Big changes in store for Tanya’s Soup Kitchen after 14 years at Douglas address
When the late Tanya Tandoc reopened her popular lunch restaurant, Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, at 1725 E. Douglas in 2011, she added a special feature: weekend dinner.
The Friday- and Saturday-night meals were the only time Tanya’s was open beyond its regular hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Tandoc — followed by her successor and the restaurant’s current owner Kelly Rae Leffel — would always cook up a hearty special. Among the favorites were cheddar and Gruyere mac and cheese, pot roast, and beef enchilada casserole.
But now, Leffel says, things have changed. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanya’s evening dinners had become less popular. The restaurant’s regulars still came, but she noticed that people were more interested in finding dinner at restaurants that offered a full bar. Tanya’s serves just beer and wine.
“We weren’t really seeing the pull for our specials like I thought we would,” she said.
Meanwhile, the demand for brunch in Wichita has grown.
Leffel said she decided to make a big change: She’s eliminated weekend dinner service at the restaurant. (The last one was served on Nov. 23.) And starting in 2025, she’ll open Tanya’s on Sundays, when she’ll serve a brunch-y special as well as the restaurant’s usual lineup of rotating homemade soups.
The first Sunday that Tanya’s will open will be Jan. 5. The hours will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — just like they are Mondays through Saturdays — and each week, Leffel will come up with a brunch special. She’s thinking dishes like breakfast casserole, quiche, strata and smoked salmon. The restaurant will also serve mimosas.
Another Sunday addition Leffel is excited about: one of her most popular soups will finally get its own day. Her Ecuadorian cheesy potato soup has developed a bit of a cult following, but she couldn’t find a day to regularly feature it. Mondays are already claimed by chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, Wednesdays have chicken curry over rice, etc.
Now, Sunday needs a soup, so Leffel is giving the spot to Ecuadorian cheesy potato, which will be featured every Sunday along with several other rotating soups.
Now that the restaurant will be free on Friday and Saturday nights, Leffel said, she plans to make the space available to people looking for a place to put on a special event like a bridal shower or rehearsal dinner.
She also wants to let regulars know that her new Sunday hours won’t threaten her annual Mother’s Day brunch buffet. She’ll interrupt regular Sunday service and continue to offer that meal by reservation only.
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