Houlihan's moving out of the Plaza?

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 4:39 pm

It was rumored in Hearne Christopher's column that Houlihan's lease in the Plaza might not be renewed. This would be a real shame for the Plaza. Even though Houlihan's is NOW a chain, this is the original location in the restaurant's history.

I really hope it doesn't move out. It's a good happy hour place with some solid food.

Rumored to replace it is a "California Pizza Kitchen"

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 6:23 pm

I hope this isn't true too, but I think Houlihan's days are numbered as a chain anyway. I know they filed bankruptcy and I'm not sure if they'll be able to come back. I don't understand how they got lost in the pack of casual dining. It seems like that sector is really growing as people dine out more and more. I've never been to California Pizza Kitchen, but I guess it's another one of the "those" restaurants that locate only in a top shopping centers. Personally, I'd rather see them go to Oak Park than the Plaza.

KCLofts · Post by **KCLofts** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 6:52 pm

Just another example of Nichols/Highwoods making it more difficult for the local merchant to be a player at their properties. They will soon succeed at having malls just like every mall in the country.

I read in the Pitch some time ago that Houlihan's was having trouble and was trying desparately to revamp the company and the menu to stay afloat. This may be the end of Houlihan's.

CPK is your typical $15 for an individual gourmet pizza type place. The restaurant look may be fresh and new, but I'll take Pyramid Pizza any day of the week.

- Rob

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Tue Nov 12, 2002 10:23 pm

Actually I believe they came out of chapter 11....the new menus are pretty good.

Hopefully it won't happen but it doesn't sound good.

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 11:54 am

California Pizza Kitchen belongs in an upscale MALL not on the plaza. Was Dominoes or Papa John's too busy to bid for this space? I realize the difference betweek CPK and the other pizza joints, but Houlihan's is a nice mid-scale joint to hang out at and chow down on some stuffed shrooms while the snow is falling and the lights are up.

I'm waiting for Highwoods to issue a press release noting their efforts to entice Venture to start its' comeback with a trendy plaza location. Mayeb they could demo the parking garage at the west end of 47th and Venture could have a big black and white sign adorning the 120,000 sf big box.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 1:13 pm

The Plaza turned down the Hard Rock Cafe a couple of years ago because they said it wasn't a "Country Club Plaza type Business", yet they are bringin' in some little pizza joint?!?! Unbelievable! Anyhow, enough about food...I want to see Nieman Marcus move to town.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 1:58 pm

CPK shouldn't be on the Plaza but either should Hard Rock.

Let Houlihan's stay....quit screwing up everything Highwoods

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Wed Nov 13, 2002 2:00 pm

Not a rumor any more...sad news. This is complete crap. Highwood's wouldn't renew their lease??? A letter might have to be written...anybody else? Highwood's is doing some bad things to the Plaza...first tring to take out the apartment building and now this? We can only have so many chains....yes Houlihan's was technically a chain but that is where their whole business started at...right there on the Plaza. What's next, cutting out some of the Christmas lights?

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... ily25.html

Houlihan's will leave Plaza after 30 years

Houlihan's Restaurants Inc. will close its Country Club Plaza location at year's end and move to the space vacated in September by Fairway Grill's closing, Houlihan's announced Wednesday.

Houlihan's on the Plaza, the chain's first restaurant, opened in 1972.

In a written statement, Houlihan's said it will close its Plaza restaurant because the landlord, Highwoods Realty LP, chose not to renew the lease. Highwoods Realty is a unit of Highwoods Properties Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., the Plaza's owner.

Officials with both companies could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Houlihan's said it plans to open the Fairway location, at 2820 W. 53rd St., early in January. The building contains 5,709 square feet.

On Sept. 16, Phoenix-based Houston's Restaurants announced that it had closed the Fairway Grill after the close of business on Sept. 15 to focus on its Plaza location, citing the Plaza's popularity. About 50 workers lost their jobs with Fairway Grill's closing.

