Wichita’s first Smalls Sliders gets a snowy drop in place; second now leased out west

In a first for the Smalls Sliders burgers and fries chain, the restaurant in retrofitted shipping containers was dropped in the snow on Friday.

Franchisee Colton Sorlie was expecting one to three inches to fall overnight on Thursday, but he said the Plazzio development at 13th and Greenwich had about six inches.

“It was a snowy but successful day overall,” he said.

The crane dropping the two containers was fine once it got on site.

“It got stuck a couple of times, you know, with how the roads were,” Sorlie said.

He said it was key that there wasn’t much of a wind, which could have caused more difficulties.

The black-and-orange main container on the ground is where the restaurant operations will be.

The second container, which is all orange, sits atop the first.

“It’s basically additional signage,” Sorlie said. “It really pops.”

He expects the restaurant to open in mid-March.

There still needs to be utility and concrete work, equipment and landscaping installation and training.

“It’s going to become a busy site here in the coming months,” Sorlie said.

There won’t be any indoor dining, but there will be about 30 patio seats and walk-up windows in addition to a drive through.

As Sorlie and his family, including his parents, Jim and Teresa, and brother, Matthew, work on opening this site, they’ve also signed a lease for a second one on the west side.

The second Smalls Sliders will open just south of 37th Street North on the east side of Maize Road between Petland and Capitol Federal.

Look for that restaurant to open in the third quarter this year.

This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 4:04 AM.