Staffing woes force closure of two Wichita restaurants, both open just a year
It’s been well established this year that restaurants are having trouble hiring staff.
Now, that obstacle has just claimed two local restaurants, both of which had been open for only about a year.
One is Fred & Barney’s at 2424 N. Woodlawn, whose owners — longtime Wichita restaurateurs Kevin Brown and Tracy Fahrbach — announced their decision on Friday.
Limited staff was one of the factors the owners cited in a Facebook post, along with “the complications of COVID 19” and “recent health issues.”
Brown said the restaurant has been closed since Oct. 20 and that the weekend before the closing they had their best sales weekend yet.
“We just couldn’t find help,” he said. “That’s not a lot of fun, but when you have health problems on top of that, it doesn’t work.”
The partners, who have teamed up on a number of popular restaurants over the years including Cibola and Lassen Bar & Grill, opened Fred & Barney’s last November in the former Sweet Basil spot, serving a menu of sandwiches, burgers and salads and entrees like chicken fried steak, baby back pork ribs and chicken cordon bleu.
A lack of help also was the main reason that Patrick Alvarez said he closed his Outskirtz Bar & Grill, which he opened last fall in the former Mojoe’s Grill & Bar space at 10909 E. Harry.
Alvarez, a local general contractor who over the years has owned and operated places like The Port of Wichita and the former Boots & Buckles in Old Town, said he and his wife, Wendy, just couldn’t keep the place staffed.
“Couldn’t run a bar with just three people,” he said. “It was a hard decision, but my poor wife couldn’t do everything.”
Alvarez also said that his construction business, Alvarez Construction and Floor Covering, has taken off and he needs to focus more on that.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 10:28 AM.
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