Johnson County family restaurant says its closing will be only temporary. But is it?
Pegah’s Family Restaurant in Merriam said it is closing temporarily to make way for redevelopment.
The location, 8701 Shawnee Mission Parkway, plans to close at 2 p.m. Oct. 2 and return in 2024 in a new building in the planned Merriam Grand Station.
Drake Development in Overland Park plans to demolish the Pegah’s building and the long empty Kmart building. But Matt Pennington, president of Drake, said Pegah’s is not part of the redevelopment at this time. He is looking at coffee shops and other restaurant tenants.
The $136 million redevelopment will include new retail, restaurants and two apartment buildings.
Krispy Kreme and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers will continue to operate in their buildings during the redevelopment, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Old Kmart to become restaurants, housing and retail space in $130 million JoCo development
“That’s a big job with the apartments,” said Moe Sharifi, owner of Pegah’s. “We haven’t signed a contract yet.”
The development also will have an outdoor “civic space” where people gather to eat or for events.
Pegah’s Family Restaurant opened in Merriam in 2017. It also has two locations in Shawnee and one in Lenexa.
It serves breakfast items including omelets, country fried steak and eggs, and pancakes, along with hot and cold sandwiches, and “homestyle platters” such as smothered chicken breast, grilled beef liver, chicken fried chicken and meatloaf.
Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
An International House of Pancakes, which soon was shortened to just IHOP, was listed as operating in the building in 1972.
Kmart closed at 8703 Shawnee Mission Parkway in early 2013.
