If you want tickets to any of the upcoming shows at Intrust Bank Arena , don't call Intrust Bank . That may seem obvious, but apparently it's not to everyone.
"You heard that I was Ticketmaster or something?" says Diane Iseman , vice president of corporate communications.
It's true, she says.
"I've been getting calls."
Initially, the calls were inquiries about things like where to buy tickets.
"We had a little bit of that right when Brad Paisley was announced," Iseman says of the arena's Jan. 9 debut act.
Now, though, Iseman mostly gets calls from bank employees who are getting calls from people wanting tickets.
"I never knew so many middle-aged men were interested in Taylor Swift ," Iseman says. "It's really funny."
She says they'll tell her: "I really, really, really need two tickets to Taylor Swift."
But Iseman is not of much help.
"Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of access," she says. "We keep telling people we just purchased the naming rights. We don't own the building."
The bank does have a suite, but that's only 12 seats.
Because tickets for shows often will go on sale during work hours, Intrust had to change its Internet filter for employees, who don't generally have access to entertainment sites.
But Iseman says the bank wants them to be able to go to www.selectaseat.com to be able to vie for tickets like everyone else "because we don't have any special password, early deals — anything."
End of an era
The Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea's Bar and Grill will be gone from 29th North and Rock Road by the end of November.
Latour Management is being evicted from the space, where it's been since Antoine Toubia , the late founder of the company, moved there in 1987.
Latour is being evicted for what the landlord says is nonpayment of rent. Latour president Joumana Toubia , Antoine's sister, says she stopped paying because of maintenance issues.
Toubia is throwing a party for customers from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
"We're inviting our patrons to come and celebrate our legacy," she says.
For the Christmas season, Toubia is moving her operations to Piccadilly Grill & Market at Central and Rock Road(where she may or may not renew her lease in the new year).
Because she can't hold sizable parties there, she's also using other spaces around Wichita like the Broadview Hotel and the Hotel at Old Town's banquet facility.
Then, she'll consider what's next.
"Of course, I hope to reopen in one fashion or another," Toubia says. "I don't want to rush into anything."
She says there are all kinds of opportunities for new ventures now.
"It would be wrong not to consider all of them."
Still, Toubia is sad to leave what's been her company's home for so long.
"It's hard."
Branching out
The Petroleum Club is branching outside of the Bank of America Center at Douglas and Broadway.
Building owner Phil Ruffin approached club general manager Kathy Latham about a month ago to see whether she might be interested in running food operations at his Ruffin Building at 9111 E. Douglas, which is better known as the former Pizza Hut headquarters.
For the last four years, Youssef Youssef has run Fattoush Deli there, but he's now on a month-to-month lease.
Latham decided it made sense for the Petroleum Club to venture east for an additional operation.
"It's evolving, it seems like, just because of the success that we've had here," she says of the downtown property.
Latham also runs the Walkway cafeteria at the Bank of America Center. That's open to the public.
The Petroleum Club is private, though Latham says nonmembers can use it for private events like wedding receptions and banquets.
"That's really our forte," she says.
Ruffin's son, Chris, who is director of real estate for Ruffin Properties, says food service at the Ruffin Building is open to the public.
Mostly, though, he says, "It's kind of an amenity for the building."
There are 1,400 people who work in the 253,000-square-foot building.
Latham will take over the space at the first of the year. She has yet to pick a name for the operation, but we'll let you know when she does.
"We're really looking forward to it," Ruffin says of Latham and the Petroleum Club taking over, "because they do such an excellent job at the Bank of America building."
Where's the beef?
Wichita loves its meat, of course, but apparently it's a salad town, too.
Dole Fresh Vegetables, a subsidiary of Dole Food , has named Wichita one of 21 "Top Salad Cities" after what it calls an "exhaustive, 18-month research effort."
"Despite its reputation for meat and potatoes, Wichita is among the most sophisticated salad markets in the country and home to an increasing number of salad lovers," according to a Dole news release. "Our research found that salad consumers here are much more likely to use salad as a meal or as the basis for creative new lunch and dinner entrees. From a salad standpoint, Wichita is a trendsetter."
Dole released the study in conjunction with the launch of its reinvented salad line.
Other cities that made the list — such as Houston, Dallas, Louisville and Kansas City — are also known for meat like barbecue, steak and fried chicken.
Tweet of the week
"Ha Ha. Here at Envision ... we have the INTRUST Community Room , we worry about people going to the bank for our events."
—A tweet on Twitter from Envision's Michael Epp (@michalepp) in reply to a tweet about the Intrust Bank concert calls
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