Kim & Jenny’s Café in Wheatland Plaza has been a favorite gathering place for Duncanville residents for many years. When other longtime tenants, like Minyard Food Store and Eckerd Pharmacy, vacated the aging Wheatland strip mall, Kim & Jenny’s kept hanging on. But the original owners sold the restaurant to an out-of-towner when they moved to Midlothian and opened a new restaurant there.

It was exciting news for Duncanville residents when developer Monte Anderson of Options Realty began to revitalize Wheatland Plaza earlier this year. Local restaurateur Bryan Kaeser, who owns Mudhook Bar & Kitchen and Black & Bitter Coffee Company, was one of the project’s biggest cheerleaders.

Kaeser said, “We need projects exactly like this to change the image of the old portions of the City, increase the number of available jobs and give our citizens a broader selection of businesses to spend their money in Duncanville instead of elsewhere. This should be the beginning of many such projects.”

In fact, Kaeser believed so strongly in the project that he bought Kim & Jenny’s, and recently re-opened the remodeled restaurant to enthusiastic community support. My husband and I enjoyed a late breakfast there last weekend, and we can testify to the quality of the food and service. My husband raved about the biscuits and gravy, and I thought their coffee was some of the best ever.

Kim & Jenny’s Duncanville

One of the first things we noticed about the “new” Kim & Jenny’s is how friendly all the staff and diners were. A mix of old-time Duncanville residents and newcomers kept all the booths filled, while several of them table-hopped, visiting with old friends and making new ones. Kim & Jenny’s is quickly becoming a popular neighborhood hangout, the kind of place where they remember your name and are glad to see you come in.

Kim & Jenny's back
Busy lunch crowd photo courtesy Kim & Jenny’s

Kaeser said he decided to buy Kim & Jenny’s the first time he observed the restaurant, on July 4.

“They had great traffic and I was impressed with Angel Martinez, the Head Chef. He and Chris Pena and Jose Martinez Jr all stayed with us in back,” he said. “Jak Banks and Skyleigh McKinney from Mudhook came with me for the front of house.”

“People love the flooring and lighting upgrades,” Kaeser said. “The new menu items are exciting for everyone too!”

Kim & Jenny’s Café Hours

Kim & Jenny’s is located at 450 Wheatland Road in Duncanville, and is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They serve breakfast all day, and have a seating capacity of 53. For information, phone 972-283-2616.

“Our Breakfast #1 is still our most popular menu item by volume, but the most exciting new item is our Chicken and Waffles. We use organic chicken from Red Bird Farms in Colorado or Naked Truth Premium Chicken from Georgia, which makes sure it’s the most tender and clean you can find,” Kaeser said.

The all-day breakfast menu for Kim & Jenny’s Café features Migas, breakfast tacos, chicken & waffles, Denver Omelette (or make-your-own omelette), pancakes and waffles, breakfast sandwich, avocado toast, French toast and fabulous cinnamon rolls. Breakfast #1 includes 2 eggs; bacon, sausage or ham; hash browns or grits; biscuits & gravy or toast; priced $8.25 with bottomless coffee $1.35.

Their lunch menu features shrimp and grits, chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken, pot roast and chopped steak. Sandwiches include a house burger, patty melt, “Hangover Cure” (Beef, Bacon, Ham, Swiss, American cheese, tomato, fried egg, and Tabasco Mayo on toasted bun with fries $14). A Big Bubba Club, Notorious BLT and Chicken Two Ways Dagwood are also on the menu. Saladsa include Chef Angel’s Salad, Chicken Salad salad, and Caesar salad. A Kids Menu is also available, along with freshly made desserts.

Regular Patrons

In a charming but unusual twist, Kim & Jenny’s honors some of their top customers by putting their portraits on the wall. Former Duncanville City Councilman Grady Smithey and his wife, Judy Smithey, have their portraits on the wall. Retired neurosurgeon and civic volunteer Dr. Michael Miner and former Mayor David Green also have their portraits on the wall. These “regulars” also received coffee mugs with their photos on them, and free coffee every time they come in.

Kim & Jenny's Regulars
L-R Dr. Michael Miner, Judy Smithey, Gail Sliger photo by Holt

“I asked the former team for a Top 25 Customer list of people that frequented us almost daily recently. Once I started identifying who these people were, I wanted to welcome them to the new era of Kim and Jenny’s with style, and make them more comfortable with the change. Many of them come every day and get recognized by other customers,” Kaeser said.

There’s more exciting news in store for Wheatland Plaza, Kaeser said. “Options will be putting in 9 restaurants into the old Minyard’s! It’s hard to imagine now, but it will have a common area between the spaces, with local entrepreneurs running all of their businesses together. It will be family-friendly, especially since everyone can choose food from different restaurants.”

Kaeser said he’s developed a close working relationship with Anderson. “We think a lot alike and have common goals for the community,” he said. “It’s a great partnership to have! I’ve learned a lot by being around him.”

Kim & Jenny's lunch
Photo courtesy Kim & Jenny’s Cafe

Business has been unexpectedly brisk since they reopened Kim & Jenny’s Café, Kaeser said. He said Black & Bitter Coffee Co. and Mudhook have also stayed busy, and he has enjoyed starting several new community events there.

Community Events

“The first Friday of the month we host First Fridays at Main Station. This has been going on for nearly three years,” Kaeser said. “It’s an arts and music festival for one night only, with 30-40 vendors selling handmade goods. Jazz Night is on the second Friday, hosted by Black and Bitter Coffee and Books. The next two will have a saxophonist and guitarist. And the last Friday of every month, we host one of the largest Outdoor Open Mic Nights in the country, Poetry on the Patio. We normally have 20 speakers and a musician or two perform for a crowd of over 100 in the audience. It’s a great art-filled event for everyone.”

“I would just like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Duncanville and Best Southwest community for supporting my businesses and the direction we’ve been going over the years with the arts events. Now with Kim and Jenny’s, I can tell that I’ve earned some of their trust and they’ll follow me to new projects and that means a lot to me and my team,” he added.

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Jo Ann Holt
Jo Ann Holt is an award-winning journalist with 40+ years of experience as a writer and editor. She loves live performances, from country music concerts to Broadway musicals to community theatre productions. Holt also enjoys art and cultural festivals, and good food and wine. She’s toured Amsterdam, London, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and various cities in Mexico but looks forward to visiting even more countries. She has traveled by boat, plane, and train, but especially likes taking long road trips across the U.S. with her husband, retired history professor Durhl Caussey. They enjoy meeting friendly people, learning about different cultures, and visiting historic sites wherever they go.