Owner says unknown hero kept weekend fire at new Wichita restaurant from being much worse
The owner of the just-opened Popeyes at 29th and Maize Road says that a weekend fire at the restaurant could have been much worse if not for an unknown hero.
Mitesh Patel, who opened Wichita’s newest Popeyes on Dec. 31 at 3166 N. Maize Road, said that a fryer in the restaurant malfunctioned late Friday night, and an electrical fire filled the restaurant with smoke.
It happened at around 1:30 a.m., Patel said, and someone passing by the restaurant noticed smoke coming out of the roof and dialed 911. Patel said he has no idea who made the call.
“They were a hero for us,” he said. “We appreciate whoever did it.”
Patel said the fire burned for about 30 minutes. It didn’t produce flames — just smoke — and it didn’t trip the sprinkler system. The restaurant had to close so that the staff could clean up all the chemicals the fire department sprayed to douse the fire, but it reopened on Saturday evening.
The fire left no lasting damage, Patel said. Since then, he’s been operating with one fryer fewer than what he needs but Tuesday morning was able to borrow one he can use until his replacement fryer arrives.
“We have brand new equipment — everything’s brand new, so we were surprised,” he said of the fryer malfunction.
The new Popeyes, which sits just in front of the Sam’s Club at 29th North and Maize and in between Dunkin’ and IHOP, was built in the chain’s newest design. Patel and his son, Sumit Patel, own the group Mid-CHKN LLC and have signed a franchise agreement to build 14 restaurants in Kansas. They plan more for Wichita but will build in Hutchinson next, Patel has said.
Other than the fire, the first two weeks of business for the new Popeyes have been good, Patel said.
“We’re doing very well,” he said. “Our customers are happy and we’ve had great response from the community.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 10:46 AM.
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