Shawnee Mission Post Internship Work - Axois Writing Method
Incredible Pizza Company, a Missouri-based pizza buffet and entertainment outfit, has permanently closed its doors in Shawnee.Where exactly? Incredible Pizza received its operating permit to open the Shawnee location at 13110 West 62nd Terrace in March 2020, just as local shutdowns aimed at containing the initial spread of COVID-19 were beginning, and it “never recovered,” according to a company official.
The Shawnee location in a strip mall near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Pflumm Road was the company’s first foray into Kansas.
The Springfield-based corporation currently operates six other locations in four states, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, according to its website.
Key quote: “The day that we were supposed to open the restaurant, the entire country shut down,” Don Potvin of Incredible Pizza’s corporate office told the Post. “We had to wait until June of that year to open our store. Under the cloud of the pandemic and pandemic restrictions we never recovered. We never seemed to be able to get our feet on the ground even after opening the store and trying to get the message out about who we are and what we’re trying to do.”
More background: According to Potvin, in spite of thousands of dollars put into marketing and advertising, the restaurant was not able to get as many people into the store as they anticipated.
“We loved the customers we had up there; they’re wonderful people,” Potvin said. “The vendors and suppliers we had in the market were great to work with. We just couldn’t get enough people to come in the store to support keeping the business open.”
What’s next: There is no plan to open another restaurant in Kansas City in the near future.
“For right now we are just trying to lick our wounds and keep ourselves afloat in other cities,” Potvin said. “We really do appreciate all the support we got from the customers there in Shawnee and our suppliers and vendors. People did come in, but just not enough and we wish everyone the best.”
photo credit: Grace Logan