General News in the 316

[Shockm]

Interesting tidbit of information:

On Fox News at Night last night, Fox Reporter/Co-Anchor Kevin Corke was listing the Top 5 Quality BBQ cities (off of some poll), and #5 was Wichita. After he mentioned Wichita, he said, “Go Shockers”.

Corke grew up in St Louis, and he’s worked in a number of mediums, i think including in one of the KCK cities. Otherwise, I’m not sure of his interest or knowledge of Wichita State.

[SubGod22]

What were the other 4? Being a Midwest guy I'm guessing STL, Memphis and KC were on his list?

[Shockm]

What were the other 4? Being a Midwest guy I'm guessing STL, Memphis and KC were on his list?

They had two lists. One was Top 5 Best BBQ and the other was Top 5 Quality BBQ cities. I wasn't sure of what the difference of criteria was. I think that St. Louis, Memphis, and KC were in the Top 5 Quality cities.

No Texas or North Carolina cities on the list but Durham was mentioned.

I didn't expect the reference to Wichita.

[SubGod22]

Speaking of Wichita BBQ, have any of you been to Station 8 yet? They're only open during lunch I believe Wed-Sat but I keep hearing absolutely raving reviews from people who have gone. Have a co-worker who said he loves B&C and they used to be at the top of his list locally until he had Station 8 recently. I haven't had either. I hate to admit that my Wichita BBQ experiences have been limited to Hog Wild and Two Brothers. They're much more conveniently located for me.

[RoyalShock]

WBJ - Hamburger chain says it has out-of-the-box ambitions for Wichita

A large national chain is coming back to Wichita, and it's not White Castle



I can't recall ever eating here when it was in Wichita, but I was insanely little at the time. Did eat at one in Vegas 15 or so years ago. It was okay, but nothing special. This announcement also comes at a time when the metro area is expecting to see some Whataburgers pop up in the next year or so. I'm sure Wichita will allow a chain like this to thrive even with the insane amount of competition already established and another big name player moving in as well.

I ate at one in Arizona and thought it was decent for fast food. I would welcome them in Hutch (along with Whataburger).

[SubGod22]

A new downtown development announced, as change is coming to the old Commerce Bank building at 150 N. Main.

WBJ - 10-story downtown building set for transformation after acquisition

Tyler Ellis, vice president at High Plains Development, told the WBJ that there is potential for some retail in the space, but that the co-working portion and the apartments and their amenities will take up the majority of the building.

He said the project team has seen similar concepts — where individuals can work in the same building where they live, with high-quality amenities — do well in other markets and is looking forward to bringing it to Wichita.

"It brings a lot to the building and the community," said Ellis, who added in the announcement that it could be an especially strong fit "for anyone who has a work-from-home component to their job."

More details on the project could come as soon as this fall, he said.

Apparently this building has been vacant for nearly a decade and is said to be one of the last vacant building in downtown.

I look forward to more details and a time frame in the future. I'm sure a lot of renovations will be required, but it's a decent sized building with a lot of potential and could eventually be a nice boost to the population and the atmosphere of the area depending what goes in on the ground floor.

[SubGod22]

I ate at one in Arizona and thought it was decent for fast food. I would welcome them in Hutch (along with Whataburger).

Wouldn't just about anything be welcomed in Hutch? I kid, but those are the types of comments I see from Hutch people on socials.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Max Effort: Through obstacles, Chick N Max's national push is taking shape

Maintaining the company's culture is critical while it expands, says Sheets, and every employee receives a cell-phone-sized pamphlet on just that.

Core principles include "Get better faster," "Be nimble," "Be elite" and "Own your results," while other parts of the guide emphasize teamwork, humility, effort, honesty, and other traits.

Sheets, a Wichita State University graduate, expects each franchisee to carry those same principles, and he and Peterson said they will not grow at all costs.

“We’re not going to say yes to a deal just to do a deal," Peterson said. "If they don’t fit our culture, we are going to say no.”

McKerrow — during an environment he said is unprecedented in his decades-long career with concurrent supply chain, labor and inflation challenges — said Sheets has the right culture to attract and retain talent and reiterated the importance of franchisee buy-in.

"I think he’s been patient and selective enough with the franchisees," he said.

A lengthy piece with some good information. Chick N Max was created to be the next Wichita based chain to go national and they're making progress there with construction already beginning on a new location in South Dakota, expected to be open by the end of the year, as well as a deal to open up in Houston. Sheets also mentioned talks taking place in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Phoenix, as well as a plan to open 25 more in Kansas over the next decade.

Sheets has a long history in the industry and seems to be on the right track. I'm sure we'd all love to see some tech company start here and become a giant, but I'm okay with anything that finds success, especially if it actually stays in Wichita, unlike Pizza Hut and White Castle. Build up enough of a base of corporate locations, and franchises, and that creates what should be some good jobs locally to keep on top of everything.

I should probably try Chick N Max at some point. Pretty sure there's one over at 96 and Greenwich.

[SubGod22]

Wichita by EB - What's Happening This Weekend in Wichita (July 15-17)

[SubGod22]

Eagle - The Mountain Goats' frontman has a crush on Wichita. Now the band will play here.

