With Bites, Beer, and Energy, 30hop Fits Right In

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The ribbon-cutting ceremony at 30hop in Lee's Summit
Photo courtesy of 30hop in Lee’s Summit

Since it opened in January, 30hop has caught on quickly in Lee’s Summit. Merriam’s next.

The restaurant, which first cropped up in Iowa just over a decade ago, blends familiar Midwestern comfort food and international cuisine. Its tap list blends nationwide beer brands and hyperlocal breweries. Combine this inclusive adventurousness with an inviting and high-energy atmosphere, and 30hop blends right into the Lee’s Summit community.

As the April 30 grand opening in Merriam draws near, we asked 30hop’s marketing manager, Samuel Hall, and the general manager in Lee’s Summit, Joe Prate, about what has made it such a natural fit in the Kansas City metro.

An overhead view of 30hop's menu selections on a table
Photo courtesy of 30hop

The Bites

It’s hard to ignore a great menu.

30hop’s menu combines Midwestern guarantees and welcome surprises. You can order your wings to come smothered in house Buffalo or honey barbecue sauce, of course—but also sweet-chili garlic, Nashville hot, or Korean barbecue sauce. Caesar salads and towering cheeseburgers share table space with spicy peanut noodles, Salmon Zen Bowls, or carnitas tacos.

“Our menu is familiar, but also bold and unique,” says Hall, who joined 30hop before it opened its third Iowa location. “We have your classic items, like a great cheeseburger, a classic Caesar salad, nachos—but we make sure to go above and beyond. We have an ahi poke bowl, we have a yakisoba bowl. We want things that are approachable, but we want things that are unique and bold. It’s a flavor profile that you might not find at similar establishments.”

Some of the taps in 30hop's Lee's Summit location
Some of the taps in 30hop’s Lee’s Summit location. Photo courtesy of 30hop

The Beer

Of course, with a name like 30hop, the beers better come through. 30hop carries the big players—Anheuser-Busch, Guinness, the like—but the key to catching on starts at the local level.

“We definitely lean into local draft beers,” says Prate. “We have at least 30 beers on tap, and close to a majority of our tap beers are local to Kansas City or Missouri.”

That means Boulevard Brewing Company, sure, but also smaller brewing companies, like City Barrel and Torn Label. And it goes deeper, with Lee’s Summit locals Smoke Brewing Company and Diametric Brewing Co.

“Having local beers was a big deal to us when we were opening,” says Prate. “It was a big deal to our owners, and I think it’s a big deal to our guests. Every who works in the building lives here, and a bunch of the products we serve live here. I think that resonates with a lot of our guests, and our employees too—I think it gives them a sense of pride.”

“Our guests definitely take a lot of pride in their community and will lean into the items we have that are from Lee’s Summit.”

The tap list is constantly updated on Untappd, a beer app for amateurs and aficionados. As of this writing, it includes breweries that are days away and breweries that are less than ten minutes away.

A server takes orders at 30hop in Lee's Summit
Photo courtesy of 30hop in Lee’s Summit

The Energy

It’s the atmosphere, however, that makes 30hop so worthwhile.

You can get a sense of the energy through sheer numbers; the Lee’s Summit location has over 100 seats, 30 tables, 30 TVs, and a patio with a fire pit. The Merriam location, already built at 8715 Shawnee Mission Parkway, will have similar stats.

But it’s best to get in there and feel it. To be welcomed as enthusiastically for happy hour on Monday as you would a dinner on a Friday or a beer on game day. To stop in for a burger and wind up supporting a KC-area organization through 30hop’s Groupraise fundraisers.

“You walk into any of our restaurants, and there’s a good chance it’s going to be a fun, high-energy night,” says Hall. “Ideally, you don’t feel like you’re going in and just completing a transaction. We want you to feel like you’re a part of something when you’re with us.”

In Lee’s Summit, Prate keeps a welcoming atmosphere top of mind.

“We try to create an inviting atmosphere for anybody and everybody. ‘Suits to sweats’ is a perfect way to describe the atmosphere that we endeavor to create in the building. I’m very lucky to have fantastic staff who buy into what we do and believe in it 100 percent.

“We’ve just been very fortunate to be received well in Lee’s Summit, and we will continue to endeavor every day to earn that welcome.”

Next step, Merriam.

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