After four years of feeding Wichita, restaurant owner is ‘closing all operations’

He rolled into town in early 2016, and his taco truck, sense of humor and private eight-course dinners earned him friends and fans all over town.

Now, Gaga’s Grub owner Dustin Presley — known for his catchphrase “Smooch, blessings, feed yo belly” — says he is “closing all operations here in Wichita.”

He made the announcement in a Friday-night Facebook post.

“Wichita, family, friends, grubberz, homies, homegirls, those of ya’ll who wanted lettuce on your taco...” he wrote in the post. “I love you, I thank you, I wish blessings upon you.”

Presley, whose early days as a cook included a stint at Scott Redler’s former Timberline restaurant, moved his business operations from Perry, Oklahoma, to Wichita in the spring of 2016. He brought with him a couple of food trucks, and he also opened a small brick-and-mortar spot at 1227 S. Seneca.

He sold one of his two food trucks and closed the South Seneca spot later that year, saying foot traffic wasn’t good. He focused on his remaining food truck, a white rig he jokingly called the “Ugliest Taco Truck in Wichita.”

In the summer of 2018, he took over the former Byblos space at 3088 W. 13th St. and used it as his home base. He also used the space to put on private dinners he called “P.M. Sessions,” which have continued to grow in popularity.

In November, he decided to park his truck and open a taco buffet restaurant in the 13th Street space, also taking over the laundromat space next door.

He called the restaurant Gaga’s Grub Taco Joint and Carry Out, and it included a buffet line made out of a sliced-in-half truck.

Presley announced in June that he would stop operating the restaurant amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continued on with his private P.M. Sessions and caterings only.

He said in his Friday post that he doesn’t know what he will do now.

“Not exactly sure of the next step, but all is well and the Lord is good and we will see what happens,” he wrote.

I’ve left Presley a message and will update this post with more details if I hear back.

This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 12:12 PM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.