Wichita has lost one of its seafood boil places. Owner said staffing was the issue.
An Old Town restaurant that opened a little more than a year ago has closed, and the culprit was staffing issues, the owner said.
Pauleen Riel and husband Jeremy Schmidt opened Headz & Tailz, a restaurant that specialized in seafood and Cajun dishes prepared with an Asian flair, in March of last year in the space at 301 N. Washington that previously was home to Fredo’s.
Riel said she was working 16-hour days to keep the restaurant afloat after she was unable to keep staff.
“Nobody wants to work,” she said, adding that she offered her employees more pay and even that didn’t work out.
She’s still selling her famous “Riel Sauce,” a special concoction she served on many of her dishes. For now, people can purchase her remaining sauce by messaging her on her personal Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pauleen.riel.9 or by visiting rielsaucy.com
She hasn’t ruled out reopening the restaurant in the future.
“That’s my dream,” she said. “I never thought in a million years that low staff would be an issue. It is what is. I tried the best I can.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 10:07 AM.
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