I'm not familiar with their work, but it's a nice piece on how Wichita made an impression on a visitor not too long ago. The Mountain Goats will be performing at Wave on Sunday. They're described as a folk rock band for those interested.

“I guarantee you, you’ll be hard pressed to find somebody who’s more excited to play Wichita than me,” Darnielle said during a recent phone interview.

Darnielle, in addition to fronting The Mountain Goats, is also a New York Times bestselling author, and that career brought him to Wichita last February for a reading for his most recent novel, “Devil House,” at the Advanced Learning Library.

“I spent extra days there because I really liked it,” Darnielle said.

“There are cities in the U.S. I have big crushes on. Pittsburgh is one and Wichita is another. I told my manager ‘I’m coming back here.’”

True to his word, Darnielle will return to Wichita for a show at Wave this Sunday, although it will be a slightly abbreviated version of The Mountain Goats.

[RoyalShock]

Wouldn't just about anything be welcomed in Hutch? I kid, but those are the types of comments I see from Hutch people on socials.

A lot of Hutch people don't have any perspective. Many want and expect Wichita-like amenities because they often go to Wichita for those things (shopping, restaurants, entertainment). Then they complain that Hutch sucks when stores close or new ventures fail. The reality is they won't support something new in Hutch for more than a few months, until the novelty wears off.

Hutch retail has struggled ever since K-96 was expanded to 4-lane in the 90s, all that new development occurred on the northwest side of Wichita, and of course, the internet. So now most can get to shopping and restaurants in 40 minutes.

[SubGod22]

That's a fair point, and kind of sad. I've long been an advocate for metro cities to have their own identities and be relatively independent or self sustaining on some level. But that can only happen with civic engagement and support. I have some friends who recently opened up a small coffee shop in Goddard and was just on FB and saw a post that they shared, which talked about the importance of supporting locally owned businesses and the talent that puts in the effort to be there, because they are a part of the community. I'm never going to flat out bad mouth chains and such as many times they are relatively locally owned and employ locals, but there is something special about those who put their all into something of their own.

By the way, if anyone is in Goddard, check out JoJo's Coffehouse on Main. I was able to stop by there last week and really enjoyed my coffee and the blueberry muffin was fantastic.

I always thought that Hutch though, being a little further away than say Andover, would have a little more success in building itself up. Would love to see it, but you do often see about things closing down, but then see Hutch residents complaining about not having X, Y or Z. You being a bit closer to that scene obviously have more understanding and knowledge about what goes on there. Maybe one day it'll change, but that takes a certain mindset and some local pride and drive to help. Look at Wichita. There are still many who complain about what we do or don't have and have for decades, but there was a movement a number of years ago to change that mindset and try and make Wichita better. I really do think the resurgence of the flag has played a part in that, but there are a lot of people and organizations that have stepped up to try and change the narrative.

My hometown of Benton is trying to do something similar, on a much smaller scale. For years, leadership and the people were content to just be, but that has changed the past few years with people and groups getting together and doing research and outreach to find ways to attract more home construction and business and visitors to the area. It's a work in progress, but the drive is there. The effort is being made both by private citizens and the city government and I truly do believe that we could support a few more small businesses if people were willing to take that chance. The city is told by experts that to attract more businesses to the area we need more rooftops. The city has been told by most builders/developers that we need more business to attract more building. That and most builders don't want to build more affordable housing and are focusing on more expensive homes, which doesn't directly help the city in either endeavor. There are a lot of people actively seeking ways to help grow and mature the city and I think they'll find some success if they stick with it. And I do think it's a community that will rally around a good business if given the chance. But it may also be easier for a growing, small community to have that local loyalty than a little bigger place like Hutch which may lose some of that community spirit as a whole.

I hate generalizing and I'm not sure if that last part was articulated quite as well as I would like.

But if anyone here is a developer and would be interested in building some affordable housing, and I'm not talking cheap, but under 300k, let me know and I can get you in contact with some people who would love to talk to you. I think Benton has at least 100 lots that are pretty much ready to be built on, or could be in short order, with a lot of surrounding land that can and will eventually be a part of future development. Shameless plug.

[NCAABound]

Hey what's all this 620 talk mucking up the 316 thread!!

[SubGod22]

Hey what's all this 620 talk mucking up the 316 thread!!

I didn't realize, though they are still a part of the metro area, which I will occasionally expand a bit.

[ShockerFever]

WBJ - Max Effort: Through obstacles, Chick N Max's national push is taking shape



A lengthy piece with some good information. Chick N Max was created to be the next Wichita based chain to go national and they're making progress there with construction already beginning on a new location in South Dakota, expected to be open by the end of the year, as well as a deal to open up in Houston. Sheets also mentioned talks taking place in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Phoenix, as well as a plan to open 25 more in Kansas over the next decade.

Sheets has a long history in the industry and seems to be on the right track. I'm sure we'd all love to see some tech company start here and become a giant, but I'm okay with anything that finds success, especially if it actually stays in Wichita, unlike Pizza Hut and White Castle. Build up enough of a base of corporate locations, and franchises, and that creates what should be some good jobs locally to keep on top of everything.

I should probably try Chick N Max at some point. Pretty sure there's one over at 96 and Greenwich.

They’re not that great.

This article is surprising considering they’ve already closed down 2 of their locations already. Expanding to just expand is a recipe for disaster.