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QuikTrip eyes old Olathe Red Lobster for new gas station

QuikTrip wants to redevelop the site of a former Olathe Red Lobster seafood restaurant into a new gas station and convenience store.

The old restaurant is located at 14904 W. 119th St., just north of the Olathe Pointe shopping center on Black Bob Road.

Earlier this week, the Olathe Planning Commission voted 6-1 to approve a revised preliminary site development plan for the QuikTrip project.

Commissioner Jeffery Creighton voted no over concerns that the traffic attracted to a popular business like QuikTrip would exceed the capacity of the roads in the area.

He asked to have the item removed from the commission’s consent agenda in order to ask questions about the plan.

“I appreciate that we have an applicant who’s wishing to redevelop that site, so we’re not talking about an empty building sitting there,” Creighton said. “Because they are successful, I am in particular concerned about traffic flow at that location.”

Commissioners Keith Brown and Chip Corcoran were absent from the meeting.

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What does QuikTrip have planned on 119th St.?

  • QuikTrip intends to open a nearly 5,000-square-foot convenience store with eight gas pumps.
  • The plan is to demolish the existing restaurant building in order to construct the new facility and gas canopy, according to city documents.

 

The Red Lobster at the corner of Black Bob Road and 119th St. in Olathe that is slated to be replaced by a QuikTrip.
The Red Lobster at the corner of Black Bob Road and 119th Street in Olathe is slated to be replaced by a QuikTrip. Photo via Olathe planning documents.

Olathe Red Lobster closed last spring

  • Red Lobster first opened at the corner of Black Bob and 119th in 2012.
  • The national restaurant chain emphasizes casual seafood fare and is known for its Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
  • The Olathe restaurant closed in May 2024 amid a string of nationwide restaurant closures stemming from financial concerns and a bankruptcy filing.
  • The Red Lobster location near 95th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park is the only franchise left in Johnson County.

More local business news: Drive-thru energy drink bar planning 3 JoCo locations in Olathe and Overland Park

About the author

Kaylie McLaughlin
Kaylie McLaughlin

👋 Hi! I’m Kaylie McLaughlin, and I cover Overland Park and Olathe for the Johnson County Post.

I grew up in Shawnee and graduated from Mill Valley in 2017. I attended Kansas State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2021. While there, I worked for the K-State Collegian, serving as the editor-in-chief. As a student, I interned for the Wichita Eagle, the Shawnee Mission Post and KSNT in Topeka. I also contributed to the KLC Journal and the Kansas Reflector. Before joining the Post in 2023 as a full-time reporter, I worked for the Olathe Reporter.

Have a story idea or a comment about our coverage you’d like to share? Email me at kaylie@johnsoncountypost.com.

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