.
The details: The commission approved the proposed exterior changes, as well as a special use permit allowing the restaurant to utilize a drive-thru.
- The building formerly housed a Winstead’s, a franchise of the iconic Kansas City-area diner famous for its hamburgers and milkshakes.
- The site plan for the restaurant includes 47 seats for dining and a 3,966-square foot retail space, along with 61 parking spaces.
- As part of the preparation to open, the building will be painted tan and white — replacing the distinctive white, neon blue and pink exterior common to Winstead’s.
- The owner also intends to add landscaping to the property, including street trees and shrubs.
What else: Owner Jim Zhang also owns Rakar Inc., a Leawood store that offers furniture and home décor.
- At Tuesday’s meeting, he said he wanted to open this second location to serve more of his existing customer base in the Overland Park and Leawood areas.
- He also said he’d always wanted a place to find traditional dumplings in the area, and compared the idea for combining the two things to IKEA’s combination of food and furniture.
- Zhang has operated Rakar Inc. for more than 20 years, and Rakar Dumpling House will feature a retail component where customers can find some of the antiques and décor items that they’d find at his original store.
