Wichita restaurant owner puts Kansas City expansion on hold, is heading south instead
Back in October 2018, Meddys owner Alex Harb announced plans to expand the Wichita restaurant concept to the Crossroads district in Kansas City.
Almost a year and a half later, Harb has added more Meddys in Wichita, but there’s still nothing in Kansas City.
As it turned out, Harb said this week, the timing just wasn’t right in Kansas City. Real estate prices are too high there now, he said, so he’s delaying plans to move north.
In the meantime, he’s decided to take Meddys a different direction — specifically south. In June, Harb said, he’ll open a Meddys restaurant in Tulsa.
Harb said he’s just signed a lease on a space in Tulsa’s Brookside District, a high traffic area full of boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. He’s taking over the space at 3334 S. Peoria that was recently vacated by Cosmo Cafe & Bar.
“It’s a beautiful place in a really busy area, and there’s a park close by there,” Harb said. “And so we made a deal and we signed a lease a couple of weeks ago.”
Harb said he plans to remodel the restaurant to give it the same look as his Wichita Meddys and that he hopes to have it open by June 1. He’s also looking at another spot in a different section of Tulsa.
Meanwhile, construction is progressing at Harb’s newest Wichita Meddys. The metal beams recently went up on the site of the restaurant he’s opening at near Kellogg and Ridge, just west of Cracker Barrel and Cheddar’s, and he plans to have it open by May 1.
Harb said he considers himself fortunate to have been able to keep expanding Meddys, which serves Mediterranean and Lebanese fare in a fast-casual environment. He opened his first Meddys in 2014 at Harry and Rock and since has added 21st and Greenwich and Douglas and Washington downtown. He notes that he couldn’t have done it without the team of about 120 people he has working in his three Wichita restaurants.
His expansion plans aren’t finished, either, Harb said. His goal is to announce one more Meddys restaurant this year and another six in 2021. Most of those will likely be in other cities, though. Harb said he’s done expanding in Wichita for now and likely won’t add another Meddys here until he can find a spot in the 21st and Maize area.
“We’re fine for now until we find something out there,” he said.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 5:01 AM.
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