KANSAS CITY, Mo. – JJ’s, the popular West Plaza restaurant destroyed in an explosion in February of 2013, is set to reopen officially on Wednesday.
Owner Jimmy Frantze says he’s ready to start a new chapter in Kansas City. The new restaurant sits right across the street from where the original stood for almost three decades.
Frantze says many of his former employees have returned to the restaurant and he hopes his former patrons will come back too. He says he’s excited beyond words to reopen.
“We’ve been working for about 11 months to get to this point,” he said.
On February 19, 2013, the old restaurant was destroyed in an explosion that killed sever Megan Cramer and injured 10 other employees.
“Of the 10 that were in the building, they’re all doing therapy still because they were in a building that was like it was hit by a cruise missile,” Frantze said.
Many of the former employees, including server Mathew Robards, have returned to the restaurant.
“It’s a welcome home you can’t describe. I’ve been counting the days down for about a year,” he said.
Frantze says the community has been very supportive. In turn, he’s having a benefit Wednesday to raise money for Turn the Page KC. It’s a non-profit that matches reading mentors with students from Kindergarten through third grade to help them read at the proper grade level.
The restaurant will open at 5 p.m. Wednesday with Kansas City Mayor Sly James cutting the ribbon.