Unforked

Unforked is a Kansas City–area fast-casual “real food” restaurant founded in 2011 by Jim Sheridan — the same Sheridan family behind Sheridan’s Frozen Custard — built around chef-inspired burgers, tacos, salads, and grain bowls made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.¹²³ Its Crown Center (KCMO) location, opened in 2016, is the chain’s Missouri outpost; two more operate in Johnson County, Kansas.⁴⁵

Locations

Location	Address	Notes	Source
Crown Center (KCMO)	2450 Grand Blvd, Suite 113, Kansas City, MO 64108	Opened Nov 2016; only Missouri location	45
Overland Park	7337 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS 66213	Original/flagship; opened 2011; softly reopened July 2024	356
Westwood	4719 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, KS 66205	Woodside Village; opened 2022	35

Description

Unforked is a Kansas City fast-casual concept that positions itself as a “real food” alternative to conventional quick-service dining, serving chef-inspired burgers, tacos, quesadillas, salads, grain bowls, and vegetable-forward sides made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.²¹ The kitchen prioritizes seasonal local produce and, when local is unavailable, sources from smaller family GAP-certified or organic farms, prime growing regions, artisan producers, and fair-trade partnerships.¹ Its signature beef comes from Creekstone Farms (Black Angus, an 80% chuck / 20% trim blend).⁷

The menu is built around accessible price points and broad dietary accommodation, with numerous gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options alongside burgers and tacos.⁴² Healthy-leaning items — ancient grain bowls, kale and chef-inspired salads, and seasonal bowls such as a Thai peanut noodle bowl — anchor the “fit-tastic” framing the restaurant has used since launch.⁴¹

The Crown Center outpost occupies Suite 113 inside the Crown Center shops complex (2450 Grand Blvd), in the space formerly held for 31 years by Streetcar Named Desire; the buildout required more than $1 million in renovations over roughly eight months and opened just before Thanksgiving 2016.⁴ It was sited deliberately next to an existing Sheridan’s Frozen Custard, leveraging that brand’s established Crown Center foot traffic.⁴

Ownership and history

Unforked was founded in 2011 by Jim Sheridan, who opened the first location in south Overland Park near 119th Street and Metcalf; Sheridan is also the founder/owner of Sheridan’s Frozen Custard.³⁴ The concept grew to multiple locations: the original Overland Park store, the Crown Center location (2016), and a third along Rainbow Boulevard in Westwood, Kansas (Woodside Village, opened May 2022).³ The Overland Park flagship softly reopened in July 2024 following a period of closure/renovation.⁶ There is no evidence connecting Unforked or Jim Sheridan to Houlihan’s or its parent restaurant group; the ownership lineage runs through the Sheridan’s Frozen Custard family business.

Links

• Official site: https://unforked.com/
• Crown Center online ordering: https://crowncenter.orderunforked.com/
• Crown Center listing: https://www.crowncenter.com/listings/unforked

Sources

Disputes

None recorded. (Note: customer reviews are mixed on consistency, but no factual disputes affecting ownership, location, or operating status.)

Footnotes

1. Unforked official site — https://unforked.com/ — asserts: fast-casual “real food” concept; fresh/local sourcing philosophy (seasonal local first, then GAP-certified/organic family farms, artisan/fair-trade); burgers and tacos as primary items. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. 816area — Unforked Crown Center — https://www.816area.com/kansas-city/downtown-kansas-city/restaurants/unforked---crown-center.htm — asserts: healthy fast-casual menu; salads, ancient grain bowl, kale salad, seasonal Thai peanut noodle bowl; gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan options. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. HerLife Magazine (Kansas City) — “Unforked: Fresh, Local, Chef-Inspired Food” — https://www.herlifemagazine.com/kansascity/cravings/unforked-fresh-local-chef-inspired-food/ — asserts: founded by Jim Sheridan in Overland Park in 2011; Sheridan also owns Sheridan’s Frozen Custard; three locations (Overland Park original, Crown Center 2016, Rainbow Blvd/Westwood 2022). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Feast Magazine — “Unforked Opens Second Kansas City Location Inside Crown Center” (Dec 2016) — https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/unforked-opens-second-kansas-city-location-inside-crown-center/article_1384fd9e-be25-11e6-a62b-dbccaf17b96d.html — asserts: owner Jim Sheridan (also Sheridan’s Frozen Custard); first Unforked opened 2011 on 119th St, Overland Park; Crown Center opened just before Thanksgiving 2016 in former Streetcar Named Desire space (31-year tenant), >$1M renovation, sited next to Sheridan’s; under-$8 menu; gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan options. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. Unforked official site — locations/hours — https://unforked.com/ — asserts: Crown Center address 2450 Grand Blvd, Suite 113, KCMO 64108, phone (816) 283-3675, hours Mon–Thurs 11–6 / Fri–Sat 11–6:45 / Sun 12–5; Overland Park 7337 W 119th St 66213; Westwood 4719 Rainbow Blvd 66205. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. Johnson County Post — “Popular eatery Unforked softly reopening in Overland Park” (July 15, 2024) — https://johnsoncountypost.com/2024/07/15/overland-park-unforked-reopening-237610/ — asserts: Overland Park location softly reopened in July 2024. ↩ ↩²

7. Unforked official site — sourcing — https://unforked.com/ — asserts: signature beef from Creekstone Farms (Black Angus, 80% chuck / 20% trim). ↩