In just a few weeks, Darrin DeBok will begin a new chapter.
Soon, a long-empty storefront in Olathe will come to life as his first restaurant.
The new restaurant, Ava Rae’s Pizzeria and Pub, is currently finishing up renovations.
He and Ava Rae’s manager, Lindsay Rutten (who is also DeBok’s girlfriend), estimate the restaurant will be ready to open its doors by mid-February.
Ava Rae’s will open at 11168 S. Lone Elm Road
- The pizzeria and pub will occupy a space just off College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road.
- There, it will operate near Austins Bar & Grill and coffee chain Dutch Bros.
- Once it opens, Ava Rae’s will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Ava Rae’s will serve craft pizzas and beers
On the menu, customers will find a variety of pizzas (some with gluten-free options), along with other items like pastas, sandwiches, salads and some homemade soups in the winter.
DeBok said the kitchen will have the capacity to crank out roughly 16 pizzas every eight minutes.
On the weekends, the restaurant will serve a limited weekend brunch menu with items like breakfast pizza and coffee cake. At its 67-foot bar, Ava Rae’s will also serve more than 100 craft beers.
The restaurant has a familial tie as well. Its namesake, DeBok’s daughter, Ava Rae, is depicted with her dog in the restaurant’s logo.
“We’re really trying to base the restaurant around family and community,” DeBok said. “And we’re really focused on promoting local products, whether it be local wineries or local beers.”
The owners want Ava Rae’s to give back to the community
Though DeBok is new to the restaurant scene, Rutten has worked in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years, both locally and in other metro areas like Chicago.
As Olathe residents, they said they hope to utilize the restaurant to help out their community.
“(The most exciting part) is the community involvement and how excited the community is to have us here,” DeBok said.
Ava Rae’s is across the street from Olathe Northwest High School, where DeBok’s daughter is a student.
DeBok plans to implement discounts for Olathe Public Schools employees, as well as the city’s fire and police departments, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s office.
“Everybody’s really excited, and we’re looking forward to serving them,” Rutten said. “But we’re also looking forward to being a safe place for first responders to come in and dine as well.”
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