After 50 years, RC’s Restaurant closes

By Brad Ziegler

RC’s Restaurant, a popular Martin City destination for more than fifty years, announced they were closing on December 29. A few days later, the owner corrected the announcement, saying the closing was temporary while they “searched for a new group to take over the restaurant space.”  

The restaurant, and the building in which it is located, have been listed for sale since earlier this fall. The 13,568 square ft, two-story building located at 330 E 135 St., is currently listed for $2.1 million. 

Rob Paxton, who has owned the restaurant with his wife Sommack for a year, said that they had been working to overcome the challenges faced by the entire restaurant industry following the pandemic but “high overhead costs and significant property taxes—nearly $60,000—proved insurmountable.”

The couple owns several restaurants around the midwest, including Thai House in south Kansas City.  They added a Thai food option on the second floor of the RC’s building called Rockin’ Wok Thai Room soon after they acquired the restaurant in 2023.  The upper floor also offered live music several nights a week.

RC’s was a popular meeting site for several area groups and organizations, including the Kansas City South Rotary Club, who met weekly at RC’s for lunch.  They have relocated their meetings to Tanner’s at Red Bridge Shopping Center beginning in January and other groups will also be looking for alternate locations for their gatherings.  “It’s sad for Martin City that it’s been a mainstay for years. It’s going to be missed,” says Randall Mize, past president of the Kansas City South Rotary Club. 

RC’s closing comes on the heels of other recent area restaurant closings.  Additionally, several other area restaurants, including long time Southwest Boulevard favorite, Ponak’s, have been recently put up for sale or have recently sold.  Challenges cited by other restaurant owners have included rising costs, staffing shortages and a reduced clientele. 

RC’s employed around 15 workers who were given notice of the closing on Christmas Day.  “We were left high and dry,” complained one former employee.

Paxton hopes to find a buyer who is interested in operating a restaurant in the former RC’s space.  He said that he and his wife “are committed to ensuring that RC’s remains a “move-in ready” space for potential restaurateurs. All equipment is in place and operational, but we are prepared to remove it quickly should a buyer wish to repurpose the property for a different use.”

Because of its temporary closure status, the business will retain its liquor license when sold. 

David Van Noy, Jr, with Van Noy Real Estate, has been retained by the Paxtons to sell the restaurant.  Van Noy grew up in the restaurant, founded by his grandfather RC Van Noy in 1973. RC’s was built at the current location in 1982. David, Sr. and wife Debbie owned the business for three decades before their sale to the Paxtons. David, Jr. described it in a recent social media post as “more than just a business—it’s a place where memories were made, connections were formed, and traditions were built.”