Charles Koch-backed foundation to help open ‘sober active community’ center downtown

A new “sober active community” center is going to open on the outskirts of Wichita’s biggest bar and entertainment district with help from the Stand Together Foundation, which Charles Kochand 700 other business people and philanthropists lead. The Phoenix has purchased the 9,400-square-foot building at 145 N. Wa… Read Article

It’s going to be a bit of a wait, but east Wichita is getting some more taco options

A couple of years ago, talk first circulated that Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos was coming to Wichita. The company said that wasn’t the case, but something clearly has changed. Torchy’s now has a lease for the former Mattress Firm space at 21st and Rock Road. That’s also the former Clark’s … Read Article

Wichita is down a Walt’s, but a new restaurant will move in soon

Wichita is down a Walt’s. But it’s about to gain another burrito place. Walt’s Famous Hamburgers at 1710 S. West St. quietly closed earlier this month. Owner Cindi Mann bought the restaurant 12 years ago from Mike Doss — whose family owns most of the other Walt’s in town. She was approached, she said, by the owner of Los Mexican … Read Article

Thrive Restaurant Group thinks the world could use a little Peace, Love and Pie

Who can’t get behind a little Peace, Love and Pie? That’s what Jon Rolph and his team at Thrive Restaurant Group are banking on with their latest concept. “We really believe that a lot of people have an emotional connection to pie,” Rolph says. He says that could be from when their moms or grandmothers made… Read Article

On the agenda: a nightclub, a winery and, ah, tanks

There’s an application for a nightclub on the planning commission’s agenda this week, but it’s not exactly what it looks like. Jennifer McDonald has applied for the license in order to have music at Jenny Dawn Cellars. That’s the urban winery, as she calls it, that’s going to open in October at Union Station. The city classifies any ven… Read Article

Second Tommy’s Express Car Wash also strategically planned for the west side

UPDATED — The same group opening a Tommy’s Express Car Wash along restaurant row on South Ridge Road between Maple and Kellogg plans a second one near 13th and Tyler. “We like that area and how it’s developing,” says Banks Floodman of Sunflower Development Group, who represents Tommy’s f… Read Article

Hyatt Place finally to break ground at Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus

It’s taken longer than planned, but Wichita State University is ready to break ground on the 106-room Hyatt Place at Braeburn Square on the school’s Innovation Campus. The approximately $15 million hotel will have a restaurant and bar, an indoor pool, meeting spaces and a fitness center not far from S… Read Article

Restaurant row in west Wichita soon to be home to new business that’s not a restaurant

UPDATED — Restaurant row along Ridge Road between Maple and Kellogg is getting another new business, but it’s not a restaurant. Emeli Kate, a nail and eyelash extension salon, is going to open this fall between Abuelo’s and Firehouse Subs. The business may sound like it’s named for a woman, but Bao Vo&nbs… Read Article

Retailer set to start construction at the Waterfront

Brothers Pat and Paul Graf are ready to start construction on their new Accent Lighting store not quite three years after announcing that they’re moving to the Waterfront. “Mainly the big difference will be the size of the showroom,” Paul Graf says. Their current store in Brittany Center at 21st and Woodlawn i… Read Article

Wichita restaurant about to reopen with new name, full bar and a crazy burger challenge

You might recall that Army veteran Steve Field opened his new The Foxhole Veterans Loungeon the Fourth of July in the space at 6305 E. Harry that was formerly occupied by The Annex Lounge — then closed it a week later. Now, he’s ready to reopen and will do so on Friday with a slightly new name, a full bar, an adjust… Read Article

Restaurant chain to expand with Greenwich Place site and convert to updated concept

Schlotzsky’s franchisees J.J. and Hortencia Ramsey are preparing to remodel and rebrand their four Wichita restaurants and add a fifth restaurant as well. Schlotzsky’s Austin Eatery, named for the Texas city where the chain started in 1971, is going to open late this year next to Blaze Pizza in Greenwich Place at … Read Article

Major new entertainment complex coming to Towne East Square next year

A major new entertainment venue is coming to Towne East Square. No one is discussing it yet, but Round 1 — a combination bowling, arcade, billiards, karaoke, ping pong, darts and dining venue — will open at the mall by about this time next year. Shoppers have noticed construction at the lower level of the mall in the JCPenney wi… Read Article

One more good piece of Trader Joe’s news

For everyone crazy excited about Trader Joe’s opening in Wichita — and there are many — there’s more good news. The wait isn’t going to take as long as expected. In April, Have You Heard? first reported that the the much-requested California grocery chain is “taking the necessary steps” to open in the former Fresh Market&n… Read Article

About-to-open restaurant at Wichita State will have ‘study hour’ instead of ‘happy hour’

When Whitney Reitz was a student at the University of Oklahoma in 2010, she was hired to work as a cashier at a new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop opening just a few blocks from campus. Nine years later, Reitz is about to open her own Fuzzy’s on a different college campus. Aug. 19 will be opening day for Wichita’s second Fuzzy’s Taco… Read Article

‘Active, energetic, vibrant’ downtown is a recruiting fit for this new business

Sterling-based Josh Gilmore says there are a lot of great IT companies in Wichita, but he’s bringing his managed IT services here because he says there’s so much work to be done. “The market is changing and growing so much with . . . especially the security focus right now,” he says. “There’s room for everybody… Read Article

Another medical company to build headquarters near K-96 and Webb Road

For the first time, Serenity Health Management is going to own its own space with new headquarters near K-96 and Webb Road, which is something of a medical corridor in Wichita. “We are looking forward to controlling our own destiny a little bit more,” says president Lars Stamp. The company, which started with Serenity Home Health … Read Article

Dog-friendly downtown to get a dog-friendly business in the Spaghetti Works District

Julie Breault says she always thought that she and business partner Sara DuLac would open their second Hairy Sofa Pet Grooming Boutique on the west side after opening their first on the east side in 2013. Instead, they’re opening their next grooming business in what Breault says is an extremely dog-friendly… Read Article

So when will Trader Joe’s open, and is there a chance for a west-side one?

In April, Have You Heard? reported that the much-requested Trader Joe’s is “taking the necessary steps” to bring one of its stores to Bradley Fair at 21st and Rock Road. Now, the company confirms it. “We are coming,” says Kenya Friend-Daniel, public relations director for the California comp… Read Article

Food isn’t the focus of this new Artisan business

When you hear the word “artisan,” you might automatically think of bread or some other kind of food. But as Thomas Shafer points out, the word simply means “a skilled tradesman who makes things by hand,” and he says that’s why he’s naming his new business Artisan Home Technology. Shafer says it’s “kind of old school me… Read Article

A different kind of food offering is opening where Rowdy Beaver, Willie C’s were

The Kellogg and West Street property once home to Rowdy Beaver and Willie C’s before that is going to have food once again, but in a much different form. Kwik Shop is opening at the spot late this year, and the 7,500-square-foot store will have a Taco John’s within it along with one more yet-to-be-named rest… Read Article