O'B's takes over a Waldo space with a layered restaurant history
O'B's is now operating at 500 W. 75th St., the Waldo address previously occupied by Boru Asian Eatery. Boru served its final meal roughly six months before O'B's opened, according to The Kansas City Star.
The address has cycled through several restaurant concepts. It previously held Summit Grill, which moved next door into the former 75th Street Brewery space. Boru opened there in 2017 as Boru Ramen Bar, closed in 2020, reopened later that year with a broader menu and eventually became Boru Asian Eatery. The Star reported that Summit Hospitality Group closed Boru around March 2026.
What inspection records show
The property's recent food-service record includes a Boru inspection. According to The Kansas City Star, Boru Asian Eatery at 500 W. 75th St. received eight critical violations during a Nov. 24 routine inspection; a Dec. 4 follow-up inspection found that all of the violations had been corrected.
A tribute to Jeff O'Brien
Owners Andy Doohan and Eric Schmidt named the bar for Jeff O'Brien, the former general manager of Kennedy's Bar & Grill. According to The Kansas City Star, O'Brien mentored Schmidt and several bartenders now working at O'B's; bartender Eric Jones also said O'Brien taught him the fundamentals of the job.
Kennedy's was a longtime Waldo bar until a February 2007 fire destroyed its building and injured five firefighters, according to KCUR. The business temporarily operated nearby while the original Washington Street building was rebuilt. O'B's is using O'Brien's name as a connection to that earlier Waldo bar scene.
Cocktails, hotdogs and a neighborhood-bar format
Doohan, who owns Mike's Wine and Spirits, and Schmidt, who previously opened Dodson's, are presenting O'B's as a straightforward Waldo bar built around drinks. The Kansas City Star reported that most cocktails cost $10 to $13, including a $14 piña colada, a $10 Seelbach, a $10 gimlet and a $10 frozen Orange Julius made with vodka.
The food menu includes 100% beef hotdogs with assorted toppings, including a $10 Sonoran hotdog. Krista Harr handles fried chicken in the kitchen. The space also has large windows, booths, light wood finishes and screens for sports, according to The Kansas City Star.
O'B's is open from 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, according to O'B's Neighborhood Bar.
