Restaurant news from Maize Road: Three new restaurants, three impending opening dates
Back in April, I told you about all the restaurant activity originating from Maize Road — that popular thoroughfare that restaurateurs wanting to expand to Wichita’s west side find most desirable.
Suddenly, lots of restaurants had announced plans to open there, and since then, even more have done so.
Now, there are updates. Three other big chain restaurants have shared plans to expand to Maize Road, and three others who had already announced their plans are almost ready to open.
Here’s the latest:
▪ Tropical Smoothie Cafe close to opening day: Earlier this year, the owners of Hurts Donut in Wichita announced they were getting into the smoothie business and would open the city’s first Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the former Dickey’s Barbecue Pit space at 2768 N. Maize Road. Now, they’re almost ready. Aaron and Jenni Courtney are hiring staff and plan to open the cafe during the first half of October, they said this week. Eventually, they plan to open more Wichita locations of the chain, which started in Destin, Florida, and offers smoothies, sandwiches, flatbreads and quesadillas.
Anyone interested in a job there can attend open interviews this week. They’ll be happening from 4 to 6 p.m. today and Thursday at Hurts Donut, 7010 W. 21st St. Those who can’t attend during those times can schedule an interview by calling 316-650-0655.
▪ Five Guys move almost complete: Also in the spring, the franchisees of Five Guys in Wichita announced plans to relocate their restaurant on Maize Road from 2616 N. Maize Road to a new building at 37th and Maize that would allow them to add a drive-up window, where people who pre-ordered their food can grab it without getting out of the car. Only one other Five Guys in the whole chain has a such a feature. They closed the old Five Guys in late August, and they’re planning to reopen in the new space on Sept. 25.
▪ Meddys close to ready: Another restaurant that’s been under construction since spring is Alex Harb’s new Meddys, which is taking over the space at 2441 N. Maize Road that was vacated last year by BurgerFi. Harb said the restaurant, which will be his fifth in Wichita, should open on Oct. 20. It will include a large covered patio on the building’s south side that will seat between 70 and 80 people and feature live music, and like the other Meddys, it will also serve craft cocktails.
▪ A new Noodles & Company: Wichita lost one of its two Noodles & Company restaurants — the one that had operated inside Towne East Square since 2011 — last year. But soon, it’ll add one back. A spokesperson for the chain says that it’s taking over a space at 3807 N. Maize Road that’s in the same new building that Five Guys is moving to. Though they don’t have an opening date scheduled yet, he said, it should be ready before the end of the year. Also unique: This restaurant will also have a pick-up window, where people who ordered food via the restaurant’s website or app can get it without getting out of the car. The new restaurant will be the first in the Kansas market to have a drive-up window, he said. Wichita’s other Noodles & Company is at 3300 N. Rock Road.
▪ A new Dunkin’: Dan Day plans to open his seventh area Dunkin’ store on North Maize Road just in front of the Sam’s Club at 29th and Maize and to the south of the IHOP there. He said the new Dunkin’ should be ready sometime in the first quarter of 2022 and will be a stand-alone store that has about 2,000 square feet.
▪ A new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop: As I reported in July, Fuzzy’s also will be expanding to the Maize Road corridor and will open a west-side restaurant in the former New Market Square Applebee’s space at 10728 W. 21st St. Wichita franchisee Whitney Reitz says she plans to open it in early 2022. She’s also the franchisee for the Fuzzy’s that opened at 306 N. Rock Road in 2018 and the one that opened in Braeburn Square, 21st and Oliver, in 2019.
This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 11:56 AM.
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