Restaurateur Whitney VinZant keeps a low profile, but his growing restaurant group is redefining Kansas City’s restaurant landscape

If you follow Kansas City restaurant news, you’ve probably come across Whitney VinZant’s name. His restaurant group, W. VinZant Restaurants, has 14 locations under its portfolio now. Recently, VinZant and his team acquired the Plaza’s Café Trio, in business since 2004. The restaurateur keeps a low profile, but his influence is growing.

W. VinZant Restaurants began over a decade ago with the opening of Louie’s Wine Dive, VinZant’s first concept in Des Moines. “At the time, the restaurant scene was dominated by chains,” VinZant says. “In many ways, Louie’s was the antithesis of that.” Louie’s introduced lesser-known wine varietals and allowed guests to order any bottle by the glass—an uncommon practice then. Rather than opening in a strip mall or shopping center like most restaurants at the time, VinZant opened Louie’s in the Drake neighborhood, a trendy older section of town surrounding Drake University.

Although his restaurant empire has grown, VinZant’s philosophy has stayed the same. The foundation to success is the people, he says.

“You build a team,” VinZant says. “Find people who have experience, who are knowledgeable, who have ambition. Do whatever you can to bring them to your team.”

Some of Louie’s Wine Dive employees have been working at the restaurant for 15 years. “People can feel the culture of a restaurant,” VinZant says.

This year, W. VinZant Restaurants caused a stir, partnering with three longtime Kansas City establishments—Waldo Pizza, Café Trio and Bo Lings. Some might assume a partnership only happens when a restaurant is struggling, but VinZant says restaurants also reach out when they want to change but aren’t sure how, like Bo Lings on the Plaza.

After sharing home-cooked meals with friend Richard Ng, whose family owns Bo Lings, VinZant wondered why the dishes Ng prepared weren’t served at the restaurant. These meals were truer to Ng’s Chinese heritage than the menu. Ng explained that when the family opened Bo Lings in the 1980s, diners were less receptive to traditional Chinese cuisine. This year, however, the Ngs were ready to try something new. “It was a matter of listening,” VinZant says. “They wanted more focus on the bar and finer dining. We had experience doing just that.” The partnership led to a reimagined Bo Lings, now known as Heritage. The revamped Heritage blends authenticity with modern polish.

VinZant’s partnership with Waldo Pizza, a neighborhood mainstay, looks a little different. “We’re not going to change the pizza, the sauce, the crust, the things that make Waldo Pizza beloved,” he says. Instead, his group is helping the restaurant expand into new territory, including refrigerated pizzas and sauces that are now available in Cosentino’s Markets. After a trip to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, VinZant and his team discovered packaging technology that keeps the product fresher longer, and that has helped streamline the process.

VinZant recognizes that restaurant closures attract more scrutiny than other business failures. “Other businesses close just as often,” he says, “but they don’t get near the publicity that restaurants do. Maybe that has something to do with their place in the community.” The average lifespan of a restaurant is three to five years, and VinZant says the only way to combat that shelf life is by adapting.

“Many restaurants that come to us are looking to change something,” he says. “Their leadership wants something new—maybe in the business, maybe personally. If we think we can add value, we try to give them new opportunities.”

Kansas City certainly hasn’t heard the last of VinZant. His restaurant group keeps growing, and he doesn’t plan on changing his approach of collaborating and listening in order to keep diners coming back and enticing new ones.  

Whitney VinZant’s Perfect Day In KC

Rise & Shine

I’m heading to Front Range for an Americano. I love Tyler Enders, the owner. He’s a good friend, so I love supporting him. I never eat breakfast, so coffee is the fuel.

Patio Weather

On a warm, sunny day, about 70 degrees, I would love to have a glass of our Riesling on the patio of Gram & Dun. I always eat the kale and spinach caesar salad with grilled chicken that they cook perfectly. I’ll try to keep my conversation with Stephen Molloy, the general manager, to a minimum.

Dinner

Honestly, I love to cook at home with the family, so I’ll grill some steaks. We have 40 heads of cattle south of Wichita in Udall, and we harvest them with Stroot Lockers. We jokingly call that our Udall Wagyu.

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