A popular restaurant just moved out of this Maize Road space. Now, another is moving in.
The restaurant space at 2616 N. Maize Road has been empty since late August, when Five Guys left its home of 11 years and moved to a new building at 37th and Maize Road so that it could add a drive-up window.
But the space that Five Guys left behind is about to get a new tenant.
Chris Stong, the Wichita franchisee for Jersey Mike’s Subs, says that he’s signed a lease to take over the space and open his third restaurant there. The first Wichita Jersey Mike’s opened in March 2020 at 2564 N. Greenwich, and earlier this year, Stong announced plans to open a second at 1918 N. Rock Road in Derby.
But west-siders will have to be patient. Though he’s signed the lease on the space, which is owned by Builders Inc., Stong said he won’t focus on the Maize Road store until he’s finished in Derby. Construction is underway there but not complete.
He hopes to have the Maize Road store open by the end of the year but can’t offer any date more solid than that, he said.
Both of the new Jersey Mike’s will look almost identical to the one at K-96 and Greenwich, Stong said. Jersey Mike’s stores typically don’t have drive-up windows — the sandwich-making system works best when people come inside the stores, he said — so the Maize Road spot works well for him even though it didn’t for Five Guys.
He promised to keep me updated on the progress both in Derby and on Maize Road.
Meanwhile, Five Guys has completed its move to its new spot, which is at 3807 N. Maize Road. It opened on Saturday, though the drive-up window, where people can pick up food they’ve pre-ordered online, isn’t open yet because of technical issues, said franchisee Jay Miller. It should be ready to go next week, though.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 11:18 AM.
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