Smokin' Guns BBQ targets expansion project

After nearly a decade of operations &#x97; and lines stretching to the door during peak periods &#x97; Smokin&#x92; Guns BBQ and Catering is expanding.</p><p>The award-winning barbecue, at 1218 Swift Ave. in North Kansas City, has torn down a building to the south and will put up a 7,400-square-foot restaurant there that will seat 120 people in the dining room, 70 people in the bar, and 125 people in a second floor banquet space. It also will have a second floor outdoor patio with views of the downtown skyline and live music on the weekends.</p><p>The current space is 2,000 square feet and seats 48 people. </p><p>Smokin&#x92; Guns opened in January 2003 and its success is from offering &#x93;a good product at reasonable prices,&#x94; said Linda Hopkins, owner with her husband Phil Hopkins. Their son, Kevin Hopkins, 25, has been working at the barbecue since it opened and is operations manager.</p><p>Once the new restaurant opens, the current building will be torn down and the site will be used for a parking lot.</p><p><span class="subhead">Sizzler sets sights on KC</span></p><p>Sizzler is gearing up its expansion plans and has Kansas City in its sights.</p><p>The company plans to open 40 new locations in the next five years, including six in the Kansas City area. Kerry Kramp, chief executive officer of the Culver City, Calif.-based company, said he is looking for franchisees to open locations in these local markets: Blue Springs, Gladstone, Independence, Lee&#x92;s Summit, Liberty, Olathe and Overland Park. But if that doesn&#x92;t happen quickly enough, Kramp said he will open a &#x93;seed store&#x94; to jump start expansion here.</p><p>&#x93;It&#x92;s kind of a suburban concept, great value, great deal,&#x94; he said. &#x93;People want as much as they can get for the money they have.&#x94; </p><p> Menu items include hand-cut steaks, seafood and a salad bar with more than 50 offerings, along with sandwiches, soups, burgers and a hot dessert bar. The restaurants offer full-service but customers order and pay at the counter. </p><p><span class="subhead">Bits and bites</span></p><p>&bull;&#xA0;Lawrence&#x92;s La Parrilla restaurant is coming to Olathe.</p><p>Subarna Bhattachan and Alejandro Lule are taking the former Hooters building at 11977 S. Strang Line Road and hope to open their second La Parrilla there in late March.</p><p>The Latin American menu includes chimichangas, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, flautas, and specialties like Carne Asada (grilled beef steak with papas fritas, rice, guacamole and tortillas).</p><p>&bull;&#xA0;DSW - Designer Shoe Warehouse &#x96; has relocated its Shawnee store to Oak Park Commons, 12010 W. 95th St., Lenexa. The new store opened Thursday. </p><p>&bull;&#xA0;The Little House has closed in the Crestwood Shops but plans to reopen this summer at a new larger location nearby.. </p><p>The store, at 335 E. 55th St., sold children&#x92;s clothing and shoes, as well as children&#x92;s gifts.</p><p>It was founded in 1969 in a small house near 47th and Belleview Avenue, then was on Rainbow Boulevard before opening in Crestwood in 2007.</p><p>&#x93;We are very excited to make this a bigger and better store and carry the tradition on,&#x94; said Whitney Davis, manager. Dee Dillon recently purchased the store from her daughter, Katy Dillon, who had owned it since 2008.

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