Her specialty is selling Wichita Asian restaurants. She’s now on the hunt for seven buyers
Nancy Shih is a residential realtor for Re/MAX Associates in Wichita, but over the years, she’s become known for her busy side job: selling Asian restaurants.
And at the moment, that side job is keeping her way busier than normal. She currently has seven local Asian restaurants listed for sale — including an established Thai restaurant, a couple of Chinese take-out places and a boba tea shop.
That’s far more than typical, she said. Last year, she sold four Asian restaurants.
When she tries to pinpoint why so many restaurateurs are trying to get out of the business this year, Shih said, she can’t narrow it down to just one reason. Besides the obvious tough restaurant climate that’s persisted since the pandemic, owners cite many different reasons, including a desire to retire.
Others say it’s too hard to compete with all the “big dogs” that are opening, especially national franchises, Shih said.
But most share a common problem.
“Mostly, they all tell me they can’t find people to work,” she said. “It’s hard work, and it’s hard to find people who will work hard these days. Everybody wants an easy job.”
Included on the list of restaurants Shih is now trying to sell are:
Promise Thai Cuisine at 313 S. Greenwich
Crazy Crab at 779 West St.
Hong Kong Express at 7900 E. Harry
Great Wall at 407 E. Pawnee
Joy Bubble Tea at 11414 E. Central
She has two others listed, but one’s contract with her is about to expire, so she doesn’t want to name it. The other owner doesn’t want customers to know that the restaurant is for sale: Owners often worry people will think their businesses are already closed once they hear that they’re for sale.
All of the restaurants Shih is currently trying to sell are still open, and most will likely remain open, regardless of whether they sell. Most of the sellers don’t own the property where the businesses operate: They’re selling their business names, recipes and customer bases, but the new owners will have to take over the lease.
Sometimes, Shih said, it takes awhile to sell a restaurant. Sometimes, owners get frustrated and take their restaurants off the market.
“It’s hit or miss,” she said. “It takes the right person at the right time looking for the right place.”
Boa Pojananond, who owns Promise Thai Cuisine, has had his restaurant listed with Shih since November. He opened his restaurant in a strip center near Kellogg and Greenwich in 2006.
He’s ready to retire, he said, and is giving himself until November to sell. If he doesn’t, he said, he plans to close.
“In the meantime, right now we’re still open and it’s business as usual,” he said.
Last year, Shih sold No. 1 Kitchen at 1317 N. Maize Road to the owners of Tuptim Thai Express; She sold Sakana Japanese Cuisine in Andover to Chiang Mai; She sold the SpringRo restaurant in Bel Aire to Mirai Ramen & Sushi; and she sold the Oishi poke and ramen restaurant at 1945 S. Rock Road to Da Nang Bistro.
Anyone interested in the restaurants Shih has for sale can contact her at 316-992-1108. Shih will show potential buyers the restaurants and help negotiate a sale with the current owner, she said.
She also frequently posts the restaurants she has for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM.
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