East Wichita restaurant closed for months will reopen with a new approach
He took over the former Bionic Burger space at 21st and Woodlawn in late 2021, and since then, owner Adam Alkasasy has been trying to find the right fit for the space.
Now he’s hoping that the third time will be a charm. On Tuesday, he’s reopening the business with a whole new approach — the third since he’s owned the building.
Here’s how it all started: In early 2022, after catching the neighborhood’s attention by painting the old Bionic Burger building at 6121 E. 21st St. a bright shade of red, Alkasasy opened it as a daiquiri bar and hookah lounge and called it Clouds Daiquiri Lounge.
Not long after, though, he decided that a nightlife destination wasn’t quite right for the area.
So he switched up the concept, and in September, the business reopened as Clouds Mediterranean Grill. Alkasasy decided to stop serving alcohol and start serving a menu that included things like chicken shawarma wraps, falafel wraps, grape leaves and chicken kabsa.
That didn’t work either, though, he said, and a few months ago, Alkasasy shut the restaurant down to retool it again.
On Tuesday, he plans to reopen Clouds as a restaurant that he hopes will attract neighborhood families hungry for burgers, Philly cheesecake sandwiches, chili fries, chicken tenders, wings, catfish and tacos. The new Clouds also will serve shakes.
He’ll keep alcohol off the menu, but he’s decided to keep hookah smoking as an option, and Clouds will remain open late to attract that crowd. The new sign will read “Clouds: Food-Hookah-Fun.”
“Hopefully, that menu is the one for the area,” he said.
Clouds’ new menu
This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 2:46 PM.
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