Five years after opening in Westport, Freebirds World Burrito has closed its doors.
The location, at 554 Westport Road, temporarily shut down Sept. 12 after it was cited for not having the proper hot water temperature during a health inspection following a complaint. It posted a sign on the doors saying it would not be opening “today due to our water heater going out.”
In a statement, a Freebirds spokeswoman said the location had been scheduled to close, but closed earlier than expected due to the water heater issue: “We can confirm that the location is closed permanently. The repair of our hot water heater was not a factor in this decision. We have no additional information at this time about our other locations.”
Freebirds entered the market in 2012 with the Westport location, as well as restaurants in Lee’s Summit and Mission. Locations in Columbia, Lawrence and Overland Park opened in 2013. But the Lawrence location closed in 2014 with the company saying it didn’t have an “active following” and never met the company’s expectations. The Columbia location also reportedly closed that year and the Lee’s Summit location closed in early 2016.
For complete Kansas City area reports, visit: http://www.inspectionsonline.us/foodsafety/mousakansascity/search.htm and search under the establishment’s name.
Joyce Smith: 816-234-4692, @JoyceKC
This story was originally published September 18, 2017 8:53 AM.