WICHITA — The long-empty building at 3425 E. Douglas where fake palm trees used to sit is finally getting a new restaurant.
Josh Crowe is going to sublease the building from Taco Tico for his new Dolci & Joes, an upscale sandwich and hamburger restaurant.
A Taco Tico used to be at the space, followed by the chain’s short-lived sister concept, Breezy’s, which closed in July 2006 after less than a year.
Crowe likes the building’s central location.
“It’s kind of a strategic location as far as College Hill goes,” he says.
Crowe “wanted something that had more of a neighborhood feel to it,” says Brent Stewart of J.P. Weigand & Sons, who brokered the deal.
The menu will feature salads, burgers and specialty sandwiches, which range from traditional deli sandwiches like pastrami on marbled rye to vegetarian offerings like grilled portobello mushroom sandwiches.
The restaurant, which opens in early September, will seat 60. Next year, Crowe will add an outdoor patio and a drive-through as well.
He wants families to be able to dine together at Dolci & Joes and experience “the good times of past generations when that was kind of a big deal.”
The idea, Crowe says, is “kind of bringing back meal time as it should be.”
4 Comments
Because there aren’t enough hamburger and sandwich shops in town already? I just don’t get it. There are restaurants that could thrive in that location, but this idea isn’t it. It will not be able to compete with Panera and Jimmy John’s for sandwiches, and you really have to make a supremely tasty burger to get people into your restaurant if you want to push burgers. Best of luck, but I have a feeling we’ll be reading about this closing in a year from now.
Fish, I’d like to learn what kind of restaurant you think would thrive in that location. Sure, a person can get a burger or a sandwich at a lot of the neighborhood places. So what? No burgers at Jimmy Johns or Panera. Sport Burger is a different concept. If this place makes a decent burger, at least it will be differnt from Spangles and McDs. Plus I would love to have some real deli items, like pastrami on rye, or corned beef on pumpernickel.
Carrie, what’s the story with the name? When I read the headline, I thought there might be sweets involved too! Oh, maybe that’s dolce, not docli. Who’s Dolci?
I still miss the fish tacos from Breezy’s; they were as good as any in California.
I’m glad some things are finally going into those long vacant buildings. I hope they last. I’ve heard the building formerly known as Krazy Kaz’s is becoming a catering business that will also serve food (not sure what kind).
I’ve long said I think a real authentic Jewish deli would do great in that location. I’d take an awesome deli sandwich over Jimmy John’s or Subway any day of the week.