Months after a Tex-Mex eatery’s departure from Johnson County, a new pizzeria is gearing up to take its place.
Nebraska-based pizza staple Valentino’s plans to make a southern Overland Park debut in the space previously occupied by Texas-based Fajita Pete’s.
If all goes according to plan, local franchise owners Travis Sorensen and Mike Yeggy said, then they’ll aim for an early 2026 opening.
Valentino’s is coming to 8909 W. 135th St.
- The new pizzeria is coming to a space just off 135th Street and Antioch Road, new frozen yogurt shop Fifth & Emery and chicken eatery Slim Chickens.
- Fajita Pete’s occupied that space for roughly four years before its closure in late summer 2024.
- Once Valentino’s opens, its regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Valentino’s offers pizzas, pasta and more
The Overland Park restaurant will focus primarily on carryout, delivery and catering, though the space will have a small dine-in area.
The menu at Valentino’s features a variety of pizzas, from classics like cheese and pepperoni to signature ones like quattro formaggi (four cheese) and bacon cheeseburger.
“(The pizza) has been around for 68 years, and it is the best thing you’re going to taste,” Sorensen said. “I’m just so excited to have Kansas City taste our pizza and just fall in love with it.”
In addition to pizza, Valentino’s also offers pasta dishes like lasagna and spaghetti, as well as other items like wings, salads and garlic breadsticks.
This marks the first Valentino’s in Johnson County
Founders Val and Zena Weiler launched the pizzeria in Nebraska nearly seven decades ago. Later on, Valentino’s began to expand beyond its flagship location in Lincoln in the 1970s.
Today, the Nebraska-based chain has several locations across its home state, as well as another in South Dakota. The restaurant’s pizza is also the “official” pizza of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the pizza is sold by the slice at football games there.
Sorensen has worked with Valentino’s in Nebraska for roughly 25 years. He’s opening the restaurant with his friend and business partner, Mike Yeggy, who also is the founder of Leawood-based Peak Real Estate Partners.
“We’ve always loved the Kansas City market,” Sorensen said. “We love the people, we love the place. We’re just so excited to be down there.”
Though the brand is technically new to Johnson County, Sorensen and Yeggy said it’s clear that there’s already some excitement about it in the area.
“It’s a well known, established brand in a nearby market,” Yeggy said. “With the following it already has, I think (expanding it here) is a good opportunity.”
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