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

Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn is an Independence Square fine-dining restaurant and boutique inn founded by Ken and Cindy McClain, widely credited as the anchor that sparked the revitalization of the historic Square.

Description

Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn occupies a restored historic building on the northwest corner of the Independence Square in Independence, Missouri. The restaurant serves contemporary, eclectic American cuisine with globally inspired flavors, and is known for weekend brunch (Saturday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.). Signature plates include the Monte Carlo (shaved ham, white cheddar, fried eggs, and bacon on a cinnamon-roll bun) and a short-rib birria with guajillo jus and patatas bravas.

Above the restaurant, the “Inn” component offers individualized boutique guest rooms tucked into the upper level of the building, making Ophelia’s a combined dining-and-lodging destination on the Square. The exact number of guest rooms is not confirmed in available sources. “

The building itself carries a layered Independence history: the front section was built circa 1907 as a hardware store, and a rear addition came in 1948 as part of a Katz Drugstore expansion — a large operation with roughly 175 employees and 13 departments, including a soda fountain and snack bar, that ran until about 1974. The building then sat vacant until the McClains acquired it.

Ownership and history

Ophelia’s was created by Ken and Cindy McClain, who purchased their first boarded-up building on the then-blighted Independence Square in 1998 and opened the restaurant around 1998–1999. (The restaurant’s own about page states 1999; press coverage references the 1998 building purchase — the one-year gap likely reflects buy-versus-open dates.) “

The McClains did not set out to be restaurateurs; they opened Ophelia’s specifically as a catalyst to revive the Truman-era historic Square, reasoning that a restaurant could become a destination. The name comes from the book Reviving Ophelia, which Cindy was reading during the naming process — chosen deliberately to symbolize reviving both the restaurant and the surrounding district. Executive Chef Robert “Chef Bobby” Stearns, a Johnson County Community College graduate who previously cooked at Taste and Café Verona, has led the kitchen since 2012.

Ophelia’s became the anchor of a much larger revitalization effort: the McClains have since grown their footprint on and around the Square to roughly 16–18 businesses, including nine food concepts ranging from upscale-casual dining to neighborhood pizza, a coffee shop, and an old-school soda fountain.

Tier classification

Tier 1. Ophelia’s is locally owned by Independence-area residents Ken and Cindy McClain, and embodies the “pride and dedication to roots” Tier 1 measures at an exceptional level: the McClains built the restaurant explicitly to revive their hometown Square, then expanded that mission into more than a dozen local businesses. Long-tenured, deeply place-rooted, and a documented civic anchor — a clear Tier 1.

See also

  • independence-mo
  • independence-square
  • mcclain-family-independence-square
  • harry-truman-independence
  • katz-drug-store
  • Registry

Sources

  1. Ophelia’s Restaurant — About Us — https://opheliasrestaurant.com/about-us/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  2. The Independent (KC) — “Palatable Pursuits: Trailblazer Cindy McClain” — https://kcindependent.com/palatable-pursuits-trailblazer-cindy-mcclain/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  3. City of Independence, MO — Ophelia’s Restaurant (visitors/fine dining) — https://www.independencemo.gov/visitors/places-eat/fine-dining/ophelias-restaurant — accessed 2026-05-30
  4. Independence Square Association — Ophelia’s Inn property page — https://indepsquare.com/properties/ophelias-inn/ — accessed 2026-05-30

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 4 sources. Confirmed: owners (Ken & Cindy McClain), executive chef (Robert Stearns, 2012), address, cuisine, brunch, building history, revitalization role, social links. Unverified items: exact opening year (1998 vs. 1999), and the number of guest rooms in the inn. Note: base intake listed website as opheliasinn.com; the active, current site is opheliasrestaurant.com — substituted accordingly.

See also

  • Registry
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • American