After more than a quarter century, this well-known Wichita restaurant will be moving

IHOP was an early adopter at what became restaurant row south of Maple and Ridge Road. After more than a quarter century there, it’s moving, but only across the street.

“I’m excited to be the new kid on the block again,” said restaurateur Ali Issa.

He and his brothers purchased the business a dozen years ago and took over the existing IHOP lease.

Now, they’re going to own their building when the restaurant moves across Ridge Road to 526 S. Ridge Road.

IHOP is a couple of blocks south of Maple and Ridge Road, but to the restaurant’s west, Ridge Road becomes Eisenhower Airport Parkway. To its east, Ridge Road continues. So the new IHOP will be on Ridge Road just south of Rib Crib.

Issa has to rezone the property to commercial. It currently has a house on it and is zoned residential. Another property he purchased just to the south already is zoned commercial.

The new IHOP will be the chain’s latest model and will jump from about 134 seats to 182.

“We need it because this is a very busy . . . high-volume store,” Issa said.

The new restaurant should be ready by June or July, and Issa hopes to keep the existing IHOP open until close to the time the other opens.

Issa said the lots are big enough that he may have enough room to add about 2,000 square feet of retail in addition to the restaurant.

He said it will be great to have a new building and equipment.

“We’re not really moving anything from there,” Issa said of the existing space.

The current IHOP space will be available for lease when IHOP moves next summer.

Numerous restaurants, along with other businesses, have opened south of Maple and Ridge Road in the last decade or so. Issa is happy to have these lots for the IHOP move.

“Those are the only two properties left around the area.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 11:17 AM.