New owners of loved Wichita restaurant keep things just as they were when it closed
They kept the menu the same. They kept the hours the same. They even hired back the old cooks and many of the old servers.
The only thing missing now that Neighbors has reopened at at 21st and Amidon is its longtime owner, Chuck Giles, who was killed over the summer.
On Wednesday, new owners reopened the restaurant, and people were lined up to get in before 7 a.m., they said.
The new owners are Julie Yang and her husband, Fei “George” Yang, who also own The Sweet Spot at 8448 W. Central. The restaurant at 2315 W. 21st St. had been closed since July 20, one day after Giles was shot and killed in his driveway after returning home from work and a trip to the grocery store.
The Yangs have tried to keep things as unchanged as they can, meaning that the restaurant’s famous pan fried chicken is frying again. The main difference is that they’re now calling the place New Neighbors.
The hours for New Neighbors are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Giles, 55, had run Neighbors for years, serving up a menu of homey comfort food. Police have said robbery was the motive in his killing, but no arrests have been made. Crime Stoppers has offered up to $9,000 for tips leading to an arrest in the case. Giles’ family never reopened the restaurant after his death and instead decided to put it up for sale.
For more information about the reopened restaurant, call 316-838-1338.
This story was originally published November 1, 2019 at 5:01 AM.
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