Spokes Rolls Into Crown Center

By Kevin Collison

Spokes Cafe & Cyclery is rolling into its third downtown location at Crown Center, proof to its owner the welcoming reputation it established more than four years ago at its first operation in Quality Hill has paid off.

“We feel like we run an ultra-local shop,” said Dan Walsh, managing partner. “We have fewer, but more full-time employees and our customers see them regularly.

“We thrive on being part of everybody’s days.”

Crown Center also announced that Zaina, a restaurant featuring Mediterranean, Middle Easter and Greek cuisines, will be relocating from its current downtown location at 1110 Grand to Level 1 of the Crown Center Shops near Burnt End BBQ.

Zaina is currently located on the ground floor of a historic building at 1110 Grand that may be redeveloped as a boutique hotel.

The historic building where the restaurant is currently located is being considered for redevelopment as a boutique hotel by a St. Louis developer.

Zaina owners Ayman Hasan and Abraham Salem plan to open in early 2022. Zaina will be taking over the 1,900 square-foot space formerly occupied by D’Bronx.

The new Spokes location, which Walsh hopes to open early in the new year depending on how quickly the Crown Center workforce returns following the pandemic, is in the lobby of 2460 Pershing near the offices of BNIM architects.

The 1,700 square-foot space was formerly occupied by the Filling Station coffee shop which means it’s in good shape for quick occupancy. The Filling Station had good traffic there, but didn’t have the additional food offerings planned by Spokes.

The new Spokes location at Crown Center is in the lobby of ? outside the offices of BNIM. (Photo courtesy Crown Center)

“The big difference between us and them is we do food,” Walsh said. “We’re putting in a kitchen and full menu.”

Spokes is known for its breakfast and lunch menus, according to a press release, including hand-rolled breakfast burritos, unique melt sandwiches and Messenger Coffee.

It also has a full-service bike shop in its  original location at 1200 Washington St. in Quality Hill. Spokes opened its second location at 929 Walnut in March 2019.

Walsh said the new Crown Center location will be accessible to 8,000 people who can get there without walking outside. The cafe also features an outdoor patio that can accommodate 20 people.

And if you want to drive, there’s six reserved parking spaces outside.

The new Spokes also will feature a patio that seats 20. (Photo courtesy Crown Center)

“We are thrilled to set up shop in Crown Center and be just a few steps from some of Kansas City’s most well-known organizations, including Hallmark and Children’s Mercy,” he  said in a statement.

“One of our fastest-growing areas has been catering breakfast and lunch, and our menu is perfect for the office setting, whether it’s for meetings or celebrations.”

For Walsh, opening up a shop in Crown Center also resonates for personal reasons.

“There has always been a soft spot in my heart for Crown Center,” he said in a statement. “I started my first job out of college at Hallmark, one floor above where our new cafe will be.

I spent 11 years of my career working in these buildings with terrific people. Many of those folks have supported us by ordering catering or driving across downtown and visiting the original locations.”