A military veteran and his wife have opened Graze Craze's first Kansas City location in downtown Overland Park, setting up shop in a 1,153-square-foot storefront where customers can order hand-built boards, boxes and catering trays instead of assembling a spread themselves. Ron and Christine Pitts opened their Graze Craze franchise at 8025 Metcalf Ave.; the brand previously operated a shop in Kansas City, Missouri.
The shop sits on the ground floor of the Avenue 80 complex, a mixed-use development that is surrounded by more than 700 apartment units along the Metcalf Avenue commercial corridor, according to a Block & Company, Inc. Realtors property document. The storefront previously housed The Paleta Bar, a Mexican dessert business, as reported by the Johnson County Post. Ron Pitts spent 30 years in the Army before transitioning into small business ownership with the franchise, according to the Kansas City Star.
Christine Pitts previously worked in ministry at her local church, per the same Star report, and now she and Ron work alongside employees to arrange every charcuterie board by hand in the shop. “This is an exciting opportunity for us, sharing Graze Craze’s high-quality charcuterie with our community,” Christine Pitts said, according to the Star's reporting. She added that the business handles menu options and event logistics so customers can spend less time preparing food and more time with their guests.
What's On the Menu at the New Overland Park Shop
The Overland Park location offers Char-Cutie Cups for $9, a Grab & Graze option for $15, a Grazer Box serving up to two people for $32, and a Picnic Box serving up to four people for $55, per the Star's rundown of the menu. Larger spreads include small boards serving up to 10 people for $120 to $185, medium boards serving up to 15 people for $155, and large boards serving up to 20 people for $185 to $275. The shop also sells sandwich trays, seasonal boards, featured boards and add-ons, with boards made to order in classic, vegetarian and sweet varieties.
The store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, with appointment-only visits available on Sunday, the Star reports. Online orders are also accepted. Graze Craze now has more than 150 locations nationwide, including one in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and another Kansas outpost in Wichita.
A Kitchenless Model Fueling Rapid National Growth
Graze Craze was founded in Oklahoma in 2018 by Kerry Sylvester, an Air Force veteran, before growing into a national franchise. The brand surpassed its 100th open location in October 2025, less than five years after its franchise program launched, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage of the chain's expansion. Graze Craze is managed within Starpoint Brands and Big Flavor Brands, the food division of West Palm Beach-based United Franchise Group, which oversees more than 1,600 franchise locations across 60 countries.
Part of that growth comes from a stripped-down business model: Graze Craze storefronts operate without standard kitchen infrastructure such as ovens, fryers, exhaust hoods or grease traps, instead relying on a cold-assembly setup where staff build raw charcuterie items for pickup and catering orders. That approach can lower startup costs. Opening a Graze Craze unit involves an estimated initial investment between $167,000 and $325,000, including a $49,500 initial franchise fee.
Part of a Broader Suburban Rollout
Overland Park joins the brand's other suburban locations this year. Graze Craze opened similar pickup-and-catering locations in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in June and Pflugerville, Texas in July, and has a Great Falls, Virginia, shop in development, according to Hoodline's reporting on those locations. The planned Great Falls shop is in an affluent suburb.
The timing lines up with broader industry momentum. Global charcuterie market research firm Future Data Stats valued the sector at $41.5 billion in 2025, with projected growth to $43.9 billion in 2026 and $65.1 billion by 2033. The National Restaurant Association previously named charcuterie its top appetizer trend and one of its top three overall menu trends, a shift that has pushed grazing boards from niche event offerings into mainstream fast-casual dining.
The Overland Park opening adds another food business along Metcalf Avenue. Italian sandwich shop La Fetta Deli opened in the corridor about a year before Hoodline reported on La Fetta Deli's expansion, including a Prairie Village location planned for mid-October 2026.
