Downtown fast-food restaurant that was scraped off the Earth last fall has reopened
The latest Wichita Wendy’s to be scraped then rebuilt from scratch is back in business as of today.
The restaurant at 555 S. Broadway, which is visible from the Kellogg overpass for westbound drivers, shut down in November then was completely torn down. Since then, crews have been rebuilding the restaurant using the chain’s newest design, which features digital kiosks for ordering and a walk-up pickup window for third-party delivery drivers like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The interior of the new Wendy’s has sleek wooden tables, chairs and booths and a “We love Wichita” sign hanging on the back wall.
The Wendy’s on South Broadway first opened in 1978.
Wichitans no longer get too worked up when a Wendy’s restaurant suddenly disappears from the landscape. For several years, the chain has been remodeling or replacing aging stores across the city. Back in 2021, the Wendy’s at 160 S. Rock Road — which was Wichita’s first Wendy’s when it opened in 1975 — was torn down and replaced. The following year, the restaurants at 3601 E. Harry and at 601 N. West St. got the same treatment.
More such projects are in the works, said Brent Madison, the regional franchise development director for Wendy’s, corporate, who is in town today helping with the relaunch. The restaurant franchisee is Cotti Foods, which owns 122 Wendy’s restaurants across six states.
“I really just want to get folks in here to enjoy the new location,” Madison said. “It’s fantastic.”
Wendy’s is open from 6:30 a.m. to midnight daily.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 1:29 PM.
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