Cavernous coffee shop and cafe that also serves crepes ready to open in downtown Wichita

A downtown coffee shop I first told you about in February is ready to open, and the owner is inviting Wichita to one of his and his staff’s “soft opening” practice rounds this weekend.

Byron McSwain, an account manager at Cargill, will officially open his Greater Grounds Coffee & Co. to the public on Monday. But on Saturday, those who are willing to bring some patience with them are invited to attend his final soft opening, designed to give his employees a chance to practice their new jobs. It’ll be from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The coffee shop, which will also serve crepes and a few other food items, is in the former Mud Haus concrete showroom space at 922 E. Douglas. McSwain’s outdoor signs won’t arrive for a couple of months, so customers will have to look carefully for the shop, which is sandwiched in between Central National Bank and Standard Issue Co. and sits across the street from Ribbit Computers. (And from Cargill.)

Over the past five months, McSwain has been transforming the cavernous space to fit the vision of the coffee shop he has dreamed about since he was a business management student at Friends University and wrote a business plan for a hypothetical coffee shop.

The space has exposed brick walls, tall ceilings and entrances in both the front and back. McSwain has decorated the shop in shades of olive green and brown and filled it with new couches and chairs to create multiple seating areas, each of which is separated by an artificial olive tree that seems to be growing out of the concrete floor.

The theme continues at the coffee bar, which is lined with antique industrial wooden chairs and features an antique pastry display cabinet, floor-to-ceiling olive green cabinetry and a marble bar top.

McSwain has put in a grand piano in the back of the shop, where acoustic acts will perform. A music lover, McSwain said he hopes to give local high school and college musicians a place where they can showcase their music.

The back of the shop also has a fireplace with large couches positioned in front of it. At the front, a wall is fitted with custom coffee bean dispensers, and customers can choose beans to take home bagged.

Greater Grounds has two parking spots reserved in the back for mobile order pickups, and in the front, customers will be able to enjoy a small Douglas-facing patio with a fire pit.

The menu features several espresso drinks, including specialty lattes and a mocha. Lemonade, Italian soda and tea are also offered.

Greater Grounds also will be serving crepes in flavors like strawberry and Nutella, banana and peanut butter, and spinach and artichoke, as well as a croissant stuffed with Bavarian cream and strawberries.

The menu also includes an item called “The Great Charcuterie Pretzel,” which is a jumbo pretzel surrounded with meats, cheeses and jelly.

The hours for Greater Grounds starting on Monday will be 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

McSwain said he’s more than ready to open the shop, whose construction took longer — and cost more — than he expected.

“I think the space is going to be great for the community, something it can be proud of,” he said. “I think it’s going to complement the other coffee shops downtown.”

Greater Grounds & Co. menu

This story was originally published July 11, 2024 at 2:09 PM.

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.