Last restaurant holdouts from pandemic shutdowns have recently reopened dining rooms

Some of the last Wichita holdouts that kept their dining rooms closed as a pandemic precaution have finally reopened.

One is Chick-fil-A, the insanely popular fast-food chicken chain, which closed all of its Wichita dining rooms in March 2020 and has operated with drive-through and pick-up service only ever since. Last week, all Wichita Chick-fil-A restaurants — at Central and Rock, Maple & Ridge and 21st and Maize — reopened for dine-in with limited seating.

Another is Leslie Coffee Co., the popular Delano coffee shop at 930 W. Douglas that has also been take-out only for a year. On Monday of this week, owner Sarah Leslie reopened the dining room and extended the shop’s hours to 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. She’s asking customers to continue wearing masks while not seated, and she’s spaced out the tables. Leslie is also still allowing pickup and online ordering.

And Lee’s Restaurant, the longtime Chinese eatery at 6215 W. Kellogg, recently reopened its dining room as well. Lee’s kept serving throughout the pandemic but the owners used folding tables to create a make-shift to go counter at the restaurant’s entrance and kept people out of the dining room.

Are there any other restaurants still closed or doing carryout only that you’re wondering about? Let me know at dneil@wichitaeagle.com and I’ll try to get an update for you.

This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 11:32 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.