This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

169 Café is an independent, family-owned breakfast-and-lunch comfort-food café at 203 S US Highway 169 in Smithville, MO (Clay County, Kansas City metro). Owned and operated by Randy and Pamela Shoemake, it serves scratch American diner fare — hand-breaded tenderloins, all-day breakfast, daily specials, and homemade pies — six days a week. Single location, owner-operated, no chain affiliation. Placed at Tier 1: a self-funded, owner-operated family café with no outside investor, PE, or chain money behind it — the purest Tier 1 profile under the funding-primary standard.

Description

169 Café is a comfort-food café on US Highway 169 in Smithville, Missouri, a small city in Clay County at the north edge of the Kansas City metro. The kitchen is straightforward scratch American diner cooking: omelets, pancakes, French toast, and oatmeal bowls on the breakfast side (served all day); hand-breaded tenderloins, Philly sandwiches, burritos, burgers, and salads at lunch; plus rotating daily specials, a bakery case, and homemade pies.1 The menu also runs a few from-scratch touches beyond standard diner fare, such as a chicken parmigiana with house sugo and fried-zucchini appetizers.1

It operates six days a week — Sunday and Tuesday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., closed Mondays — as a daytime breakfast-and-lunch spot, with online ordering available through Toast.1

Ownership and history

169 Café is owned and operated by Randy and Pamela Shoemake, and is described in local listings as a “hometown,” family-owned restaurant.23 Pamela Shoemake is the hands-on operator and cook — her email (pam@169-cafe.com) is the café’s public contact.12

Per business-profile listings, Pamela is a career restaurateur: she is reported to have owned and operated a restaurant in Trenton, Missouri for roughly 15 years before selling it and relocating to the Kansas City area, and to have worked as a chef before opening her own place so she could cook her own recipes.3 This background — a long-tenured Missouri owner-operator who relocated into the KC metro and built a single-location family café — is the relevant fact for tier (see below). The specific year 169 Café opened in Smithville is not published on the site or in located sources, and the Trenton detail is reported by aggregator profiles rather than a primary source; both are flagged “.3

Last verified: 2026-07-12 · Source: 169 Café official site menu · URL(s): https://cafe169.com/food-menu · Confidence: High (full itemized menu with prices pulled directly from the official site)

Full-service scratch American breakfast-and-lunch comfort food, served Wednesday–Sunday 6:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.: hearty breakfast platters and bowls, omelets, lunch sandwiches, burgers, salads, dinner platters, and a pie case.4

Breakfast entrées

  • The Hot Mess — bacon, ham, sausage, hashbrown patty, American cheese, and egg smothered in sausage gravy on a large biscuit ($12.99)4
  • Carnivore Bowl — breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, topped with sausage gravy and cheese blend ($12.99)4
  • Kitchen Sink Bowl — biscuit topped with breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, onion, mushroom, green pepper, tomato, ham, bacon, sausage, cheese blend, and sausage gravy ($15.99)4
  • Farmers Standard — two eggs, choice of meat, breakfast potatoes or fruit, with toast, English muffin, or biscuit ($12.99)4
  • Biscuit & Gravy Hearty Combo — two eggs, half order biscuits and gravy, bacon or sausage ($11.99)4
  • Big Boy — three eggs, breakfast potatoes, choice of meat, half order biscuits and gravy; add country fried steak +$4 ($14.99)4
  • Betty White — one egg, breakfast potatoes, choice of meat, and toast/English muffin/biscuit ($7.29)4
  • Texas Holdem Breakfast Sandwich — over-hard egg, American cheese, choice of meat on grilled Texas toast ($7.49)4

Healthy choices

  • Healthy Turkey Scramble — egg whites, turkey, spinach, mushrooms, cheese blend, served with fruit and salsa ($11.29)4
  • Yogurt Bowl — honey-vanilla Greek yogurt, berries, granola, almonds, honey drizzle ($8.25)4
  • Oatmeal Bowl — berries, peanut butter, sliced almonds, honey drizzle ($7.50)4
  • Avocado Toast — smashed avocado on wheat toast, EVOO, lemon, kosher salt, with 2 eggs your way ($9.50)4

Omelets (served with breakfast potatoes or fruit and toast/English muffin/biscuit)

  • One Meat & Cheese — ham, bacon, or sausage with cheese blend; Plain Jane cheese omelet $8.99 ($12.99)4
  • Meatlovers — bacon, ham, sausage, cheese blend ($13.99)4
  • Tree Hugger Veggie — mushroom, onion, tomato, green pepper, spinach, cheese blend ($11.99)4
  • Western — mushroom, onion, tomato, green pepper, cheese blend, choice of one meat ($12.99)4

A la carte

  • Bacon $4.00 · Sausage patties, turkey sausage patties, or ham $3.49 · Country fried steak $8.99 · Egg $1.99 · Sausage gravy $2.49 · Breakfast potatoes or fresh fruit $3.99 · Toast/English muffin/biscuit $2.994

B&G and sweets

  • 169 Café Cinnamon Roll — $4.59 each, half-dozen pan $20, dozen pan $404
  • Short Stack Pancakes — two cakes with butter and syrup; add Nutella, peanut butter, blueberries, or chocolate chips +$1.49, add a cake +$3.59 ($7.59)4
  • Biscuits & Gravy — two biscuits smothered in sausage gravy; full $8.99, half $6.494
  • 3-Piece Frenchy — four slices of French toast garnished with powdered sugar, butter, and syrup ($8.59)4
  • French Toast or Pancake Combo — one pancake or two slices French toast, bacon or sausage, and two eggs ($9.99)4
  • Kid’s Cake with Bacon or Sausage — served 11am–2pm Wednesday–Sunday ($6.99)4

