Former Tight Ends opens with new identity, fully-clothed wait staff later this week
The re-branding is done, the “Tight Ends” are gone, and on Friday, a new restaurant called Clutch House will reopen in the former Tight Ends Sports Bar & Grill space at 524 S. Seneca, which is just off Kellogg on Seneca.
Emmanuel “E.K.” Kolluri, the restaurant’s managing partner, said that when diners return to the restaurant for Friday’s grand opening, they’ll find that there are no more scantily clad waitresses and that the atmosphere is more inviting for families.
“What we are trying to do in the re-brand is to change the image of our restaurant,” he said. “Under Tight Ends, we had a lot of flack from the community. We want to be very community friendly and we want to work with the Delano and Wichita community.”
Kolluri said he’ll technically open the restaurant on Wednesday and Thursday for an invite-only soft opening test run then start welcoming the public on Friday. The hours starting Friday will be 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays.
The restaurant has been closed since Aug. 17 while the owners worked on the re-branding, which included installing a bright new sign and doing some repainting and redecorating inside. Initially, it was set to reopen on Friday of last week, but there were some unexpected delays, Kolluri said.
The restaurant’s new website will be posted soon. The menu will include some of the favorite items from Tight Ends but will also have new offerings. Clutch House will also offer 48 beers on tap.
Tight Ends first opened in new construction at Kellogg and Seneca in September 2019. The owners had a licensing agreement with the owner of the original Tight Ends in Plano, and their signature was their waitresses wearing barely-there outfits.
When the project was announced, residents of the nearby Delano neighborhood started an unsuccessful petition against it.
Kolluri said he’s put his new staff members through “rigorous training” and that he hopes people will give the new place a chance.
“The food and the service and the ambiance and the atmosphere are what we are focusing on,” he said. “That way the customers enjoy their time with us. It’s not anymore about the girls.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 2:42 PM.
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