In memoriam: Restaurants Wichita loved, then lost, in 2024
Throughout 2024, it often felt like restaurants were closing so frequently that it was impossible to keep up.
And although it was a tough year — marked by an unusual number of restaurant owners deciding to retire and close their doors — my annual list of restaurant closures for 2024 has only eight more entries than the 2023 list: 48 as opposed to 40 last year.
It’s become an end-of-the-year tradition to remember, in-memoriam-style, the restaurants Wichita lost over the past 12 months.
A moment of silence, please.
JANUARY
Doma, 7703 E. Douglas: Christmas 2023 had just wrapped up when Wichita learned that Doma — the fine dining restaurant that developer Max Cole had opened two years previous in a former Carlos O’Kelly’s restaurant — had abruptly closed. Several staff members said they had just been informed via email that the holiday season had been slow and that expenses were climbing. The building sat vacant for most of 2024. Then, in October, the owners of The Sweet Spot said they were moving from their home at 8448 W. Central into the old Doma building. The Sweet Spot will open there on Jan. 9.
Reverie Coffee Roasters East, 7817 E. 37th St. North: In January, Andrew Gough closed the drive-through shop he’d opened in April 2023 in part of the building occupied by Glas Haus Racing. The shop never got the kind of consistent business needed to sustain it, Gough said at the time. His flagship coffee shop is still open at 2202 E. Douglas, as is his Newton drive through at 12th and Main.
Perfect Plate, 5255 N. Maize Road and 250 W. Douglas: Just after the first of the year, Kira Watt announced that she was closing her meal service business after six years. New businesses have since taken over both locations: In August, Displaced restaurant Bann Thai moved into the Maize Road spot, and a new bakery called Jake’s Fresh Bakes took over the spot on the lower level of the Garvey Center on West Douglas.
Burger King, 200 S. Rock Road: This BK location had operated on South Rock Road since 2010 but abruptly closed in January. The building was demolished, and a new Take 5 Oil Change opened on the land.
Mary’s Pizza, Towne East Square: This locally owned pizza restaurant had operated at Towne East Square since 2021. But it closed in January, and its space eventually was taken over in July by a restaurant called Bb.q Chicken.
FEBRUARY
Da Cajun Shak, 6249 E. 21st St.: The Granger family moved to Wichita from Louisiana in the early 1990s for new jobs. In 2005, they opened Da Cajun Shak with a goal of sharing Cajun food with Wichita. And they did for 19 years. But the family faced many tragedies during that time, including the untimely death of son and founder Tim Granger in 2020 followed by the death of family patriarch Chris three months later. Patty — Tim’s mother and Chris’ wife — ran the restaurant for three more years but decided in early 2024 that she was ready to retire. She closed after throwing one last Mardi Gras party in February. Not long after, a new restaurant called LA-Cajun Seafood & Chicken took over the space.
MARCH
Himali Eats, 3238 E. Douglas: This restaurant opened in December 2020 serving various styles of Nepali dumplings. But after the owners had a baby, they decided to close the restaurant to focus on their new addition and their day jobs in the aerospace industry.
APRIL
Rail Hoppers, 3622 N. Oliver: The Anchor owner Schane Gross opened Rail Hoppers in a new building at the District 96 Development in March of 2023, but it lasted only a year. She closed the restaurant in early April and went back to focusing on her original downtown business at 1109 E. Douglas. Not long after Rail Hoppers closed, Natasha Gandhi-Rue expanded her restaurant portfolio and opened a second location of The Kitchen in the building. She also still has her first location at 725 E. Douglas.
MAY
Cafe Bel Ami, 229 E. William: A longtime downtown favorite, this upscale Mediterranean restaurant had been open since 1988. But in March, owner Nabil Bacha shared that he would have to close the restaurant, whose air conditioning was out of commission and could not be replaced without major disruption to the business. He said he’d close when it became too hot to run the restaurant, and that day arrived in late May. Bacha still plans to reopen the restaurant at another address, he said.