Lunch sandwiches (served with fries; onion rings or salad +$2)

  • 169 Café Tenderloin — hand-breaded, fresh or grilled bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle; add cheese +$1 ($10.59)4
  • California Chicken Club — grilled chicken, provolone, lettuce, tomato, bacon, honey mustard, avocado ($12.59)4
  • Anthony’s Italian Steak — breaded pork cutlet, Winpay’s style, special BBQ, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle ($10.59)4
  • Classic BLT — Texas toast, lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo; double bacon +$5 ($10.59)4
  • Hot Ham Panini — smoked ham, American cheese, sourdough; double ham +$4 ($10.59)4

Burgers (served with fries; rings or salad +$2, bacon +$2)

  • Hamburger — $9.99, double $13.994
  • Cheeseburger — $10.50, double $14.994
  • PattyMelt — grilled onions, provolone, on grilled marble rye ($12.99)4

Salads (served with garlic toast)

  • The Frenchasca — crisp greens, dried cranberries, pecans, feta, grilled chicken, bacon, croutons ($11.99)4
  • Chef Salad — crisp greens, turkey, ham, cheese, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, egg, croutons ($11.99)4
  • Crispy Chicken Salad — crisp greens, chicken, tomatoes, red onion, bacon, egg, shredded cheese, croutons ($12.69)4
  • Dressings: ranch, balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard, raspberry vinaigrette, Italian, French, bleu cheese, thousand island4

Lunch entrées

  • Open Faced Hot Beef — grilled Texas toast, mashed potatoes, roast beef, brown gravy; full $10.99, half $8.994
  • Hot Tenderloin — sandwiched between white bread, mashed potatoes, smothered in country gravy; full $11.59, half $8.994
  • Chicken Tender Basket — golden fried strips, French fries, choice of gravy/honey mustard/ranch/chipotle for dipping ($9.99)4

Dinner platters (served with choice of two sides and a biscuit)

  • Hamburger Steak — grilled onions and brown gravy ($16.99)4
  • Country Fried Steak ($15.99)4
  • Pork Tenderloin Platter ($14.49)4
  • Chicken Fried Chicken ($14.99)4

Sides

  • Side salad · fruit · mashed potatoes · fries · onion rings · green beans · potato salad · house-made slaw · cottage cheese · pickled beets · soup of the day4
  • Quiche of the Day — served with fruit and small green salad or small Frenchasca salad ($12.99)4

Kids menu

  • Kids Chicken Strips and Fries ($5.99)4
  • Grilled Cheese & Fries ($5.99)4

Dessert

  • Homemade pie — flavors of the day, ask your server4

Hours

Per the official site (as of 2026-07-12): Sun 6:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Tue–Sat 6:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; closed Monday.1

Sources

Disputes

Address lineage (not a dispute, a clarification): Yelp also carries a listing for “Family Traditions Cafe — CLOSED” at the same 203 US-169 address. That is the predecessor business at this location, not 169 Café. 169 Café is the current, active operator (live official site, Toast ordering, Yelp listing updated May 2026); the “closed” listing refers to the prior tenant and should not be read as 169 Café being closed.5

See also

  • Registry

Footnotes

  1. 169 Café — official site, https://cafe169.com/ (and menu/order https://169-cafe.com/menu/), accessed 2026-07-12 — Confirms: name; address 203 S US Highway 169, Smithville, MO 64089; phone (816) 343-2016; email pam@169-cafe.com; hours (Sun + Tue–Sat 6:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., closed Mon); breakfast/lunch menu (omelets, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, hand-breaded tenderloins, Philly, burritos, burgers, chicken parmigiana with sugo, fried zucchini, salads, homemade pies, daily specials); Toast online ordering. Owner/founder narrative and founding year NOT stated on the site. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. LinkedIn — “Pamela Shoemake · 169 Cafe,” https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-shoemake-793821135/ (accessed 2026-07-12) — Confirms: Pamela Shoemake is associated with / operates 169 Cafe (owner-operator). ↩ ↩2

  3. 169 Cafe business-profile / community listings (aggregator), e.g. https://rutidd.com/communities/169-cafe/ (accessed 2026-07-12) — Reports: owners Randy & Pamela Shoemake; “hometown”/family-owned; Pamela operated a restaurant in Trenton, MO ~15 years before selling and moving to the Kansas City area; prior chef experience. Reported, not primary-sourced — treat the Trenton tenure and any founding year as “. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. 169 Café — official food menu, https://cafe169.com/food-menu, accessed 2026-07-12 — Confirms: full itemized breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, kids, and dessert menu with current prices. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45 ↩46 ↩47 ↩48

  5. Yelp — “169 Cafe,” 203 US-169, Smithville, MO, https://www.yelp.com/biz/169-cafe-smithville-2 (accessed 2026-07-12) — Confirms: active listing “Updated May 2026,” ~20 reviews, current café operating at 203 US-169. ↩

More from the Registry

In Smithville See all →

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/169-cafe · record updated 2026-07-12