Abilene’s famous fried chicken restaurant Brookville Hotel has new owners, will reopen

A famous Kansas restaurant that closed in the fall when traffic dropped off because of the COVID-19 pandemic will reopen soon with new owners.

Chuck and Deanna Munson, owners of Munson Angus Farms in Junction City, plan to reopen the storied Brookville Hotel in Abilene next month. They are purchasing the building, according to a release from the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, and plan to reopen it as a business called Legacy Kansas on June 23.

The Munsons also were the owners of Munson’s Prime Steakhouse in Junction City, which was destroyed in a February fire.

The new restaurant will have an updated facade and it will start off serving the fried chicken made famous at the Brookville Hotel, whose history stretches back to 1870. The new owners will also add chicken fried steak sourced from their farm to the menu.

Within the year, they’ll add steaks, burgers, and homemade ice cream as well.

Former owners Mark and Connie Martin will return to help open the restaurant, the release said. The Martins closed the Brookville Hotel, known for its family-style fried chicken dinners, last fall. It had been in Mark Martin’s family for four generations.

When he closed, citing the loss of tourist traffic needed to sustain his business, Martin said he was ready to retire but would be happy to serve as a consultant if someone else wanted to take over.

Legacy Kansas will also have a meeting space, catering and curbside pickup. The new owners also hope to add carriage and trolley rides.

The addition of a ranch gate outside will give the business a ranch feel, and the bar inside, which will be called End of the Chisholm Trail bar, will feature a video wall that plays farm and ranch footage filmed in Geary, Riley, and Dickinson counties.

The restaurant will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 11:37 AM.

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.