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Kansas City restaurants with unique concept open amid pandemic

Frozen Gold
Posted at 5:38 PM, Aug 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-23 23:48:46-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s a new spot for those looking for a cool treat on a hot day.

Frozen Gold opened Saturday following months of delays because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We put everything on pause, wait until we can make sure that we have our safety protocols correct and all our hygiene practices correct," Nate Lotz, director of operations at Frozen Gold said.

The establishment is part of Atomic Provisions, a four-in-one concept in the old Westport Ice Building.

While many restaurants are closing, they're looking to buck the trend.

"What we offer is unique and it's also very pointed and specific," Lotz said. "You know, we don't have a menu with 300 items on it. We do biscuits really well. We do pizza really well. We do a great burger and a couple of great sandwiches and then we do ice cream."

It's those concepts that restaurateur Robert Joseph also is banking on. The expansion of his Australian cafe Banksia is opening next weekend at the Board of Trade Building in the South Plaza, but also comes after several delays amid the pandemic.

"In sourcing building materials, kitchen equipment freezers, you know, two, three-month delays, to get those sorts of things," Joseph said. "So that has definitely slowed things down."

His third business, Duck and Roll, next door faced similar hurdles before opening in May.

"We've had very accommodating landlords in our different locations [who] have assisted us during the process," Joseph said. "A lot of that assistance, though, is now finished, you know, the PPP [Paycheck Protection] program ran out pretty quickly. So now I think is the time when a lot of businesses, restaurants in particular, are probably going to find it harder, frankly, than it has been to date."

Joseph said the success of his businesses will dependd on customer behaviors.

"It really does rely upon people coming out and supporting local restaurants," he said. "We're not a national chain. So we don't have any backing behind us apart from our customers in this city."

The Rebound Kansas City is our effort is to help metro residents play a role in moving our community forward. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas to via email to rebound@kshb.com and we welcome you to join in the conversation on the Rebound KC Facebook Group.

Whether you're Getting Back to Work after a layoff, need help Making Ends Meet during these trying times or need tips on Managing the Pressure we're all feeling, The Rebound has resources to find help. We'll also make sure local leaders are Doing What's Right to get Kansas City back track after a three-month shutdown.

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