Auction of closed Wichita restaurant’s contents includes items for the everyman
If you’re an aspiring restaurant owner looking for some new tables and chairs — or just a homeowner in need of a chicken painting for your wall — you might want to check out the online auction for the contents of a Wichita restaurant that closed late last year.
Tuesday was the first day for McCurdy Real Estate & Auction’s liquidation sale of the contents of the Chick N Max that operated until last fall at 8977 W. Central. The auction will run through noon on Thursday, March 5, at www.mccurdy.com/auction/11313/restaurant-liquidation-auction
A gallery of photos on the site shows the variety of items for sale, from a commercial tomato slicer to a bun toaster to a stainless steel sink.
But it also lists several things non-restaurant owners might want, including a few 55-inch television sets, a collection of kitchen knives, and a pair of chicken paintings by local artist Michael Potts. (Someone’s after those: The bids on the two wall hangings were up to $21 and $23 as of Wednesday afternoon.)
The Chick N Max that previously operated in the space was one of three that closed last year. In fact, the only remaining location of Max Sheets’ chicken chain is at 352 S. West St.
The Chick N Max at 3520 N. Maize Road, which opened in January 2019, closed in March 2025 and is now occupied by The Easy Egg. And in October, the Chick N Max at 5510 E. Central also quietly closed. Red Bird owner Sebastian Gordon plans to open a new restaurant called Black Bird Burger there this spring.
Longtime Wichita restaurateur Rusty Rathbun opened the Central and Tyler location as a franchisee in 2022 but indicated in December that he was no longer involved with the chain. The once-growing chain’s only other restaurant is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Sheets said this week that he would provide an update on Chick N Max’s future next week.
Chick N Max, which Sheets founded in 2017, announced in early 2021 its plans to start franchising the restaurant concept and at one point reported that it had deals for additional restaurants in South Dakota, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Phoenix.
The building at Central and Tyler where the auction is happening was built to hold a Pizza Hut. It also was home to T’Geaux Cajun from November 2021 until early 2022 and, before that, Electric Pizzeria.
The 2,400-square-foot building is listed for lease by Alex Ibarra and Ben Suellentrop of ReeceNichols South Central Kansas.
People who want to see the auction items in person can stop by the building at 8977 W. Central from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
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