Exploring Life & Business with Danney Elmore of KC Hopps

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danney Elmore.

Hi Danney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a transplant here in Kansas City from the East Coast.

After college and getting my degree, I worked briefly in public relations, finding that I wasn’t cut out for the office life I switched back to hospitality which was my trade all through school. After helping successfully run several larger restaurants in the KC Missouri area I decided to partner up and open my own.

When Covid hit and our lease expired, I went back to hospitality as a consultant. After seeing something starting to resemble the new normal I ventured on my own again and opened another restaurant.

With the success of this restaurant I started to edge for more, this is when I met the Kc Hopps family. Ed the owner of Kc Hopps brought me on board to help open a new concept here and prairie Village and we are excited to show off gravity to everyone in mid to late July.

Gravity will focus on an energetic environment with elevated dining, sophisticated cocktails, and an unbeaten ambiance. On top of our craft cocktails and five-star entrées, we will be offering a brunch You can only find a Gravity.

We are super excited to unveil this gem of Prairie Village. Gravity has two massive patios, a gorgeous and elegant interior, and a menu that separates and makes us a must-stop place on your dining list

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with any restaurant opening, nothing can be as smooth as predicted. While it seems people are itching to get back out it is still increasingly difficult to find people to serve them.

Getting the staff is one of the most important elements and while it has been a struggle we are finding some success.

This paired with pushback deadlines from vendors and other third parties as always anticipated but never hoped for.

This restaurant possessed no struggles outside of the normal scope.

We are taking our time to open to ensure that the quality that we expect and our guests deserve is delivered flawlessly and we are close to executing on this. Mid to late July will be our time to shine

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Gravity will be part of the Kansas City Hopps family. Kansas City Hopps a local restaurant group known for hospitality and Barleys a 99-tap beer concept is growing its portfolio to now include gravity.

This new concept will focus on local beers and a high-end craft cocktail menu. This menu will start to redefine the way the community may think of Kc Hopps, they are not just a beer company. The food menu will help separate us around the area as well with Mouthwatering items that have a Mediterranean influence.

I am extremely proud to be a part of the Kc Hopps family and opening crew here at gravity. We look forward to having everyone in for a happy hour, and dinner, for our only found here rustic brunch.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up on the East Coast, I had a pretty normal childhood. When unexpected life events happen to my mother and moved us to the Midwest things change drastically for me. I went from a city boy to the suburbs. Needless to say, I was not the most popular in high school and my mother was not the most successful.

We always had what we needed nothing more but nothing less, so I am braced to work at a young age. One of my favorite quotes is that hard work beats talent, but while developing my personality and who I would become I started to realize that my talent was hard work so there was really never any excuse for me not to accomplish the things I set up too.

After bouncing between some trades I landed in hospitality and found that hard work is what grew you from position to position so I just naturally thrived in this trade. Later on, in life, I started to develop a passion for fitness as well so far. I partnered with a gym lead group class which eventually lead to me opening my own gym apparel brand.

As far as my personality, I believe it takes more energy to stress over your problem and try to resolve it. It takes more time to stress over the unknown than to embrace the now.

And wire it might not always be easiest we have a choice if we want to be happy or mad, despite all the things that life throws at us that are out of our control we can still control how we choose to react or let those things impact us.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]