Finding a tenant for this newly vacant Wichita restaurant won’t be hard, developer says
As you might have guessed by now, Zoe’s Kitchen is closed for good in Wichita.
A few weeks ago, I reported that the signs were being removed from the building in Waterfront Plaza, 13th and Webb Road. But at the time, no one locally or nationally was talking about the closure.
Now, Stephen Clark II of Clark Investment Group confirms that “Zoe’s is not coming back,” though he didn’t elaborate on the reasons.
“It was a mutual decision,” he said of the closing. “We’re pleased with how it was handled.”
But, he said, that opens up an opportunity for another restaurant to move in. And many restaurants and retailers have expressed interest in the plaza, whose proximity to Whole Foods Market and other high-end shops makes it particularly desirable, Clark said.
“We’ve had several national tenants who expressed that that location is the only thing that will bring them to Wichita,” he said. “There’s no question that coming out of COVID isn’t the best time to be looking for a retail or restaurant tenant, but we’re pretty optimistic, due to the quality of this location.”
Clark said he doesn’t have anyone signed up to take the space yet but predicts it will be an easy sell. It’s a high-traffic, high-visibility spot.
Zoe’s Kitchen, which served fast-casual Mediterranean food, opened there in new construction in December 2017 but closed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. It was unclear for weeks if it would ever reopen.
But the now-empty space should be easy to fill with someone new, Clark said.
“We’re excited because it’s a pretty special location,” he said. “With all that said, we’ll take as long as necessary to make sure we’re selecting a high-quality tenant.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 2:42 PM.
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