5 minute read
District Pour House is Family
Small-town feel of Shawnee perfect for this unique dining experience.
Article by Pamela Spradlin Mahajan
Photos by Brooke Buck
When District Pour House + Kitchen owner Dan McCall opened the eatery in Waldo in 2013, he was no stranger to the restaurant business. Having worked as general manager at both The Classic Cup Cafe in Country Club Plaza (which he now owns) and Coach’s Bar & Grill in Kansas City, McCall was ready for the next step.
“I hit my max of what I thought I needed to know to go start up my own place,” he says.
At age 32, he opened the first District Pour House location in Waldo’s historic district. After nearly a decade in business, he decided against renewing the lease there and was already in talks to open a new location in Old Shawnee. Originally from a small town of around 1,500 people in Western Kansas, McCall loves the small-town feel of Shawnee. He and his family currently reside in the Shawnee Mission school district.
“Shawnee reminded me of what Waldo was in 2013,” McCall says. “It’s a small community. We are a family-oriented restaurant, with my wife and I owning it, and our three children who—especially in the summer—were here a lot running about the place. It was a community that I thought the restaurant, and me personally, would fit into.”
At the new District Pour House + Kitchen, which McCall owns with his wife, Jenny Meyer-McCall, they have retained some of the old details from the Waldo location while making the most of their current space. Meyer-McCall is an artist who has used her talents to decorate the restaurant.
Creative Space
They have found creative ways to make the space, formerly a bank, work for its current purpose. Cocooned near the back of the restaurant is The Vault. Once a safety deposit box vault, the space can be reserved for private gatherings and holds up to 35 people.
While McCall had to refine the menu to fit the new, slightly smaller location, he is happy with the result. With fewer options to sift through, customers are less overwhelmed and able to select their perfect choice.
The menu is thoughtfully designed by McCall, his team, and executive chef John Magno. McCall and Magno regularly compete in the World Food Championships. They recently helped a friend create a burger that won $10,000 in the competition, which patrons can find on their menu as the WFC Burger. It is described as “a culinary champion on a brioche bun, featuring an Angus steak grind patty topped with the richness of Gruyere, the zest of lemon aioli, the freshness of arugula, a perfectly runny egg, and a decadent bacon bourbon jam.” Other options include KC cheesesteak, duck risotto, and raspberry lemon drop sponge cake, as well as a variety of signature cocktails, draft beers, and bottle brews.
On the Go
In addition to the main restaurant, they have a food truck called The Good Part, available for on-site catering. Upcoming events include Moonlight Market, which takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at 11110 Johnson Drive in Shawnee; the event features a variety of food, drinks, locally crafted items, and live music.
McCall and Meyer-McCall also go all out decorating the restaurant for the holidays. “If you haven’t been by, you need to come by and see it; it’s pretty fun,” McCall says.
Patrons who once frequented the restaurant’s former Waldo location might spot a few familiar faces while dining in Shawnee.
“We still have around 10 staff members who all came from the Waldo store and work over here. We tried to keep as many of us together as we could … we have a nice core group that has stuck together,” says McCall. “It makes life a lot easier, not only for us because we know each other so well, but for customers because it’s still some of the same faces you got to see over in Waldo.”
By The Numbers
$10K: The amount of money owner Dan McCall and executive chef John Magno helped a friend win by working together to create an award-winning burger at the World Food Championships. It is now available on their menu.
2013: The year the restaurant originally opened in Waldo’s historic district.
17+: The number of unique cocktails on the District Pour House menu.
32: The age of owner Dan McCall when he opened the first District Pour House location.
10: The approximate number of employees who moved over from the Waldo location to the Shawnee location.
35: The number of people their private party space, The Vault, can accommodate.
The District Pour House + Kitchen
11101 Johnson Drive
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Phone: 913-283-8585
