‘Violent trespassers’: Plaza restaurant closes dining room in evenings, blames teens

Like heat in the summer, unruly teens have returned to the Country Club Plaza.

This month the crowds at times have become so raucous that Shake Shack posted a note over the weekend declaring that at 5 p.m. it would be shutting its doors to inside service. The restaurant told The Star that the dining room would be closed in the evening Fridays to Sundays.

“Due to substantial safety risk and business disturbance caused by violent, habitual trespassers entering our Shack, our dining room and bathrooms will be closed from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm,” the note on the entrance read. The note has since been removed.

The restaurant’s dining room will still be open during the day, and will still be offering takeout at night, with customers picking up their orders at the door, until some solution is found.

The violence referenced in the note purportedly speaks to fights that have broken out among teenagers both inside and outside the restaurant at 239 W. 47th St. Calls and emails to Shake Shack’s management and corporate office were not immediately returned.

Video shared with The Star taken Saturday evening, June 17, shows at least three police vehicles, their lights flashing and sirens blaring, arriving at the Plaza as a dozen or more teens run west along 47th Street. The Star asked Kansas City Police for an incident report on Tuesday, but it wasn’t readily available.

The behavior of teens on the Plaza during summer vacation has been an occasional issue for the shopping district over many years.

In the 1980s, Plaza security faced criticism for trying to keep teen break dancers from performing on the sidewalks. In 2013, Kansas City implemented summer curfews for teens following incidents of fighting. In 2019, the Cinemark Palace at the Plaza movie theater closed down to make way for construction of a Nordstrom store, which never materialized. The theater’s closure, however, came on the heels of complaints about teens gathering there in the summer and causing disturbances.

Shake Shack’s decision to shut its doors after 5 p.m. on weekends is the latest example. The restaurant is hardly the only one that sees the large groups of teens as a problem, gathering around restaurants such as the Cheesecake Factory and, according to some, hurting business.

“There’s supposed to be a curfew,” said Kenneth Johnson, 18, a shift manager at the Cold Stone Creamery. “It’s like there’s no curfew at all.”

Because the Plaza is considered an entertainment district, minors, by law, are not allowed to be there past 9 p.m. without an adult from Memorial Day through the end of September. Children violating curfew can be detained and their parents issued a citation with a recommended minimum fine of $125, and maximum of $500.

Johnson said he’s seen unaccompanied kids as young as 12 staying out much later.

He hasn’t seen problems during the day and rarely on weeknights, he said . But late on summer weekend nights, teens in groups of 10, 15, 20 will mass near the places they can afford that are open late. They use electrical outlets inside the businesses to charge their phones. Some teens, Johnson said, steal or at least try to steal drinks from their coolers.

Fights have broken out on the Plaza’s sidewalks.

“I’ve seen a few, definitely a few,” said Gustavo Alvarez, age 25 and the manager of Fogo de Chão, the Brazilian steakhouse across the street from Shake Shack. He sees the most teens at night from Thursday to Sunday.

Managers said that when police show, kids either ignore them or scatter.

“They come, show their badge. The kids don’t even care,” Johnson said.

Asked for a response, The Plaza said in a statement:

“Safety and security are the top priority at The Plaza. Unfortunately, the district’s issues aren’t unique. Today, shopping venues across the country, including those similar to the Plaza, have safety concerns that stem from a variety of complex and systemic issues.

“As for what’s in our immediate control, we want Plaza customers to know that we deploy a wide variety of safety and security tactics, both seen and unseen, to create the safest environment possible. This includes working hand-in-hand with the incredibly dedicated KCPD, using off-duty police officers on the security team, taking part in crisis exercises and working with Homeland Security to promote the ‘See Something Say Something’ campaign with Plaza and tenant employees.

“We encourage anyone who has questions regarding recent incidents to contact local authorities and to express their concerns to Mayor Quinton Lucas.”

The Plaza this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary.