Wichita restaurant closed for 17 years is coming back to life, buffet style

Usually, when a restaurant is gone, it’s gone.

But when it comes to the two Wichita restaurants that local entrepreneur Bill Rowe once owned, that’s not the case. The former owner of Willie C’s Cafe and Red Beans Bayou Grill is known for frequently reviving his once-popular restaurants in the form of one-night or one-weekend pop-ups.

It’s about to be Willie C’s turn again. Rowe, who now is the owner of Blue Moon Caterers, is bringing back some of the old customer favorites from Willie C’s, whose last Wichita location he closed 17 years ago. The third annual Willie C’s Revival will happen from 5 to 8 p.m.m on Thursday, Aug. 21; Friday, Aug. 22; and Saturday, Aug. 23, at Blue Moon’s former event venue, 8406 W. Central.

Rowe will be serving a lineup of Willie C’s favorites, including chicken fried steak, stacked enchiladas, Mama’s Meatloaf and the Mavis chicken sandwich, as part of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Admission will be $29 for adults, $15 for children ages 4 to 15, and free for ages 3 and under. The price includes tax and iced tea or iced water.

Those who are interested are encouraged to make reservations by calling 316-612-4694: The revival sold out quickly last year.

Willie C’s was one of Wichita’s most popular dining destinations during its heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Rowe founded the restaurant in 1985 and modeled it after a Texas-style cafe. At one time, he had five Willie C’s, including an east-side restaurant on the perimeter of Towne East Square and a west-side restaurant at 656 S. West St., just north of the West Street exit on Kellogg.

Rowe also had Willie C’s in Topeka, Lawrence and St. Joseph, Missouri. He closed the out-of-Wichita restaurants in the late 1990s, followed by the east-side Willie C’s in the fall of 2000. He kept the west side going until May 2008.

Rowe, who relocated his Blue Moon headquarters from the West Central building to 14,000 square feet of space at Kellogg and Seneca in May, also is known for frequent Fat Tuesday revivals of Red Bean’s Bayou Grill, a popular Cajun restaurant that he owned from 2008 until it closed in July 2014. The most recent Red Bean’s revival happened in March.

Willie C’s revival menu

This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 2:25 PM.

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.