If you swung by Kenny's East Coast Pizza in West Plano recently looking for a pie and a pint, you were met with dark windows instead. The neighborhood pizzeria from chef Kenny Bowers has quietly shut its doors after roughly a decade on West Park Boulevard, leaving an all-too-familiar storefront suddenly empty in a busy strip near Preston Road.
The restaurant at 4701 W. Park Blvd. closed after about 10 years in Plano, according to The Dallas Morning News. That report also notes that some of the pizzeria's appetizers, salads, and pastas are expected to live on through Kenny's Italian Kitchen. The News story was published today.
Kenny's restaurant family keeps cooking
The broader Kenny's Restaurant Group is still very much in business around Dallas, with concepts such as Kenny's Wood Fired Grill and Kenny's Italian Kitchen in Addison and Kenny's Burger Joint locations in Plano and Frisco, according to Kenny's Restaurant Group. The company website continues to show the East Coast Pizza brand among its portfolio even as the West Park storefront goes dark, a sign that the overall operation remains active in the market while this particular location bows out.
A decade on West Park Boulevard
The West Plano spot was first announced in 2016 and opened that August, as reported by Community Impact. Over the years, the pizzeria regularly showed up in local roundups of Plano pizza joints and settled in as a go-to option for nearby residents. Its address at 4701 W. Park Blvd. made it an easy lunch or dinner stop for shoppers and office workers in the area.
Neighbors react to a darkened dining room
Word of the closure first spread through local chatter. A popular thread on r/Plano surfaced comments from patrons who said staff told them a lease dispute and a possible rent increase played a role, though those claims have not been verified. Commenters in the thread also praised management for helping employees transition to other jobs, according to the discussion. The online reaction captures the mix of disappointment and appreciation that often follows the loss of a long-running neighborhood restaurant.
For now, Kenny's Restaurant Group continues to list its other local restaurants and menus on its website, and earlier reporting says some East Coast Pizza favorites will be folded into Kenny's Italian Kitchen, per Kenny's Restaurant Group. Diners watching for updates on the now-vacant Plano space should keep an eye on the group's official channels. This story will be updated if the company issues a formal statement about the closure.