Planet Sub, 10330 W. Central: Kansas City-based Planet Sub’s first Wichita restaurant opened at Kellogg and Greenwich in 2003, and several more operated around town throughout the years. But the last remaining Wichita Planet Sub, which had operated at Central and Maize since January 2016, closed in late May. The building will be taken over in 2025 by a dual concept restaurant called Crispy & Co/Hanabe. It will serve chicken wings and tenders with an Asian influence on one side and fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies and acai bowls on the other.
JUNE
Ming’s, 1625 S. Seneca: Owner Ray Chan ran his Chinese restaurant for 47 years. Then, over the summer, he saddened decades worth of customers when he announced that he’d decided to retire. The restaurant’s last day in business was in late June. Chan then sold the Ming’s building to its next-door neighbor to the south, Allpak Battery, whose owner plans to tear it down soon and so he can extend his warehouse onto the property.
No. 1 Kitchen, 1317 N. Maize Road: This quick-service Asian eatery first opened in Wichita in 2011. But it appeared to close in June. A new restaurant quickly took over, though. The owners of the popular east-side restaurant Tuptim Thai opened an express version of their restaurant, which they called Tuptim Thai Express, there in July.
Grandma Thuy’s, 8728 W. Maple: Mai Vo decided to move out of state and closed her restaurant, which specialized in egg rolls, in June. But in September, the space got a new tenant: Cao’s Wok is a takeout restaurant that serves Chinese dishes like General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, lo mein, beef and broccoli, fried rice and egg rolls. It opened in September.
Fatburger & Buffalo’s Express, 2556 N. Greenwich: This national chain came to Wichita in the summer of 2022, announcing plans to open up to three restaurants in town. But its first location, which was tucked back into the corner of a strip center at K-96 and Greenwich, closed in June and never reopened.
Forge ICT, 917 W. Douglas: This restaurant got positive reviews for its meaty menu when it first opened in the spring of 2023. But by June of 2024, its owner announced it was closing, a victim of too many early “financial oopsies” that it couldn’t recover from.
Quinton’s Bar & Grill, 550 N. Rock Road: Dempsey’s owner Steven Gaudreau had tried three different concepts since first taking over this Rock Road space, which has been home to a long string of restaurants over the years. The latest iteration — Quinton’s Bar & Grill — closed in June after only six months in business.
Nas Kitchen, 1920 W. 21st St.: This restaurant specializing in Halal dishes and chopped cheese sandwiches opened in October 2023. In June, its owners quietly locked the doors but never provided an update on its future. The landlord recently confirmed that the restaurant is closed for good and that he is looking for a new tenant for the space.
Sojourner’s Coffee House, 7130 W. Maple: This veteran-owned coffee shop first opened in April 2021 as a place where veterans could gather together and find support. But over the summer, the founders sold it to Joel Potter, who reopened the shop as Nameless Coffee Co.
Pho King ICT, 4857 E. Harry: The restaurant with the don’t-say-it-too-fast name that first opened in late 2022 closed in June.
Chick’n Pop, 3233 E. Harry: This boba and chicken sandwich restaurant that opened in 2022 at 3233 E. Harry also closed in June.
Metro Grill, 801 E. Douglas: In the summer of 2022, Wichita restaurateur Victor Hammond teamed up with Metro Grill founder Michael Gonzalez to reopen a version of Metro Grill, a once-popular sandwich shop that got its start at Towne East Square. The new Metro Grill operated out of Mark and Grace Daniels’ Wichita Cheesecake Company at 801 E. Douglas until sometime this year. It’s unclear exactly when it closed — and the owner didn’t return messages about it — but the restaurant is not mentioned on social media again after late May.
JULY
Hurts Donut, 7010 W. 21st St.: Hurts first opened in 2015 and was popular for its whimsically topped, highly caloric doughnuts. The shop, which was part of a franchise based in Missouri, had been owned by Aaron and Jenni Courtney since 2019. But in July, they announced that they had decided to close. The building lease was up, as was the couple’s contract with the Hurts Donut parent company. The local franchisees of Parlor Doughnuts announced in early December that they had signed a lease on the building and would open there in early 2025.
