Local
article by Beth Kornegay photos by Aaron Leimkuehler
business
More Than Just a Restaurant Nick and Jake’s finds another home in Shawnee while the owners also keep up the company’s philanthropic endeavors.
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ith a motto of “real food and honest drink,” Nick and Jake’s restaurant in western Shawnee is celebrating its third anniversary at that location. Other Nick and Jake’s locations include Overland Park and Parkville. Owned by Kevin Timmons and Doug Watkins, the restaurants are named after their sons. Even the menu reflects those different personalities. The “Nick” side of the menu contains upscale entrees including steak, pasta, and seafood. The “Jake” side offers traditional bar fare such as burgers and wings. Additionally, the chef develops and offers different specials each week and weekend to add to the variety of options.
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SHAWNEE MAGAZINE | sunflowerpub.com
Both Timmons and Watkins worked in restaurants throughout college and eventually worked their way up to the role of general manager. They learned about the Shawnee area through their children’s sporting activities including 3&2 Baseball Club tournaments (Kansas City’s youth baseball league) as well as games against Mill Valley and De Soto high schools. Often wanting to grab a bite to eat after the games, they quickly realized the area needed more dining locations. As the partners looked to expand to new restaurant locations in 2018 and 2019, they saw potential in the vacant Ruby Tuesday’s building located at 22220 Midland Drive in western Shawnee.
