Newk’s Eatery franchisees have chosen the spot for their second Wichita restaurant
A little more than three months ago, Wichita’s first Newk’s Eatery opened at the Waterfront development, 13th and Webb Road.
But the local Newk’s franchisees have already chosen a spot for a northwest location.
Hatchett-Devlin Automotive Group president Scott Hatchett and his wife, Jenny, along with the dealership’s development director Melody Matulewic and her husband, Doug, say they will open their second Newk’s in the Shops at Avante 2 Shopping Center at 3905 N. Ridge Road. The restaurant is taking over a 3,600-square-foot space in the new strip center, which is just north of 37th Street on Ridge Road.
The partners hope to have the northwest Newk’s open in October. Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate brokered the deal, and Accel Construction, which worked on the first Wichita Newk’s, will also build out the new one.
Newk’s Eatery is a Mississippi-based fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas. The franchisees opened the east-side restaurant, which sits just east of Bonefish Grill, on Dec. 8
The Hatchetts and Matulewics had been talking for a while about bringing a new franchise to the area when the Hatchetts, who were visiting Arkansas, stumbled across Newk’s Eatery. They were impressed with both the food quality and portion sizes at Newk’s, Melody Matulewic said.
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 around the country.
The Hatchetts and Matulewics have said that they hope to eventually bring several Newk’s to the area.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 5:09 AM.
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