Clementine's Ice Cream, the St. Louis-based scoop shop known for its boozy “Naughty” flavors and Oprah-approved Gooey Butter Cake, is opening two new company-owned parlors in the Kansas City area this winter. One is planned for Lenexa, Kansas, and the other for the Missouri riverfront, adding to a single Kansas location the brand already operates in Prairie Village.
Two New Addresses, Growing Footprint
According to KCTV5, the Lenexa parlor is planned at 17165 W. 87th St. Parkway, while the Missouri location is set for 1438 E. Riverfront Drive in Kansas City. A separate report from the Kansas City Star lists the riverfront address as 1298 Berkley Parkway, so the exact street address for that location remains unsettled between the two outlets. The Kansas City Star reports the Lenexa and riverfront locations do not yet have confirmed opening dates, even as the company has said it is targeting a winter debut for both spots.
Timelines for the openings have also shifted across coverage. The Star's earlier reporting estimated the two new locations would land in spring or summer of 2026, while Dairy Foods reported the riverfront shop opening in November and the Lenexa location in late October of this year — timing that would make the Lenexa debut imminent. Clementine's currently runs nine parlors around St. Louis and one in Prairie Village, which opened last year, per the Star's reporting.
From St. Louis Startup to Four-State Brand
The Prairie Village and upcoming Kansas City-area shops are part of a broader expansion for a company that has grown to 11 company-owned parlors across Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and northwest Arkansas, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. That growth follows a $6 million capital raise that is already funding expanded production, new company-owned stores and a franchise program, the outlet reports. Reports differ on exactly when Clementine's got its start — the Star dates the founding to 2014, while Franchise.org says founder Tamara Keefe launched the brand in St. Louis in 2015.
Next Phase Capital led that $6 million funding round, announced in March, per Franchise.org. Keefe, the company's founder and CEO, said in comments reported by St. Louis Magazine, “We are getting ready to go regional, with Kansas City being next in our playbook.” Per the Kansas City Star's reporting, Keefe also said Missouri is where Clementine's began and that guests there have shown strong affection for the brand, and that the company has spent more than a decade building its systems, product and support.
Franchise Push Expands Beyond Missouri
Clementine's is also seeking franchise partners willing to open parlors in their own neighborhoods, according to the Star's reporting, with Keefe saying the company wants partners who care about hospitality and their hometown. Dairy Foods reports the brand is looking for qualified franchise partners across Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa and Illinois, following growth of 48% over the past three years. Franchise.org reported the company planned to launch its franchising offering in the second quarter of 2026. The same production expansion funding the new company-owned stores is also meant to serve grocery, e-commerce and co-packing customers, the Business Journal notes.
Clementine's sorts its menu into three categories: “Nice” flavors with no alcohol, non-dairy options, and “Naughty” alcohol-infused flavors, according to the Star. Kansas locations, including the Prairie Village shop, serve only the Nice and non-dairy lineups, while the riverfront location is set to carry the Naughty flavors as well. That mirrors how the brand has handled its Kansas City stadium partnership — CPKC Stadium notes that Clementine's signature Naughty flavors are available in the Kansas City area exclusively at its Current Landing location there.
The Flavor Behind the Buzz
Seasonal offerings include Grandma Marie's Butter Brickle, Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake and Passiontini Sorbet, while year-round staples include Midnight Pleasures, Espresso Royale, Lemon Poppyseed and Chocolate Cabernet, per the Star's reporting. The brand's calling card remains its Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream, which Franchise.org reports was named to Oprah Magazine's O List back in 2019. CPKC Stadium describes the flavor as an homage to Midwestern baking that earned praise as the “sexiest ice cream alive.”
The expansion comes as other Kansas City-area ice cream businesses face headwinds. Sweet Cups is closing its storefront at 43rd and Troost at the end of October because of rising costs, though it will keep running its food truck, according to KMBC. A separate Johnson County ice cream shop may also be closing one of its two locations at the end of the month, even as it looks to keep serving customers elsewhere. Against that backdrop, Clementine's is betting that its boozy and non-alcoholic scoops, along with its growing franchise ambitions, will find an audience as it plants new flags in Lenexa and along the Missouri riverfront.
