West-side Timberline restaurant shuts down

It was just a matter of time. Eight months after the east-side Timberline Steakhouse & Grill closed, so has its sister restaurant on the west side.

"It was a very difficult decision that we needed to make," says Scott Redler , who owned the chain with Bill Simon .

"We're looking at this as a celebration of 14 great years of business for Timberline ... and appreciate everyone involved."

Jose Pepper's, which has a Wichita site in the Plazzio development at 13th Street and Greenwich, will open in the former Timberline space near 21st Street and Tyler.

That was Redler and Simon's first in the chain, which had seven restaurants in six cities over the years.

There's one Timberline left. Salina licensee JRI Investments owns that restaurant and has purchased the concept with plans to open more Timberlines.

"You know, we had an opportunity to sell, and it just seemed to make sense," Redler says.

He and Simon plan to continue to focus on Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers , which they run with Simon's brother, Randy , who also is a Panera Bread franchisee.

Redler says Freddy's average ticket of about $6.50 makes a lot more sense than Timberline's $17 average.

"In a volatile economy like we're in, it's a challenge to be in that check average," he says.

Timberline's Friday and Saturday night business was good, Redler says, but "The number of guests who want to pay $17 Sunday through Thursday is not as large as it used to be."

Redler says this is a good time of year to close because college and high school employees are heading back to school, so there are openings at area restaurants for his former employees to find work.

"Really, our main concern was just our very loyal employees ... that have been with us a long time. That's the reason we kept going as long as we did."

Order up

Wichita is serving up quite a bit of restaurant news this week:

* Domino's Pizza franchisees Mike and Stacia McKnight are preparing to open their third Wichita restaurant.

They already have Domino's sites near 21st Street and Maize Road and Harry and Rock Road.

Their next one is opening in the former Quiznos space near 21st Street and Amidon in October.

Mike McKnight says it gives the chain coverage on the north side and a bit into downtown.

He and his wife, who have three Domino's sites in Topeka and six in Kansas City, plan three or four more Domino's restaurants here within the next year or two.

* Bella Vita Bistro is expanding at 120 N. West St., where it opened in early 2010.

"We have to," says Lory Wooley . "We have too many customers."

Wooley runs the restaurant with her daughter and son-in-law, Crystal and Adrian Prud Homme DeLodder .

They're doubling their restaurant size for a total of 2,400 square feet and adding a bar. They'll also have space for private parties when renovation is complete in December.

Wooley says this will be it on expansions, though.

"We can't get too big because Adrian can only cook so much food back there."

* Fazoli's is undergoing some changes as well.

"We're going to enhanced service," says Wes Quast , general manager of the west-side Fazoli's.

"Enhanced service" is one step above what the restaurant has been doing, he says.

As of this week, customers will no longer have to return to the counter to get their food. Staff will bring it to them. Also, diners will eat off of glass plates instead of Styrofoam and use real silverware.

"We're one step away from being full service," Quast says.

The east and west Fazoli's restaurants are undergoing remodeling, though that's lagging behind the start of the enhanced service.

If one day of service is any indication, the enhanced service may prove to be a smart move.

Quast says, "The guests who have come in seem to have enjoyed it very much."

You don't say

"I'm going to stay home and do ... anything I want to do."

—94-year-old " Miss Claudette" Williams , who is retiring from the Augusta McDonald's after working 20 years for the fast-food chain

This story was originally published August 30, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "West-side Timberline restaurant shuts down."