When Pride Cleaners moved from its Tomahawk Road-facing space to one on the other side of the Shops of Prairie Village, its nextdoor neighbor got the chance to give customers something they’d been asking for: more space.
“We get that request all the time,” said Noah Quillec, co-owner of French Market. “We’ve been telling our regulars that this is happening, and everyone’s really excited.”
If all goes according to plan, that wish will be granted by the end of the month. The owners of French Market are in the process of expanding the popular eatery into the former Pride Cleaners space.
The expansion will focus on grab-and-go items
The new space, adding on directly to the right of French Market’s current home, will focus mostly on its grab-and-go side.
That includes pastries and specialty groceries (such as a wide cheese selection), as well as a variety of prepared meals like salads, sandwiches and entrees like three meat lasagna and chicken bechamel crepes.
The restaurant will also add two new check-out stations; one for dine-in customers, and one for retail customers. That way, Quillec said, people looking to just grab something to take home for lunch or a couple of sweets won’t have to wait in line behind those planning to stay.
The space is growing by roughly 1,500 square feet; about a fourth of French Market’s current square footage.
With more space, Quillec said the hope is that French Market will be able to better accommodate on-the-go customers without sacrificing the intimate vibe of its dine-in café side.
“I’ve seen many people come in, see the line and just walk out,” he said. “Each component of French Market is going to be improved for us logistically and, I think the customer experience will too.”
The owners hope to finish the expansion this month
At the end of the month, French Market will temporarily close for three days to finish up the expansion.
The plan is for French Market to reopen its newly-larger space on Aug. 27.
This isn’t the first time French Market has outgrown its digs, either. The restaurant originally opened a couple doors down at 6947 Tomahawk Road, where Rise Southern Biscuits is now.
In 2019, French Market relocated to its current home. But after a few years, Quillec said, he knew they weren’t done.
“We knew that if the opportunity became available, then we definitely wanted to (expand again),” he said. “We’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
French Market is a Prairie Village fixture
The Quillec family opened French eatery Cafe Provence at the Shops of Prairie Village in 2001.
French Market followed in 2013, as a more casual sister concept to upscale Cafe Provence.
Noah owns French Market and Cafe Provence with parents Patrick and Joanne Quillec, as well as his brother and sister Philip and Natalie Quillec.
The shared French focus between the two restaurants is personal for the Quillecs, who have a French heritage themselves. Patrick Quillec originally hails from the Brittany region in northwestern France, which is thought to be the birthplace of crepes.
“My grandma was a crepe maker,” Noah said. “Our dad is a super creative chef, and our brother (Philip) kind of runs the day-to-day there these days.”
Regardless of its size upgrade, the Quillec family aim to keep serving up the same French-inspired favorites and family-run atmosphere they’ve cultivated there over the years.
“The ethos of French Market will remain the same, ” Noah said. “We don’t want to lose our identity or our character by going too big. This is still our family working here every day.”
Want more food and drink news? Healthy eatery Flower Child opens first Johnson County location in Prairie Village
