Owners of restaurant burned in November arson say they need income, open a new cafe
The owners of Petra Mediterranean Restaurant, the Wichita business that burned down in November, still plan to rebuild their restaurant at 6140 E. 21st St.
But while the insurance company continues to sort through the case and police continue to investigate the two-alarm fire, which was ruled an arson, owners Ranya Taha and Bashar Mahanweh need to earn a living, Taha said.
"Financially, it's been hard on us," Taha said. "We need some income."
Today, they're opening a new restaurant on the opposite side of town. Omar's Kitchen has taken over the spot at 2801 W. Central that TLC Muffins vacated in December 2016. The new restaurant, named for Taha's stepson, will specialize in pizza, sub sandwiches and soups.
The restaurant's menu will include several American-style offerings as well as the Mediterranean favorites the couple is known for, including shawarma sandwiches and hummus. It'll also serve coffee and homemade brownies. The hours at Omar's Kitchen will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
After the couple's Petra Mediterranean Restaurant burned in November, they found the words "Go Back" painted on the storage unit behind the building and believe the fire was a hate crime.
In the aftermath of the fire, customers and locals were kind and supportive, Taha said, and she wants to thank them by offering a free lentil soup with every order during the restaurant's first week in business.
The couple, who were the beneficiaries of a fundraiser put on by Tanya's Soup Kitchen shortly after the fire, wants to help a fellow business dealing with an arson, and sometime in the next few weeks, they are planning a fundraiser for the owners of Gorditas Durango, the restaurant at 527 W. 13th St. that burned in an arson earlier this month.
There haven't been many developments with Petra in the past five months, Taha said, but she remains committed to rebuilding it.
"It's always in our mind and that's the main thing, but Omar's Kitchen is one step in our journey to support that," she said.
"We're not going to sit and wait. We have to do something."
This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Owners of restaurant burned in November arson say they need income, open a new cafe."