Le Monde restaurant in Wichita is closing after more than 30 years in business

Fans of Le Monde Cafe & Deli have just a week to get one last taste of the restaurant’s fattoush salad, sweet biscuits and gyro sandwiches.

The restaurant will close on Sunday after 30 years in business, owner Lilas Krichati confirmed on Monday.

Though Krichati is being sued by longtime manager Ghassan “Gus” Hajeh, the lawsuit has nothing to do with the closing, Krichati said.

The problem was that business was just too slow.

“It could be the competition. It could be the location. I don’t know,” Krichati said. “I don’t even know what to do. I’m so sad.”

The financial struggles have been ongoing for some time, Krichati said. Back in September, diners flooded into Le Monde after Krichati posted on Facebook that the restaurant was doing its best to keep its doors open. The post became the topic of local TV news stories, and customers showed up in droves to support the longtime business.

Two days later, Krichati now says, the restaurant was “dead” again. The loss of business from the recent snow storms was more than the business could bear, and she isn’t able to pay rent or food providers.

She let her 14 employees know of her decision on Monday.

Krichati owned the restaurant with her late husband, Mohamad, who died in a car accident in San Diego in May 2017. After that, Krichati took over running the restaurant, which Hajeh had been in charge of since 2012, when Mohamed moved to California.

Hajeh’s ongoing lawsuit says that, since her husband’s death, Krichati has been misappropriating restaurant money to pay for personal expenses, including a new roof for her house and catering for her California wedding to her new spouse.

Hajeh, who has worked at the restaurant since 1997 and became a part owner, is suing for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and fraud. He is also asking for damages in excess of $75,000.

In September, Krichati’s lawyer described the lawsuit as a misunderstanding between the partners and denied most of the allegations in the suit.

On Monday, Hajeh said he is still owed money for the lease on the building and that he has essentially been working there for free to keep it open.

“I have a lot of friends, a lot of customers who come in,” he said. “I’m sad for the employees. It leaves them without a job.”

Local restaurateurs Youssef Youssef (Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen) and Kassem Yassine (Delanos Diner) opened Le Monde in April 1994. Mohamad Krichati, a former engineer at Cessna Aircraft, bought the restaurant the following year and even briefly opened a Le Monde on Rock Road in 2010.

The lawsuit is a “personal” issue between herself and Hajeh, Krichati said, and it didn’t contribute to the closing. Neither party wanted this outcome, she said.

“We were still interested in keeping Le Monde open,” she said.

Krichati said she tried to sell her portion of the restaurant to someone who could keep it open but could not find a buyer. She’s still open to discussing the possibility of a sale with anyone who is interested, she said.

The restaurant’s hours this week will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

For its final day in business on Sunday, it will open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 10:10 AM.

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.