Press Release Details

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just in time for a busy tax season, H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) and The Roasterie Café opened their collaboration in midtown Kansas City with a ribbon cutting earlier this week: The Roasterie Café and Drive-Thru adjacent to the H&R Block tax office at 4231 Main St.

H&R Block and The Roasterie Café celebrate their collaboration on Main Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony November 30, 2017. H&R Block and The Roasterie Café celebrate their collaboration on Main Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony November 30, 2017.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at:

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Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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The Roasterie Café and Drive-Thru at H&R Block, which will celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday, December 5, will be open 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The two businesses divide the 4,000-square foot space, which H&R Block has owned and operated for more than two decades, just a few blocks away from H&R Block’s original location in 1955 at 3937 Main Street. H&R Block provides year-round tax expertise and helps clients claim every credit and deduction available to them so they get the maximum refund, guaranteed.

“This shared space brings together two great brands in an innovative design,” said Jeff Jones, president and CEO of H&R Block. “By partnering with The Roasterie, we are now offering midtown Kansas Citians a unique client experience in the heart of where they live, work and play.”

Building a unique coffee and client experience
Three Kansas City companies designed and built the retrofitted building: Helix Architecture and Design, Hufft Projects and McCown Gordon Construction.

“The Roasterie Café and Drive-Thru at H&R Block is a prime location for Plaza shoppers and midtown and downtown commuters and of course, H&R Block associates and clients,” O’Neill says. “Hufft Projects created another beautiful sleek, modern interior for us and McCown Gordon Construction, which has also partnered with The Roasterie on several projects, brought the design to reality.”

The Roasterie Café and Drive-Thru at H&R Block mirror the signature experience of the coffee roaster’s drive-thru off Southwest Blvd. and eight other popular cafés located throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. In addition to air-roasted coffee and specialty drinks, including teas and Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew, the café will offer pastries from Baked in Kansas City and other grab-and-go snacks. Coffee lovers can also purchase selected Roasterie signature merchandise. The café’s interior accommodates 30 and a covered outdoor patio provides seating for 28.

Collaboration among entrepreneurs yields innovative partnership
The collaboration between the two Kansas City-born companies is the fruit of a decades-long mentorship between their two founders: Henry W. Bloch, co-founder and honorary chairman of H&R Block, and Danny O’Neill, founder of The Roasterie.

More than six decades ago, Bloch and his brother, Richard Bloch, began preparing taxes for clients with a clear principle in mind: providing exemplary service for a fair cost. And in 1993, O’Neill started air-roasting coffee beans sourced from around the world with the goal of making exceptional coffee available to Kansas City coffee lovers. Bloch has served as a longtime mentor of O’Neill’s, offering practical advice and wisdom as the younger entrepreneur grew his business into Kansas City’s premier coffee purveyor.

“This is a dream come true for me, personally, and The Roasterie,” O’Neill said. “I have so much respect and admiration for what Henry and Richard did to create a global tax company that serves customers with excellence and integrity. The Roasterie’s values reflect the guidance I have been so honored to receive from Henry over the past 25 years. From this entrepreneur’s perspective, it’s been a priceless relationship that has continually elevated The Roasterie’s product and service.”

About H&R Block
H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) is a global consumer tax services provider. Tax return preparation services are provided by professional tax preparers in approximately 12,000 company-owned and franchise retail tax offices worldwide, and through H&R Block tax software products for the DIY consumer. H&R Block also offers adjacent Tax Plus products and services. In fiscal 2017, H&R Block had annual revenues of over $3 billion with 23 million tax returns prepared worldwide. For more information, visit the H&R Block Newsroom.

About The Roasterie Air-Roasted Coffee
The Roasterie Air-Roasted Coffee has served only the best coffee for the past 20-plus years sourced from countries with the world’s richest resources for harvesting exceptional beans. Founder Danny O’Neill air-roasted his first batch of beans from the basement of his Kansas City, Missouri, home in the Brookside neighborhood in November 1993—and The Roasterie was born. O’Neill opened The Roasterie’s first official production facility in July 1994 at 1519 Cherry Street in Kansas City, Missouri. In December 1995, The Roasterie relocated to 2601 Madison Street in Kansas City to accommodate a growing demand for its coffee. Today The Roasterie’s production takes place at 1204 West 27th Street in Kansas City. On September 11, 2012, the production facility was crowned with a historic DC-3 aircraft, a symbol of exploration, Kansas City’s strong aviation history, the American spirit and the adventure of The Roasterie. A month later, in October 2012, the production facility unveiled the company’s third Roasterie Cafe. In addition to its plant café, The Roasterie operates cafés in Kansas City, Missouri at 6223 Brookside Boulevard (Brookside) 1828 Walnut, Suite 201 in the Kansas City Crossroads Arts District (Corrigan Station) and The Roasterie Drive-Thru at 2663 Southwest Boulevard. Kansas cafés include 4511 119th Street (Leawood, Town Center Crossing) and 2250 W. 47^th Pl. in Westwood (Woodside Village). It also operates a café inside Children’s Mercy Kansas City at 2401 Gillham Rd. in Kansas City, Missouri and Lenexa Public Market inside Lenexa City Center at 8750 Penrose Lane in Lenexa, Kansas. The Roasterie is proud to foster lasting business relationships, resulting in more than 600 businesses, grocery stores, restaurants, colleges and universities choosing The Roasterie for its coffee, iced and hot teas, and distribution services for more than 20 years. For more information about The Roasterie, its free production facility tours, or to purchase The Roasterie coffee and products visit theroasterie.com.

For further information contact:
Susan Waldron, H&R Block Media Relations, (816) 854-5522, susan.waldron@hrblock.com
Kimberly Winter Stern, The Roasterie Media Relations, KSquared Communications & Public Relations, (913) 449-4294, kimberlyksquared@sternwrites.com

Source: HRB Tax Group, Inc.