French Market reopened Aug. 27 with about 1,500 additional square feet at 6943 Tomahawk Road in Prairie Village. The space was formerly occupied by Pride Cleaners, which moved elsewhere in the shopping center. The Quillec family removed the dividing wall and used the added area for market operations, including a larger cheese selection, an expanded pastry case and more prepared food for customers to take home, according to the Kansas City Star and Johnson County Post.
Separate service for shoppers and diners
The renovation changed how the two parts of the business handle checkout. Market customers and café customers now use different stations, rather than waiting in one combined queue. Before the work, Noah Quillec told the Johnson County Post, some shoppers left after seeing the line; the revised layout is intended to make retail purchases move independently from dine-in orders. The Kansas City Star later reported that the café and kitchen also gained additional working room.
Retail additions without a menu overhaul
The café’s breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings remain in place. Breakfast runs until 11 a.m., lunch until 3 p.m. and dinner until closing. The store serves items including croque monsieur, Sancerre, soups, quiche and prepared French dishes, while its retail side carries specialty provisions, vintage glassware, kitchen goods, cookbooks and linens, according to the Kansas City Star. The current hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The expanded area is already being used for grab-and-go meals and the enlarged cheese counter, although the business is still working to fill all of the available space. The Kansas City Star reported that Quillec hopes to vary the prepared-food selection with more seasonal items in the future.
A shared family enterprise
French Market and Café Provence are owned by Patrick and Joanne Quillec and their children Noah, Philip and Natalie, the Johnson County Post reported. Café Provence opened in 2001; French Market followed in 2013 and moved to its current location in 2019, when it added its café operation. French Market’s own description of the business says Philip Quillec is the executive chef and previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in France.
