Lion’s Choice, the St. Louis-based quick-service family of restaurants, announced it would open two restaurants in the Kansas City area by the end of the year, marking a major expansion for the St. Louis-based brand. The first restaurant, which broke ground this week, is located at the intersection of Little Blue Parkway and Interstate 70 in Independence, Missouri. The second location will be located at 14189 West 135th St. in Olathe, Kansas.
For more than 50 years, Lion’s Choice has earned a loyal following by serving customers in its 27 St. Louis-area restaurants. Over time, word about Lion’s Choice’s legendary slow-roasted roast beef has spread, along with customer requests to expand beyond the St. Louis area. The company’s decision to expand to the Kansas City area is the result of extensive customer research and marks a major milestone for the brand. In July, the company recently expanded to Illinois, opening a location in the city of O’Fallon.
“We’re excited to take this step outside of our traditional St. Louis-area footprint, and we are thrilled to bring our ridiculously good food and unmatched customer service west on I-70 to our neighbors in Kansas City,” says Mike Kupstas, CEO of Lion’s Choice. “Our guests have been asking us to expand to Kansas City for quite some time, and now the time is right. We look forward to welcoming old fans and new friends to our Kansas City restaurants.”
Lion’s Choice is best known for its butcher-shop-quality, slow-roasted roast beef sandwich that customers can tailor to their own tastes at the sauce bar with a variety of sauces, including the restaurant’s legendary au jus and horseradish. In addition to their famous roast beef, Lion’s Choice also serves oven-roasted turkey, ham and pulled pork sandwiches. Other featured items include a variety of protein-packed salads, kids’ Cub Meals with veggie sticks and the customer-favorite, 25-cent mini frozen custard cones.
Following the success of the company’s recent test of breakfast at its O’Fallon, Illinois, location, Lion’s Choice restaurants in Kansas City will serve breakfast daily from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. Breakfast menu items include a Steak ‘N Egg flatbread sandwich, a Florentine egg white flatbread sandwich, a variety of fresh baked goods and yogurt parfaits.
The Kansas City locations are newly designed and constructed buildings that feature a new exterior and fresh layout for the 50-year old chain. The restaurants have an open and bright dining room design that highlights Lion’s Choice’s legendary sauce bar and features a pickup area for on-the-go guests who place orders online. Additionally, each location includes a drive-thru and exterior patio seating.
To help local patrons become better acquainted with the brand, Lion’s Choice has relocated its food truck, The Lean Roast Beef Machine, from St. Louis to Kansas City for the summer. The food truck will serve legendary Lion’s Choice roast beef sandwiches, natural-cut fries and frozen custard and will be at several popular Kansas City food truck destinations.
In addition to serving great food, Lion’s Choice has earned a reputation for consistently delivering quality customer service. Guests are greeted by friendly, familiar faces belonging to some of the longest-tenured employees in the industry.
