The interior of Merchants Pub & Plate is pictured in this file photo.

The longtime downtown Lawrence restaurant Merchants Pub & Plate has been sold to a Kansas City-based restaurant group.

Merchants co-founder and chef T.K. Peterson confirmed in a brief conversation this morning that W. VinZant Restaurants has purchased the large restaurant that is located in a historic, former bank building at 746 Massachusetts Street.

“Merchants will remain Merchants, and the entire staff will stay on,” Peterson told me in a brief interview.

He said there are no plans to change the concept, decor or other practices of the restaurant. Peterson said he and fellow co-founder Emily Peterson would have more to say about the sale, but were waiting to formally announce details in a press release shortly.

Merchants recently celebrated its 11th anniversary, and has been a staple in the Lawrence dining community with is crafted menus that focus on a lot of local products prepared in a more upscale manner.

As for W. VinZant Restaurants, I have a message into executives with that firm. Based off its website, the company is not a chain but rather a Kansas City-based company that owns several individual restaurants across the region.

Its online timeline indicates that it got its start with Louie’s Wine Dive, serves a mix of pasta, comfort food and wine at three locations in the Kansas City area and Des Moines, Iowa.

W. VinZant Restaurants began to expand with other concepts near the beginning of the decade. In 2019, it completed two transactions, purchasing BRGR Kitchen, and Taco Republic. In 2020, it launched Fresko Natural Food in downtown Des Moines. It is touted as a restaurant that partners with numerous cattle ranchers and farmers in Iowa.

Also in 2020, the group Gram & Dun during the midst of the pandemic. That Country Club Plaza restaurant is upscale and serves a variety of pastas, seafood, steaks and more.

In 2021, the company launched a casual Va Bene Italian Eatery in Prairie Village that serves both Italian dishes and cocktails. In 2022, the group bought the Chicken Mary’s Restaurant in Pittsburg, Kan., which is a longtime staple of that southeastern Kansas community.

The group also owns Brew Top Pub and Patio, which has locations in Overland Park and Kansas City, Mo.. Most recently W. VinZant purchased an ownership stake in the Bo Lings Chinese Restaurant located in the historic Skelly Building by the Country Club Plaza, according to various Kansas City media reports. According to those reports, the restaurant will be renamed Heritage – Asian American Fusion.

As for what the plans are for Merchants, I’ll update this article when I get more information, which I expect to be later today.