Prefix Coffee, a Kansas City-area specialty coffee chain that once operated multiple cafes connected to International House of Prayer–Kansas City (IHOPKC) facilities, is closing all locations.
The shutdown comes almost two years to the day after IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle — a prominent evangelical Christian leader — was placed on leave pending an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of multiple women.
Prefix Coffee’s operating company, Jouby Bean LLC, sued IHOPKC earlier this year. The ministry served as landlord for two of Prefix’s early cafes, which were inside or adjacent to IHOPKC-owned properties.
The company has said it was not owned or controlled by IHOPKC, but alleged in the suit that the sex-abuse scandal and IHOPKC’s response caused “substantial financial harm,” according to a complaint filed in August 2025 in Jackson County, Missouri. Prefix had already followed through on plans to close its two cafes on IHOPKC property in Grandview and south Kansas City.
A third-party investigation found Bickle engaged in sexual abuse or misconduct involving at least 17 women, including minors, over several decades, often using “prophetic” claims and spiritual authority.
IHOPKC had announced a permanent separation from Bickle in December 2023 and has since faced criticism over its handling of the allegations and its accountability to survivors.
Prefix Coffee, which had grown to four cafes, announced on social media Friday, Oct. 31, that it was shutting down all operations.
The announcement, attributed to the four families with ownership stakes, did not explicitly mention IHOPKC or ongoing legal issues.
The owners wrote that they had spent “sleepless nights strategizing about the best thing for our team members and our business” and poured “an abundance of time, energy, and finances” into the company.
“Yet, even after giving it all, we ultimately recognized that the best step in this season is to make a change,” they wrote. “For us, that change, right now, is to close down Prefix for good.”
They encouraged guests to enjoy one final drink at the company’s two remaining cafes — Midtown and Lightwell — before a Nov. 7 closing day.
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