Wichita diner owner now plans to close his original restaurant before opening in new spot
When the owner of Town & Country Classic last month announced plans to open a restaurant in the just-vacated New Neighbors space near 21st and Amidon, he said it would be an expansion, not a relocation.
Since then, though, the plans have changed.
Vance Davis, who is the general manager of Billy Wood’s Town & Country Classic restaurant at K-42 and Maize Road, said that just before opening day at 2315 W. 21st St. later this month, the original location at 10510 W. Southwest Blvd will close.
The reason, Davis said, is continuing issues with the building, the latest of which is a broken-down air conditioner.
“Down the road, we might open again somewhere over there on the south side of town,” Davis said.
The plan now is to close the restaurant at K-42 and Maize Road on Oct. 14 then reopen in the new space at 21st and Amidon on Oct. 18.
Davis said crews have been working hard on the move and making repairs at the new space. Initially, he and Wood hoped to be open at 21st and Amidon by the end of September, but they’ve faced delays in getting equipment shipped.
“We’re just trying to get the kitchen done,” Davis said. “Everything else is done. Everything else is ready.
The menu will be the same as the one at the original Town & Country Classic and will feature daily breakfast, blue plate specials, burgers and more. The restaurant serves many recipes made famous at the original Town & Country on West Kellogg, including fresh-baked bread and cinnamon rolls. It will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
Wood opened Town & Country Classic after the March 2020 death of Larry Conover, whose family had owned the original Town & Country restaurant at 4702 W. Kellogg since 1957. That restaurant closed at the start of the pandemic and never reopened.
With the family’s blessing, Wood decided that he would take over Town & Country and run it in Larry’s honor. But he could not reach an agreement with the landlords on the longtime building on West Kellogg, so he found the spot at K-42 and Maize Road. That restaurant has been operating since July of 2020.
Different owners took over the Town & Country space on West Kellogg and reopened it in October 2020, but it lasted only until August of last year. The building has been vacant and listed for lease ever since.
This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 11:38 AM.
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