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Sunset Grill is an independent, owner-operated American restaurant at 146th and Metcalf in Overland Park, Kansas, opened in 2004 by Rod Lampe and Dan Tierney. Named after the Don Henley song, it wraps a casual neighborhood menu — burgers, salads, tacos, and a Caribbean/tropical accent — inside a deliberately built faux-beach-shack atmosphere. More than twenty years in, it remains a hands-on, family-friendly fixture of south Overland Park’s dining scene.

Description

Sunset Grill is a casual, independently owned restaurant at the southwest edge of Overland Park, at roughly 146th and Metcalf. The owners built out a deliberately tropical, “beach-shack” environment — tropical plants, a fountain, overhead fans, concrete floors — to contrast with its suburban strip-corridor setting, and the kitchen puts an “equatorial spin” on an otherwise broad American menu.1

The menu leans into approachable comfort fare: burgers, salads, soups, and tacos alongside tropical-leaning specialties. The signature item is the Chopped Sunset Salad; other recurring favorites include Hawaiian Skewers, the Freeman Steak Sandwich, Chicken Fried Chicken, Baja/shrimp tacos, jalapeño-artichoke dip, and Tijuana Wraps.23 The restaurant offers dine-in, carryout, online ordering, catering, and private parties, and skews toward a family and longtime-regular crowd.4

Ownership and history

Sunset Grill is the creation of co-owners Rod Lampe and Dan Tierney, who together carried more than 40 years of combined restaurant experience into the venture. The restaurant was a long-standing shared dream of the two; with help from their wives they developed the Caribbean/American food-and-drink menu, and artist Jen Bertrand was brought in to design the tropical interior. The name is drawn from the Don Henley song “Sunset Grill.”3

The restaurant held its grand opening on November 11, 2004, gathering family, friends, supporters, and vendors to celebrate.5 Local press at the time noted the owners as “very hands-on,” with both regularly working the floor — a posture that has continued to define the restaurant’s identity as an independent neighborhood spot rather than a chain.1 As of 2026 it remains open and independently operated, with more than two decades of continuous operation at the Metcalf location.

See also

  • overland-park-ks
  • Registry

Sources

Footnotes

  1. The Pitch — “Son of a Beach” (review; independent ownership; faux-beach concept at 145th & Metcalf; hands-on owners; menu notes). https://www.thepitchkc.com/son-of-a-beach/ ↩ ↩2

  2. Yelp — “Sunset Grill, 14577 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, Kansas” (American restaurant; address, menu, reviews). https://www.yelp.com/biz/sunset-grill-overland-park ↩

  3. Restaurant Kansas City — Sunset Grill profile (owners Rod Lampe & Dan Tierney; 40+ years combined experience; name from Don Henley song; menu created with wives; interior by artist Jen Bertrand; signature Chopped Sunset Salad). http://restaurantkansascity.com/sunsetgrillseafoodkc.html ↩ ↩2

  4. Visit Overland Park — Sunset Grill directory listing (location, services). https://www.visitoverlandpark.com/directory/sunset-grill/ ↩

  5. Sunset Grill official site / about page — grand opening November 11, 2004; address 146th & Metcalf; phone (913) 681-1722. https://sunsetgrillrestaurant.com/about ↩

See also

  • Registry
  • overland-park-ks
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • American
  • Overland Park