Thao’s Bistro, 1825 S. Broadway: This south-side Vietnamese restaurant had closed once before — back in 2021. It reopened in April 2023, but in July, the owners announced that they were done. The space has since been taken over by Kelly’s Family Diner, which relocated there from its longtime home at 2131 S. Broadway in late October.
Alzavino Wine Tavern, 1001 W. Douglas: This self-service wine bar opened in Delano in the summer of 2021. But in early May, owners Danielle and Ken Harmon announced plans to close their business. Their final day was July 6. Since then, they’ve reopened the space as Wildflower Mercantile, a retail shop filled with gift items made by local vendors.
Po Boy Pizza, 5619 E. Lincoln: May Khoury had been running this Wichita institution by herself since the death of her husband, Michael, in 2019. But over the summer, she announced her intention to retire and close her restaurant, which first opened in 1990. Its last day was July 31. The owners’ sons, engineers Matthew and Ryan, said at the time that they hoped to revive the restaurant someday at a different address.
ICTea, 2233 N. Ridge Road: In July, the founders of boba shop ICTea closed both their original location at 3300 N. Rock Road and their just-added second shop on Ridge Road. The owners didn’t share their reasons for closing. But a few weeks later, some former customers reopened the shop on Rock Road.
AUGUST
R&R Public House, 251 N. Washington: R.C. Campbell opened this gastro pub in the longtime Lotus Leaf space in the early summer. But only two months later he closed the restaurant, saying that traffic had been too slow. He said he would look for a new address where he could reopen, but that hasn’t happened yet. In November, Bocatto: Eatery and Pasta founders opened the new Old Town Burrito in the space.
Espresso to Go Go, 120 St. Francis: This long-running downtown coffee shop closed in late August. Owned by Warren and Ann Tandoc, Espresso to Go Go was an Alton Brown favorite when he visited town and was known for its giant disco ball, visible from Douglas. The Tandocs originally opened their business in 2012 as a mobile coffee shop operating out of a 1973 Airstream Land Yacht. They found the 650-square-foot space in the Zelman building the following year.
Mr. Miyagi, 4041 N. Maize Road: Open since December 2021, this quick-service Japanese restaurant closed in July. Owner Henry Son also sold the original Mr. Miyagi at 3920 E. Harry to new owners in 2024, and it remains open.
SEPTEMBER
The Donut Whole, 1720 E. Douglas: The Donut Whole was one of the first to hop on the wildly-topped doughnut trend when it first opened in 2009. But in September, the most recent owners of the shop (it went through several over the years) said they were closing the restaurant temporarily. It soon became apparent, though, that the closing was permanent. Now, the building with the big rooster on top is up for lease.
Hibachi Boy, 2243 N. Tyler: Tom Meier opened this location of the locally owned Hibachi Boy restaurant in 2019. But he couldn’t come to an agreement with his landlord on terms for a new lease, so he closed in September. He hopes to reopen the restaurant elsewhere but is aiming for Andover. The other two Hibachi Boy restaurants — at 3010 E. Central and at 1220 N. Rock Road in Derby — remain open.
DQ Grill & Chill, 1520 S. Webb: A few weeks after one of its owners was arrested at the restaurant on suspicion of aggravated assault and gun charges, this Dairy Queen closed for good. It had been open since around 1993.
Jabo’s Liquid Lounge, 3107 W. Central: This daiquiri and soul food restaurant was extremely short-lived. Its owner opened it in the early summer. But in September, she closed the business and moved it to Salina.
OCTOBER
BDs Mongolian Grill, 111 S. Rock Road: After four and a half years, the franchisee for this restaurant suddenly closed it in mid-October. The restaurant was an all-you-can-eat place where customers could create their own bowls of fresh meat, seafood, vegetables and sauces from a raw bar then watch as a cook stir fried it in front of them. The space at the coveted intersection is now listed for lease.
Chuyitos Birrieria, 511 N. West St.: This Mexican restaurant moved from 1415 W. Pawnee, where it first opened in 2020, to 511 N. West St. in August 2023. But it appears to have closed in October.
