The busiest IHOP in Wichita will close this Sunday in preparation for its big move
For 25 years, Wichita has been crowding into the IHOP at Maple and Ridge Road — waiting for a seat inside the tiny lobby after searching for a parking spot in the tiny attached lot.
But the IHOP that’s operated in that building since the summer of 1999 will be there only a few more days. Owner Ali Issa said that the restaurant’s last day in its current building will be Sunday.
After that, his crew will start the move across the street that he first announced last fall. The IHOP, which was the first to open in Wichita when the chain announced plans to expand into Kansas, will reopen in a bigger, brand-new space at 526 S. Ridge Road. Issa said it should be ready to go on Thursday, Aug. 22 or Friday, Aug. 23.
“It’s only taking us three days to get the place set up,” Issa said.
People who frequent the busy area at Maple and Ridge, which over the past decade has grown into a west-side restaurant row, have seen the new IHOP building going up over the past several months. It sits just south of Rib Crib.
The new space will have 185 seats compared to the current building’s 125, Issa said. And he needs the space. The Ridge Road IHOP is the busiest in town — even in the region.
“That store is popular,” he said. “We have a lot of followers. We are excited, and the staff is excited.”
Issa and his brothers, Ty and Mike, took over the lease for the Ridge Road IHOP in 2011. Ali Issa now owns several IHOP restaurants in the Wichita market.
The current IHOP on Ridge Road will be open only during the day on Sunday, its final day, and will likely close around 5 p.m., Issa said.
This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 1:02 PM.
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