LEAWOOD, Kan. — When they opened their doors seven months ago, Bamboo Penny’s was not coming in hot to the Kansas City restaurant scene.
“Opening anything in the middle of a pandemic could probably be looked upon as a little crazy,” Michael Werner, director of hospitality and operations at Leap Hospitality, a business consultant for Bamboo Penny’s, said. ”To be honest with you, staffing was terrible, we couldn’t really get anybody to come on board for lots of good reasons.”
Bamboo Penny’s, like many restaurants, faced adversities that forced them to struggle.
“It delayed our opening, it delayed our ability to service lunch here, so we opened out of the gate with limited hours of operation, limited days of the week, which was really frightening for a new business,” Werner said.
Now, Bamboo Penny’s is dealing with supply chain and staffing issues, making the process more sour than sweet.
“Penny's deals with a lot of specialty products here, we’re doing Thai cuisine here," Wener said. "So most of our product is imported, and bringing those products in a timely manner, getting them here, or dealing with fresh produce and all of those other challenges certainly is a lot of work."
Trying to keep business flowing became has been a uphill climb for the restaurant as they prepare for their first Kansas City Restaurant Week.
“We tried to get ahead of the curve on a couple of things, and one was developing that Restaurant Week menu that we thought would be a good sampling of what Bamboo Penny’s is all bout," Werner said. "We have already made changes to that menu, because we realized, oh, supply chain issues are going to be a problem."
However, despite the many challenges Bamboo Penny’s and others have faced, the team is firing up the grill, and hopes people will rush in to grab a bite to eat.
“I hope people will just find a way to put some of the fear aside and just come out and enjoy the night and support a great cause,” Werner said.
