Wichita car dealer, employee are bringing a new restaurant to The Waterfront

A local car dealer and one of his employees are teaming up to bring a new fast-casual restaurant chain to Wichita.

Hatchett-Devlin Automotive Group president Scott Hatchett and his wife, Jenny, along with the dealership’s development director Melody Matulewic and her husband, Doug, have secured the franchise rights to Newk’s Eatery, a Mississippi-based fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas.

The first of what the franchisees hope will be several Wichita-area restaurants should be open by November at 10310 E. 13th St., Melody Matulewic said. The space is at The Waterfront and sits just east of Bonefish Grill, right behind the new Starbucks at 10222 E. 13th St. Construction should start soon.

Melody Matulewic said that the two couples had been talking for a while about partnering up to bring a new franchise to the area, but when they would reach out to places they were interested in, the chains weren’t very forthcoming.

Then, the Hatchetts were in Arkansas and were looking for a place to eat. They stumbled across Newk’s Eatery.

“They were impressed with the quality of the food. They were impressed with portion sizes,” Melody Matulewic said. “We had talked on the phone, and they were both like, ‘You should look this up, Melody.’”

She reached out, she said, and she got a response the next day.

Newk’s Eatery was founded in Oxford, Mississippi, in 2004 by father-and-son Don and Chris Newcomb, the creators of McAlister’s Deli. They’d sold McAlister’s in 1999 but wanted to start something new. Today, around 100 Newk’s Eatery restaurants are operating across 13 states. Wichita’s restaurant will be the first one in Kansas.

Melody Matulewic said that the chain offers Southern hospitality, and several of its menu items have a Southern flair. Among the sandwiches is a pimiento cheese sandwich, a shrimp Po’ Boy, and a steak sandwich dressed with white barbecue sauce.

The menu also includes wraps, more-traditional sandwiches, big salads, soups, a selection of mac-and-cheese dishes, and 10-inch pizzas. The restaurant also offers several combo meal deals.

“You’re going to get a lot for your money,” Melody Matulewic said. “You’re going to get a lot of quality and a fast, fresh experience.”

The restaurants feature open-concept kitchens, and customers can see the food being prepared, Melody Matulewic said.

“We got to tour a few in Mississippi and just have been very impressed with the culture, quality and customer service,” she said.

Newk’s Eatery’s hours each day are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Customers will order their food at the counter, take a number and find a seat and wait for their food to be brought to them. Newk’s also offers carryout and catering.

Stay tuned for updates on Newk’s as its opening gets closer.

This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM.