Are these four Wichita restaurants closed for good? Many signs point to yes
As restaurants have continued to reopen in Wichita, there are several that have not — and for various reasons look like they may not.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve made calls and sent messages to both local and corporate managers and spokespeople about a all of these restaurants and have been unable to get answers.
Its time to start accepting that the following Wichita restaurants may not be rejoining us post-coronavirus. Here’s what I can tell you about each:
Zoe’s Kitchen, 1441 N. Webb Road: Wichita appears to have lost its Zoe’s Kitchen, the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant that opened near Whole Foods in December 2017 and closed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Late last week, crews took the signs off the building. But no one from corporate will reply to questions about the restaurant, and the executives from the real estate company that handles the property says they can’t talk about it, either.
Taco Bueno, 3530 N. Rock Road: When the Taco Bueno at Central and Hillside closed in September 2018, the North Rock Road Taco Bueno became Wichita’s last survivor from a chain that once had six local restaurants. It appears to have been open at some point during coronavirus for drive-through service, but now there’s no sign of life at the restaurant. Hand-written signs in the door and on the drive-through kiosk say “closed,” and the phone number is disconnected. No one with Taco Bueno has returned messages or calls.
Krab Kingz Seafood, 784 S. West St.: This seafood restaurant, which opened in February 2018, appears to have been open at least through April, doing carryout orders during coronavirus shutdowns. But now, the phone number is disconnected, the sign is gone, and all the decor has been removed from inside the dining room. I’m not getting calls back from the owner, but it’s not looking hopeful. Meanwhile, the other crab restaurant that opened on West Street — Crazy Crab in the former Chi Chi’s building at 551 S. West, also looks closed. But I spoke to the owner last week and he says he is still planning to reopen, possibly later this month.
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BurgerFi, 2441 N. Maize Road: This one is iffy. BurgerFi, a New Market Square burger restaurant that opened in July 2018, closed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and remains closed. A bad sign: The Wichita restaurant no longer appears on the national BurgerFi website. I finally heard back today from franchisee Zach Theademan, who said he was “unsure of reopening date at this time” adding, “we are currently discussing our next steps.” The phone number still works, though, so maybe there’s still hope.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 11:44 AM.
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