Mokas Coffee & Eatery picked Olathe for its first Kansas City-area location. The Salina-born chain plans six shops across Johnson, Douglas and Shawnee counties.
The location at 11814 S. Fellows St. is targeting a late summer or early fall opening, though no specific date has been announced, the Kansas City Star reported Aug. 27. A social media post the week of Aug. 20 told customers to "keep an eye" on the company's accounts for updates.
Franchisee Cristian Coleman, owner of Midwest Restaurant Group, signed the deal to bring Mokas to the area. Coleman comes from the family behind the Coleman outdoor gear company, which started in Wichita in 1900, Axios Kansas City reported March 20.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Fellows Street site on March 19. Olathe Mayor John Bacon attended.
"When we started Mokas, it was all about connection, bringing people together over food," founder Jason Ingermanson said at the March groundbreaking, according to Axios Kansas City.
Ingermanson serves as CEO of JRI Hospitality Group, which is also the largest franchisee of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers with 130 locations nationwide. Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy's, was appointed board president of JRI Hospitality in 2024.
Mokas currently operates seven locations in Wichita, Salina and Colby, Kansas, plus two in Arizona where it runs an in-house coffee roasting facility. The chain serves all-day breakfast, in-house roasted coffee, frappes, smoothies and lunch items.
Beyond the Olathe shop, the remaining five locations under Coleman's franchise agreement are anticipated by 2032 in Johnson County, Lawrence and Topeka.
A separate nine-unit deal was signed with franchisees Brice Turner and Jeff Bennett of Cornerstone Hospitality. It will bring six locations to Clay and Jackson counties in Missouri and three more in Derby, Garden City and Manhattan, Kansas. Cornerstone hopes to begin opening shops in 2027.
No opening date has been announced for the Olathe location.
