The new owner of a historic Wichita burger stand is giving its landmark sign a makeover
I told you back in April that the new owners of Jack’s North Hi Carryout — the historic restaurant across from Wichita’s North High School that first opened as a burger stand in 1951 — had plans to turn the building into a doughnut shop.
After that, nothing much happened.
But this week, there’s been activity at the shop, and now I have a few more details.
The co-owners of the shop at 603 W. 13th St. are Alex Hong and his brother, John, who both live in the Dallas area. They plan to open the doughnut shop, which they’ll call Jack’s North Hi Donuts, in mid- to late-August.
The menu, Alex Hong said, will feature fresh-made doughnuts, kolaches, coffee and smoothies. They might also serve ice cream. The shop will likely open around 6 a.m. and close around 1 p.m., and there will be a couple of tables inside.
Hong said he and his brother were looking for affordable buildings to buy and found the Jack’s building in Wichita. They liked that it was right across the street from a high school and hope they’ll be able to attract students on their way to school.
They realized that the building and sign were an important part of the neighborhood, he said, and decided to keep both the Jack’s North Hi name and the sign.
This week, locals have been noticing that the boomerang-shaped neon sign, which has been a Wichita landmark for decades, was getting a makeover.
The bulk of the sign has been given a new coat of red, and although the word “Jack’s” and its neon was left intact, the famous toy jacks beside it were painted over. The neon “hamburgers” part of the sign, which used to be backed in teal, now reads “Donuts,” and so far, there’s no neon on it, though Alex Hong said they may add LED lights to that part of the sign. Its background is now bright yellow.
This week, some members of a Riverside neighborhood Facebook page started discussing the change, and some weren’t pleased. In a Facebook post, one resident shared a photo and the caption, “I saw a very sad thing today. The Jack’s North Hi sign has been changed.”
Others chimed in agreeing with the sentiment, writing things like, “Another tradition gone” and “OH my cow!!”
But others responded with cautious optimism. “I was happy to see they retained the look and feel of the sign though. It just says donuts now instead of hamburgers,” one wrote. Another wrote, “Positives: Walkable, coffee, donuts . We’re gonna at least give them a fair try.”
I’ll let you know when I have more information about an opening day and a menu for the new shop.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 10:27 AM.
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