‘Fine dining is dead,’ says Wichita restaurant owner, who is changing his whole approach
John Arnold opened his Greystone Steak & Seafood restaurant almost five years ago as a fancy, special-occasion place with white tablecloths, a high-end menu and luxurious private dining rooms.
But much had changed in five years, he says, not only on the Wichita dining scene but also in the attitude of the dining public.
Now, he’s making some big changes to the restaurant at 9719 E. 21st St.
“I just think fine dining is dead,” said Arnold, who will debut the first phase of his Greystone overhaul on Monday. “The vibe has changed. People want to get in and out faster.”
To that end, there is almost nothing that Arnold isn’t changing at Greystone, and that includes the menu, the chef, the layout, the decor — even the name.
Attentive customers may have noticed that Greystone has already dropped the “Steak & Seafood” from its name. The owners made it Facebook official last week.
From now on, it will be called simply Greystone Restaurant, and the owners compare their new approach to established chain restaurants like Houston’s, Bandera and Charleston’s.
The new menu, which the restaurant started rolling out this week, has been cleared of the pricey seafood dishes that once populated it. There’s no more shark, mahi or lobster that’s not in bisque.
It lists only seven of the dishes that were on the previous menu — the most important being the filet, which has been the restaurant’s overwhelming top seller for years, Arnold said.
That filet is still available, but it’s now one of only four dishes that costs more than $20. The new menu is more affordable and more accessible, and Arnold and his partners are hoping it attracts a more casual crowd.
“Right now, we all feel like when you think of Greystone, you think of going there for a celebration, a massive life moment like a birthday, a proposal, a gender reveal, and that only happens a couple of times a year,” said Lauren Irwin, the corporate officer of A&M Management, which also has Deano’s Grill & Tapworks, Oak & Pie and Stearman Field Bar & Grill in Benton. “Instead, we would like to shift it to something where you become a regular and it’s your Friday night spot, a place you go every Friday night.”
The diners have spoken
Greystone’s owners have known for a while that they wanted to make a change. Arnold said he’s watched too many times as customers walk in, notice the white tablecloths and the higher prices, and turn right around and leave.
He tried a less drastic change in late 2016, switching food suppliers and lowering prices on many of his dishes (some steaks back then cost as much as $54, and the menu listed a $21 salad).
But he’s been contemplating the total overhaul for about a year, Arnold said, and he and his partners decided they were ready to move forward when they discovered Chef Jordan Rickard.
A graduate of the Johnson & Wales culinary program in Denver, Rickard is a Wichita native and East High School graduate who actually has two relatives cooking in Wichita, too. His older brother, Jason, last fall opened Taco Locale at Revolutsia, Central and Volutsia, with Carlos Vera and Myranda Miller. His cousin, Chris, is the well-known owner of Bomber Burger at 4869 S. Clifton.
When Arnold met Rickard and tasted his food, he was sold.
“I’ve never been in a position to where I’ve had someone who can make food like Jordan, where I can tell him what I want and he can make it within the price parameters I demand,” Arnold said. “His food is unique to him. It’s very distinct. This food is dynamite.”
The new menu, which you can see below, is a “family neighborhood type” menu, Arnold said.
It features starters like chorizo-topped cheese dip in a cast iron pan, pork lettuce wraps, and a pimento cheese dip served with house-made pickles, bacon, butter and toasted bread.
There are several soups and salads to choose from, and the burger and sandwich menu includes a veggie burger, a French dip, a chicken salad sandwich and a cheeseburger. All cost between $11 and $15 and are served with a choice of hand-cut fries or poblano coleslaw.
One of Rickard’s specialties is his jerk chicken, which is served as a half-bird that’s been smoked in house. There’s also chicken enchiladas, chicken Marsala and a mac and cheese topped with fried chicken bites.
Entrees include a bone-in pork chop, Carolina-style ribs, a shrimp pasta, and a smoked salmon with pepitas, red onion, dill oil, mustard cream and crispy Brussels sprouts. Along with the filet, the steak selection includes a rib eye and smoked prime rib.
Starting on Monday, the restaurant will also begin serving lunch. Greystone has been a dinner-only place since it first opened.
Also, the restaurant’s white tablecloths will be eliminated, and in early March, Greystone will be fitted with all new tables that owners hope will give it a more casual look.
The owners are also expanding the bar and are turning one of the restaurant’s four private dining rooms into a bar extension. They’ll still keep the other three private spaces operating, Arnold said, because people love to reserve them for large parties.
Also, to encourage families to bring their children, Greystone will begin offering free kids meals for children under 12 on Mondays.
Rickard, who said he was happy to get back home, said that when he met Greystone’s owners, he appreciated their willingness to recognize when one of their properties needed to evolve.
“It’s one of the things that sold me on the team and the concept,” he said. “They want to adapt rather than just running the restaurant until people don’t like it anymore. People change, and restaurants have to adapt to it.”
The new hours for Greystone, starting Monday, are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Greystone Restaurant menu
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
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