New restaurant in Delano will include rooftop bar and eventually an outdoor beer garden
Wichita is about to get a third location of Wichita Brewing Company, the popular local brewery and pizza restaurant that already has addresses in east and west Wichita.
But this one will be a more modern “2.0” version of the concept, say the partners opening it, and it will include a rooftop patio and — eventually — an outdoor beer garden and an event venue.
Local restaurant veterans Joe Fernandez and Cole Hesse have partnered with Wichita Brewing Company owner Jeremy Horn on the new project at 901 W. Douglas. It’s taking over the recently renovated building at the corner of Douglas and Handley where Spektrum Muzic operated until it moved in the summer of 2023.
The partners hope to have “WBC Delano,” as they’re calling it casually, open sometime in February, meaning it should be ready in time for Delano’s always crowded St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The owners became acquainted through a neighbor of Horn’s and have been working for months putting the project together. They liked that the Delano space was closer to customers who don’t live on the east and west sides of Wichita. The other two WBC restaurants are at 535 N. Woodlawn and at 8815 W. 13th St.
The potential for a rooftop bar at the new spot also was appealing, Fernandez said.
“We’re really looking forward to that aspect of the business,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty unique spot to Wichita.”
WBC Delano will have about 7,500 square feet, the partners say. Over the course of the year, they plan to add a 3,500 square foot event space on the lower level. During that time, they’ll also be working on adding an outdoor beer garden, which will operate behind the restaurant at Texas and Handley. It will have picnic tables and its own bar.
The restaurant will serve the same beer and pizzas that the other two WBC restaurants have, though the Delano menu will be a bit scaled down.
Hesse said he thinks the Delano neighborhood is perfect for the new restaurant.
“I personally like the industrial old-school feel of that whole area,” he said. “It has been kind of getting revamped. We will keep the integrity of the old building and kind of put a modern twist on it.”
Hesse will be the general manager for the new restaurant, and Fernandez will be involved in operations.
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 10:46 AM.
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