Thrive Restaurant Group is expanding its HomeGrown concept to a third state

Five years after opening its first HomeGrown restaurant, Thrive Restaurant Group is preparing to take the concept to a third state.

“We feel like the concept is proving out,” said president and CEO Jon Rolph. “We’re really grateful to the loyalty our customers have been showing us here. It gives us a lot of confidence.”

The newest HomeGrown, which will be No. 6, will be in Des Moines.

“We’ve been doing restaurants in Des Moines since the ’90s,” Rolph said.

His mother is from Newton, which is just east of Des Moines. The company had its Carlos O’Kelly’s concept there initially and then added an Applebee’s franchise in 1998.

“It’s very familiar territory to us,” Rolph said.

What hasn’t been as familiar for Thrive is operating in more urban, downtown settings. The HomeGrown at Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita was something of a first for the company.

“I had a lot of nervous energy not having a parking lot right in front . . . but our customers have figured it out,” Rolph said.

He said that “gave us a lot of confidence going in downtown Des Moines.”

The Des Moines HomeGrown will be in what Rolph describes as an iconic old Chevrolet dealership with a local brewery on one side.

“It’s kind of hip and cool.”

He said the area is a part of Des Moines that ties into the history and DNA of the city.

“HomeGrown really fits an urban environment very well.”

Rolph likes the sense of community that downtowns provide.

“Downtowns are such a shared part of any community.”

In Wichita, Rolph said he likes the diversity of the customer base at the downtown HomeGrown.

“It’s just been a really positive experience for our company . . . so we’re excited to try it again.”

The restaurant will open late this year. Rolph thinks Des Moines can support three or four HomeGrown restaurants. Like in the Kansas City area, where there are two HomeGrowns, he’s waiting on what he called the right real estate to dictate when he opens more.

Rolph wants to open about five HomeGrown restaurants a year. Once he gets to about 15 to 20 units, he’ll decide whether to then franchise the business or go another direction with it.

“There’s a lot of models out there.”

Rolph said he expects to know more in about three years.

For now, he said he’s grateful to Wichitans for helping get the concept off to a strong start.

“Thanks for believing in us.”

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 11:18 AM.