Houlihan's owns and operates 48 restaurants in 15 states, including 34 Houlihan's, four J. Gilbert's, five Darryl's and five seafood restaurants under the brand names Bristol, Devon, Braxton and Chequers

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:52 am

I checked out Highwoods web site and from the looks of it, the Plaza and some other KC sites are the only retail that they lease. Everything else is all office. Because they don't seem to have any background in retail, they probably just sort through all the companies wanting to locate at the plaza and pick who they want. It's not a good sign when a company not in the retail business is leasing the premier retail site in KC. Let's just cross our fingers that Houlihan's is replaced with something great-- not a California Pizza Kitchen. Give a new pizza place to Jo Co. Also, Houlihan's is moving to the Fairway Grille, which Highwoods also leases.

With Houlihan's gone, who are they gonna kick out next? Halls? Maybe Dillard's will pay more for the space (ha ha).

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 1:03 am

That has to be one of the sexiest urban sites in the Midwest. I don't look for anything awesome to go there though. Plaza already has one chain pizza place (uno's).

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 8:41 am

I would think Plaza III would have a lot to say about what they want as a neighbor.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 9:31 am

extracts from the star story....

Houlihan's will continue to operate at 4743 Pennsylvania Ave. until the end of the year. It then will move to 2820 W. 53rd St. and reopen in early January.

"I'm really excited about this," said Gail Lozoff, chief concept officer for Houlihan's. "We began as a local hangout in the Plaza when the Plaza was primarily a neighborhood shopping district. We look forward to rekindling those roots...as a casual, convenient, neighborhood gathering place."

The Plaza restaurant was the first for the chain in 1972. While the company wanted to retain the location because of that history, it couldn't work out a deal with Highwoods Properties.

"It's kind of hard to leave the place you started," Lozoff said. "But we couldn't come to terms with Highwoods. I think they just didn't want us to be there."

Gayle Terry, spokeswoman for Highwoods, owner of the Plaza, said it was hard not to go forward with a longtime tenant.

"But we think it's the right time to move ahead with a new concept, to keep our selection vibrant and appealing for our customers," Terry said. Highwoods is in talks with other potential restaurant tenants.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 10:00 am

So I had to write a letter to highwoods:

Not sure if you are the one to contact on this but I saw you were the leasing agent for the Country Club Plaza on your website, so I will send this to you. If there is someone more responsible for this, feel free to pass this on.

As a Plaza resident and a life long resident of the Kansas City metro, I was quite disturbed with the rumors floating around that Houlihan's was being moved from their original location on the Plaza. Houlihan's is a Plaza mainstay and many remember it from the days gone by where our neighborhood Plaza wasn't full of mall stores like Casual Corner.

Now, after 30 years as their first store, they are now being moved with no clear reason why. Even Houlihan's themselves said in today's KC Star that they felt like Highwoods just didn't want them any more. I'm not sure what Highwoods has in mind for the Plaza but take it from those of us who have grown up shopping/dining/living on the Plaza, we do not want this to become just another mall. Bringing in stores like Casual Corner for example, that can be found in any suburban mall in the country is not what the Plaza is about. When J.C. Nichols ran the Plaza it had a nice mix of national retailers and local stores, now it seems everything local is being forced out, so faceless chains can come in and suburbanize the Plaza.

What's even further disturbing is the second half of the rumor which states California Pizza Kitchen is slated to take the space that Houlihan's will vacate. I seriously hope this is not true. CPK is usually only found in suburban malls and airports, not in unique urban mixture areas like the Plaza. Hopefully there is something a little more unique or at least upper scale planned for Houlihan's space.

If this trend continues, what will keep the Plaza a regional draw? If people from Omaha can shop at the same stores in their suburban malls, why would they come down to KC for a weekend and spend their money? The Plaza is KC crown jewel, bringing in the everyday suburban retailer will lower the Plaza's appeal in many people's opinions.

