Wichita is getting a new build-your-own burrito place, and it’s a bit different
A new build-your-own burrito place is opening in Wichita Jan. 8.
Its full name is California Tortilla. But you can call it CalTort.
In fact, franchisee Mark Poling wishes you would. That’s what the people in states where the restaurant is already a big deal call it, and it’s what’s now on his personalized license plate.
No matter what you call it, Wichita’s first location of the Maryland-based restaurant chain is set to open on Wednesday in the former Dickey’s Barbecue Pit space at 2244 N. Greenwich. On opening day, burritos and bowls will be $5 all day, although those who take advantage are encouraged to bring food donations for the Kansas Food Bank.
The sign went up on the restaurant weeks ago, featuring a bright green avocado, and Poling said people have been wandering in the door assuming the place was open ever since.
When customers visit next week, they’ll find a color scheme of black, tan and bright avocado green and a line full of toppings that can be turned into burritos, bowls, quesadillas, nachos or tacos. Customers can choose either a pre-imagined invention like a Korean BBQ burrito or a Carnitas Verde burrito, or they can build their own.
Protein options include grilled mesquite chicken or steak, blackened chicken or fish, pork carnitas, taco beef and veggies. There are all the typical burrito toppings, and the restaurant also offers queso and a long list of sauces, including barbecue, Caesar, chipotle sour cream, honey lime, Ranch and Korean BBQ.
Poling said what makes Cal Tort stand out from other build-your-own burrito restaurant is its freshness.
“The key to our food is the batches are small,” he said. “We’re constantly prepping for small amounts of people so that way every customer gets fresh food.”
Another thing that makes the restaurant different is that dine-in customers are served on real dishes rather than throw-away containers. And when they get their food, customers can visit the restaurant’s “Wall of Flame,” where they can choose from around 75 bottled sauces that will change the flavor profile of their food. They can take a few bottles back to the table, use them, and then return them, Poling said.
Also: When customers travel down the line building their burritos, the same person stays with them from tortilla all the way to toppings.
Poling said that he and his wife, Christine, are signed up to open three California Tortilla restaurants in Wichita. The next one, he said, will likely be in the 21st and Maize area and will follow the first in 18 months to two years.
The new California Tortilla will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
California Tortilla menu
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 5:01 AM.
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