When will Wichita be getting that east-side French bakery it was promised?
It was December when IHOP franchisees Mike Issa and Moe Touffaha announced their plans to bring the Paris Baguette restaurant to Kansas, and at the time, they said they hoped to have it open by April.
That didn’t happen, but now, the partners are ready to provide an update.
Construction is now underway on the restaurant, which is going up on a lot directly east of the Andy’s Frozen Custard shop at 21st and Webb Road, and it should be ready to open by mid-August.
Delays in securing building materials caused the project to get behind, said Issa (who is not the same Mike Issa who owns Scotch & Sirloin.) Also, he said, he and Touffaha have been working on two other Paris Baguette stores. Not only have they secured a spot for their Kansas City location, which will open next summer near Oak Park Mall, but they opened one in Birmingham, Michigan, in March.
“It’s doing fantastic,” Issa said. “The customer reaction and the volume is unbelievable. People are telling us they love the products. We’re doing very well, and we are hoping that we will do the same here in Wichita.”
Paris Baguette, which started in South Korea in 1988, specializes in French-inspired cakes and pastries and also serves sandwiches and salads as well as a line of coffee and tea. The chain is popular in Europe and is now pushing a U.S. expansion.
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant planned for Wichita will have a patio, a see-through fireplace and room for seating indoors. In addition to its made-fresh baked goods and sandwiches, Paris Baguette also will cater.
Issa and Moe Touffaha also have been delayed on another project: their plans to relocate their IHOP at 3505 N. Rock Road to the former Hooters space at 3151 N. Rock Road. They’d originally planned to make the move this month, and in fact a sign posted on the building for some time has promised a May opening.
But with construction delays, Issa said, the move probably won’t happen until mid-June at the earliest. The current location will continue operating in the meantime.
Paris Baguette menu
This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 12:23 PM.
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