Not long after debuting in one Johnson County city, ice cream shop Betty Rae’s has already set its sights on another.
On Friday, the well-known ice creamery announced plans to open a new store in Shawnee later this summer.
Betty Rae’s is coming to 22350 W. 66th St.
- The shop will open in a space at the Monticello Center, near Papa Johns Pizza and Tanner’s Bar & Grill.
- Previously, 9Round Fitness occupied that space.
- Owner Matt Shatto said the new store will likely open in early July.
This marks the fifth Betty Rae’s shop in Johnson County
- The first Johnson County store for the Kansas City, Missouri-based brand opened in Olathe in 2023.
- In 2024, two more locations followed — one in Merriam and another in Prairie Village.
- Earlier this year, Betty Rae’s also opened a new store in southern Overland Park.
The brand is steadily growing
Shatto said the choice to expand to Shawnee came as a natural transition, since many of its customers drive to other locations from that part of the metro.
“There were quite a few folks out by the Mill Valley area in Shawnee that were making the trek,” he said. “A great opportunity came along for us to bring Betty Rae’s closer to them, so we thought, ‘Let’s go west.’”
The brand got its start in Kansas City, Missouri’s Waldo neighborhood in 2016.
Betty Rae’s also has a location in Kansas City’s River Market district.
The shop is known for “premium” ice cream in flavors like gooey butter cake, lavender honey, salted caramel and s’mores.
Stretching beyond the Kansas City metro area, the brand recently opened a franchise in Omaha, Nebraska. Through its new franchise program, Betty Rae’s is currently eyeing expansion into areas like St. Louis, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; and Denver, Colorado.
“It’s our desire to expand the Betty Rae’s brand to places in which we’re wanted,” Shatto said. “We’re just trying to show people all across the metro — and hopefully in time, all across the country — how great this Kansas City secret is.”
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