Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt And Heather McQueeny.
Hi Matt and Heather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Matt has been in the restaurant industry for 30 years. Heather has been an elementary teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District for 29 years. Matt has always had a dream to own a breakfast restaurant. When the opportunity came about to buy a breakfast restaurant in the the city of Shawnee, where we live, we jumped on the chance. This gave us a chance to be a bigger part of Shawnee and give back to the community. As the opportunity developed, we realized that this could be part of our retirement plan in a couple of years. This business has become a family adventure. Our daughter, Loren, has jumped right in and is really enjoying it. Our son, Brett, is in college so he helps when he can.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. We bought the restaurant in June of 2024. Two weeks after we bought the restaurant, we found out the state of Kansas was closing the access to the highway right behind the restaurant. This project lasted 16 months.
The first two weeks we were open, business was amazing! Immediately when the construction started, we dropped fifty percent. We had to shift gears at this point. Our business went into survival mode. As a business, we had to make some tough decisions. We felt obligated to take care of our employees, so we stayed open during the construction and fought our way through it. Looking back the best business decision would have been to close down, but we couldn’t do it for the sake of our staff.
We tightened things up as much as we could and our community supported us through this time. What we found was the community support was amazing. People that came once a week, started coming four or five times a week just to support us.
We’ve been impressed with Rize N Shine, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Rize N Shine is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant in Shawnee, KS. We are open from 6:30am-2:00pm every day. Our menu is traditional but unique. Our sweet cream pancakes are amazing! You can start your day off with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa Flight. These are our two most popular bar menu items we have to offer.
The Rize N Shine staff is what really separates us from the other places. The staff is remarkable when it comes to customer service. We have been called “The Cheers” of breakfast places, where everybody knows your name. Our staff is one of the main reasons why we bought the restaurant.
Also, our customers have become such a fabricate of what we are. Our staff has made great relationships with the customers and we look forward to seeing them weekly, if not daily.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
We have lived and raised our kids here in Shawnee for 25 years. Heather grew up in Shawnee also. It has been nice to have our restaurant within the community that we live. We just love the friends and neighbors that we have met over the years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rizenshine.com
