Owners of Bradley Fair restaurant close the sister concept they opened in downtown Wichita

It opened in June — just five months after its owners launched their flagship restaurant in Bradley Fair.

But now, First Mile Cantine, which Nick Korbee and wife Amanda Luginbill opened nine months ago on the first floor of Fidelity Bank’s new RISE Car Park at Market and English, has closed. Its last day was Saturday, Korbee said.

The couple’s First Mile Kitchen, which opened in January 2022 at 2141 N. Bradley Fair Parkway, will remain open, and the couple plans to devote its resources and energy to that business, he said.

“We gave it a really good shot,” Korbee said of the Cantine. “It was busy and growing, but we just ran out of resources and bandwidth to really execute it at a level it really needed to grow.”

In a release, the couple added that they were grateful to Fidelity Bank for bringing First Mile Cantine to downtown Wichita and that they were appreciative to the front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house staff for helping them launch the restaurant.

Fidelity Bank’s Melissa Knoeber, director of culture and talent, said in a statement that the bank was looking for a new tenant to take over the First Mile Cantine space at 320 S. Market, which she described as “practically a turnkey location for a restaurant.”

Anyone interested in the space can call 316-268-7293.

“The Fidelity Bank family truly enjoyed having First Mile Cantine in our RISE Car Park development,” Knoeber said. “We are thankful for the many delicious meals they served and the role they played in creating a more vibrant neighborhood in this section of downtown Wichita.”

First Mile Kitchen in Bradley Fair is a fine-dining space focused on serving locally sourced “food from here.” Since opening, it has become a favorite stop for movie star Harrison Ford during his annual visits to Wichita.

First Mile Cantine was a more casual version of the original restaurant, meant to serve downtown workers and dwellers. Its space features a large dining room, a bar and a patio accessible through two garage doors.

Korbee said that all gift cards purchased for First Mile Cantine will be honored at First Mile Kitchen, which will also try to accommodate the Cantine’s existing bookings.

This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 11:58 AM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.