Taylor Swift treated herself and her new Kansas City girl squad to some delicious Midwestern comfort food over the holidays.
Megan Garrelts, the co-owner of Rye restaurant in Leawood, Kan., tells us exclusively that the pop superstar arrived at their eatery on Dec. 30 with a group of about eight women — all wives or girlfriends of Chiefs’ players — including quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes.
“We have some history with serving [the Chiefs] through the years,” Garrelts explains, noting that Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also frequents their Leawood and Kansas City, Mo., locations.
“He comes in pretty often to both. He’s awesome. He’s super nice,” she gushes.
“He loves saying, ‘Hi,’ to people in the restaurant … He’s been a little bit more private, he sits in the private room, but normally he sits in the main dining room with his friends and handlers. He’s great.”
Garrelts tells Pathat ahead of Swift’s first time at Rye, she and her husband, co-owner Colby Garrelts, received a call that someone notable would be visiting the restaurant, but they weren’t aware it would be the 12-time Grammy winner.
When Swift, 34, arrived at around 7:30 p.m. local time, Megan and Colby greeted her, her security team and group of pals at a private entrance, where they shook hands with the “Cruel Summer” songstress.
“She was very, very nice,” Megan says, adding that Swift and her friends were then escorted to a private room, where other patrons could not see the “Shake It Off” singer dining.
“Due to the nature of when we have a high profile guest, we try to keep it pretty on the down-low just out of respect for privacy,” the proprietor explains. “Nobody really knew she was there.”
When it came time to order, Swift did not mind any Hollywood diet and indulged in some of Rye’s yummiest menu items.
We’re told the group ordered goat cheese and a cheese plate for their appetizers, and while most of the women chose salmon as their entrée, Swift opted for a tasty plate of pasta.
The “Bad Blood” singer also ordered a French Blonde as her drink of choice, which Megan points out, “From our understanding [that is] her favorite cocktail.”
The co-owner adds, “All the girls had cocktails, so it was definitely a lively girls night, which was fun to see.”
At one point during the dinner, Swift requested to use the restroom, and instead of opting to use the one designated for the private room, she asked to go to the one in the main dining room, which alerted other customers that the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer was in their presence.
“The restaurant just got really quiet and I think people were more so just really shocked that she was there,” Megan recalls. “The restaurant was pretty low key that night.”
Swift was lead to the bathroom by Colby, Rye’s James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, and her security team, so fans weren’t able to make their way toward the superstar.
