A new restaurant offering nutrition-focused meals on the go has arrived in Johnson County.
Fast-casual eatery Bonsai Bowl opened its doors in Overland Park this summer.
Bonsai Bowl is at 8932 W. 95th St.
- The restaurant occupies a space on the northwest corner of West 95th and Antioch Road, near Marco’s Pizza and Chinese eatery Jasmine Garden.
- Health food store OP Nutrition previously occupied that space.
- Bonsai Bowl is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Bonsai Bowl serves quick healthy eats
At Bonsai Bowl, customers can either customize build their salads, wraps or rice bowls, or choose from the menu’s “signature” creations.
Some of those include Caesar salads, spicy Buffalo chicken salads and Asian chicken wraps. The counter-service restaurant operates primarily through carryout.
Owner Mark Menke said with Bonsai Bowl, he wanted to offer a healthy alternative to fast food.
“I feel like this is more of a consistent thing; you can eat salads and wraps pretty much every day, and you’re not going to feel bad,” he said. “And you can get the freedom to create what you want. You can kind of go your own way or stick to the traditional.”
That’s part of why he chose the name “Bonsai Bowl”, he said. The idea occurred to him when he glanced over at a Bonsai tree sitting on his kitchen counter.
He felt as though the name fit the “healthy vibe” he was going for with the new restaurant. So he checked online to see if the website name was available, and sure enough, it was.
“It all kind of clicked and fell into place,” he said.
This is not the owner’s first business endeavor
Menke’s journey as a restaurateur started while he was in college in Colorado, where he also ran a mac and cheese food truck.
After graduating and moving to Johnson County near family last spring, he knew he wanted to stay in the food industry, but he was ready to try something different from a food truck.
“There are a lot of complications to (running a food truck) and you can’t have regular customers because they have to follow you around,” he said. “I knew I wanted a brick-and-mortar sort of business.”
In the next three years or so, Menke said he might take his business even further with another Kansas City area location. So far, he said, his fellow Overland Park residents have responded enthusiastically to what Bonsai Bowl has to offer.
“It’s been exciting to see the support I get from the community,” he said. “How everyone is excited about it being here and having something new that’s local.”
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