Wichita Mexican restaurant joins growing list of eateries closing after COVID-19 exposure
Another Wichita restaurant has announced it’s temporarily closing after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The latest restaurant to voluntarily close is La Chinita at 1051 N. Broadway. Managers of the longtime Mexican eatery shared the news in a Wednesday morning Facebook post.
“One of our employee’s family members has tested positive for Covid-19 and has possibly exposed one of our employees to Covid,” it read. “None of our employees are showing symptoms but we will be shutting down to get all our employees tested.”
The restaurant will reopen once all the test results come back in and they determine it’s safe, the post read.
The restaurant reopened to the public for dine-in on May 4.
La Chinita joins a growing list of Wichita restaurants, including Connie’s Mexico Cafe, Stroud’s, Paleteria Tropicana, Lotus Leaf Cafe and Jose Pepper’s West, that have announced temporarily closures after employees either tested positive or were exposed to someone who had.
All but Connie’s and Lotus Leaf Cafe have since reopened. Owners of Cevicheria y Botanas La Isla, which closed on June 21 after an employee tested positive, said all other employees are in the clear and it will reopen on Saturday.
Luciano’s in Mulvane goes to curbside only
Also making an announcement on Wednesday was Luciano’s, the popular Italian restaurant at 216 W. Main St. in Mulvane that draws lots of Wichita diners.
The restaurant said on Facebook that a number of its employees live with people who are being tested for the virus and that, while waiting for results, they would move to contact-free sidewalk service for the week.
“None of our employees nor their family members have tested positive. Test results are still outstanding,” the post read.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
.jpg)