One last thing, I do see some good things happening on the Plaza. Bringing in places like Cole Haan is the types of developments that more of us want to see. Upper tier retailers that can't be found on every suburban shopping mall.

Thank you for your time.

KC_JAYHAWK · Post by **KC_JAYHAWK** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 10:39 am

Good letter KC, I'll be interested in their response, if they do respond. I agree the Plaza needs to continue to bring in top tier stores and forget about suburbanizing the district. Unique, specialty stores are what makes the Plaza unique (or at least once did).

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 11:55 am

response:

Thank you for your concern. We will keep your comments in mind. We appreciate your continued interest in the Plaza.

KC_JAYHAWK · Post by **KC_JAYHAWK** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:40 pm

typical corporate response...what a joke.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 4:11 pm

Bravo on the letter. The way it is written it is expressed that the Plaza belongs to Kansas City...not a corporation.

Their response is totally pitiful. I'm pretty sure it is something they send to everyone who writes any kind of suggestions. I wrote an email to Macerich about the lack of stores and high vacancy rates at a local shopping center in my hometown, and I actually got a detailed response explaining their position and what they were doing to improve the property. From what they said to you...it looks like they really don't care about your concerns.

Maybe we should all email them about this or write them if inclined. Here's their info from the Plaza web site:

Highwoods Properties
4745 Central, Kansas City, MO 64112
Tele: (816) 753-0100 -- Email: info@countryclubplaza.com

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 4:38 pm

Yeah I sent that to the Plaza leasing agent...I figured she was the one partly responsible for this mess....not sure who that generic ccp.com email would go to...

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Sat Nov 30, 2002 1:28 am

You guys probably saw this story in the Star, but it really made me sad and I don't really even care about Houlihan's. The fact that Houlihan's is throwing their own "going away" party is so unbelieably sad. The world just isn't the same as it was decades ago. Nobody seems to care about tradition or originality. Let's just destroy everything that represents who we are and replace it with things that make us more like everyone else. I hope the Fairway Houlihans does more business and make more money then their replacement at the Plaza.

By the way....I noticed on an old episode of The Osbournes that Jack and Kelly were eating at a California Pizza Kitchen in LA.

Houlihan's to say nostalgic farewell to Plaza
By JOYCE SMITH
Columnist

Houlihan's is turning back the clock to 1972, when it first opened on the Country Club Plaza.

Until the end of the year, the Plaza restaurant will have period decor, graphics and music from the early 1970s, 1972 prices on drinks during happy hour, and favorites from the first Houlihan's menu at their original prices, including zucchini sticks and potato skins for $2.35.

A psychedelic bus and protesters dressed in '70s garb and holding picket signs and a horse-drawn psychedelically decorated carriage kicked off the promotion this week.

Proceeds from the sale of special T-shirts will benefit the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Houlihan's will move to Fairway at the first of the year. The colorful shirts say, "Celebrating Our 30th and Final Year on the Plaza" on the front and on the back, "Fairway or bust."

"Houlihan's has such a rich heritage in Kansas City," said Gail Lozoff, chief concept officer for the Kansas City-based company. "Many of our customers have warm memories of the time they've spent at Houlihan's on the Plaza."

Houlihan's was named after a former tenant of the original location, Tom Houlihan's Haberdashery. Houlihan's construction workers kept referring to the space as Houlihan's old place, and the name stuck.

Houlihan's will also have a contest for the best memory of the Plaza location, and the winner will receive a trip for two to California's Napa Valley.

Houlihan's now has more than 80 locations, including three in the Kansas City area. The Plaza location will move to the former Fairway Grill spot at 2820 W. 53rd St. and reopen in mid-January.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Mon Dec 02, 2002 9:55 am

hit Houlihan's before it leaves...happy hours are cheaper than normal with prices going back to 1972.

Sad time....really hate to see them leave.