Oishi Poke Ramen, 1845 S. Rock Road: The owners of Dragon City Chinese Restaurant at 3008 W. Central decided to add another eatery in June 2023 and took over the longtime Bai Wei Asian Diner space. It appears to have closed sometime in October, and in November, the space was taken over by Da Nang Bistro.
Fonda La Chona, 1210 W. Pawnee: Sergio Valadez and Alma Cerrillo opened their second Wichita restaurant at Pawnee and Seneca in a vacant Jimmy’s Egg space in late 2022. But by October, the sit-down restaurant was closed. The owners never returned calls about the closing. Their original restaurant, Taqueria La Chona at 3415 E. Harry, has since gotten a new identity: As of December, it’s called La Chona con Juevos.
Great Wall, 2130 N. Tyler: One of Wichita’s several Great Wall restaurants shut down in October after a long run near 21st and Tyler. But it was quickly replaced by Vo’s Kitchen, owned by Huong Vo, a longtime Wichita restaurateur who owned the Lotus Garden restaurant when it operated 20 years ago at 2135 W. 21st St.
Buffalo Brew, 150 N. Main: In the spring, this Valley Center-based coffee chain opened a small shop in The Commerce Club, a co-working space inside The National at 150 N. Main. But it closed in October, and Goddard-based coffee shop Cofellow Coffee Parlor has since taken the space over.
NOVEMBER
Old Spaghetti Factory, 1421 Waterfront: This chain restaurant landed at Wichita’s upscale Waterfront development in the summer of 2019. But the restaurant didn’t perform like the Portland-based parent company expected. Its last day was Nov. 24.
Jinya Ramen Bar, 124 S. Broadway: This upscale ramen restaurant opened in April 2023 in the same building that houses WSU Tech’s culinary school, NICHE. But in November, franchisee Sudha Tokala closed it after a dispute with the city over her parking agreement. The website lists the closure as temporary, but the restaurant has yet to reopen.
Mochinut East, 343 S. Greenwich: Matt and Judy Nola and some partners opened Wichita’s first Mochinut offering mochi doughnuts and Korean corn dogs in November 2022. But in November of 2024, they decided to close it. The owners had already sold the rights to open a franchise on the west side to different owners. It opened in August at 13th and Tyler and remains open.
Sticky Birds, 616 S. Tyler: Another restaurant that had an extra-short Wichita run was Utah-based fried chicken chain Sticky Birds. It opened in a pre-built structure that in July 2023 was dropped onto the lot previously occupied by Walt’s Klassics. Local Five Guys franchisees Jeff and Jay Miller opened the restaurant in August 2023, but it was closed by November of 2024. Jay Miller said closing was a difficult decision but that the owners “were not able to continue operating and be profitable due to circumstances out of our control.”
Eddie’s Cafe, 8643 W. Central: Ashlea and Andy Pfannenstiel — whose 4-year-old son Eddie has a rare condition called Creatine Transporter Deficiency — took over the former Carpe Diem Cafe space near Central and Tyler in May and opened their own cafe, where they hoped to employ people with special needs. But business was too slow, the couple said, and they closed the cafe in November. They said they may reopen in the future in a better location.
Hurricane Sports Grill, 8641 W. 13th: This beach-themed restaurant at the Tyler Pointe development first opened in 2017, and Emerson Biggin’s owner Luis Lopez had owned it since 2019. But in October, he confirmed that he was closing the restaurant. He said that between paying percentages of his profits to the Hurricane Sports Grill chain and paying his landlords, he wasn’t making much money at the restaurant. At the same time, the owner of Todd Brian’s Brick Street Cafe & Tavern shared that he was taking over the space and moving his Old Town restaurant there. That move is still in progress.
Todd Brian’s Brick Street Café & Tavern, 315 N. Mead: Chris Tincher decided to move his 12-year-old Cajun-inspired restaurant to the former Hurricane Sports Grill space at 13th and Tyler and closed his Old Town restaurant in the fall. He’ll reopen the business in 2025 with a new name.
Il Primo, Epic Center, 301 N. Main: The owners of Il Primo Cafe closed down their kiosk inside downtown’s Epic Center in November. It had been in operation there for five years.
