‘Sound scientist’ hired to address noise problems in this new Wichita restaurant
Johnny’s Tavern opened in late February with seating for 200, around 40 television sets that owners promised could play just about any sporting event anyone wanted to see — and a noise level so chaotic, customers could barely hear each other across the table much less hear the game announcers on TV.
But the staff at Johnny’s, which is in the old Anchor spot at 1109 E. Douglas, have started working with a “sound scientist” and hope to have the noise problem in the restaurant solved soon, said general manager Caroline Patton.
The problem, she said, is being caused by something Johnny’s owners did not anticipate. The Anchor’s former owner Schane Gross tore down the wall that separated the two separate buildings that made up the restaurant during a 2023 remodel, turning the dining space into one giant room. That, combined with the restaurant’s high, tin ceilings and concrete floors — and the fact that it has been consistently packed since it opened as Johnny’s Tavern — has created what Patton describes as “a big echo chamber, especially on game days.”
But the sound scientist had some ideas, Patton said, and the owners have already started implementing his suggestions.
For one, they’ve installed new speakers to help amplify the sound coming from the television sets.
“They’ve helped a little bit,” Patton said. “It makes the sound clearer so you can hear the announcer. It’s helping during March Madness time.”
The noise created by so many people talking in a room with so little sound absorption is another issue, she said, especially because the owners don’t want to cover up the building’s charming tin ceilings.
The sound scientist suggested that putting some softer materials on the ceiling could help. So the owners ordered lots of big flags representing local, regional and national sports teams and plan to hang them at strategic spots across the ceiling. The installation should happen this week, Patton said.
“Hopefully, that will solve the problem once and for all,” she said.
The first Johnny’s Tavern opened in Lawrence in 1953 — with noise-absorbing wood floors and low ceilings. Since then, the owners have added 13 locations: in Lawrence, in the Kansas City area, in Topeka and now in Wichita.
Johnny’s Tavern has a full bar and a menu made up of pizzas, wings, burgers sandwiches and salads
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 12:50 PM.
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