Have You Heard?

WICHITA — Ben Arnold is looking to expand his Corporate Caterers of Wichita.

“Our main goal was just to build a building,” he says.

But with the current state of commercial lending, he says, “There’s absolutely no way.”

Arnold now has 8,700 square feet at Douglas and West.

He’s looking at taking 3,400 square feet Accent Bridal & Tux is vacating two doors down. But he wants more.

“We’re trying to put a deal together,” he says.

That wasn’t Arnold’s original first choice of locales, though. He wanted downtown or the east side.

He found a couple of places he likes downtown, but he didn’t like the parking situation.

“That’s really the beef.”

The east side also was top on his list.

“There are so many buildings over there right now, it’s just unbelievable.”

Among other places, he’s looked at the space where Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill are being evicted. He’s also looked at Piccadilly Market & Grill, another Latour Management restaurant that may be moving, at Central and Rock. But Arnold says prices are too high.

“I would much prefer to be on the east side,” he says.

But prices out west are a third less, he says, so, “There’s not as much pressure to perform.”

Banquet space is key for Arnold.

“If you have one banquet hall, you increase your income by . . . 25 percent,” he says.

That’s what he has now.

But with two, he says, he could increase his business by 60 percent.

“The banquet halls bring you a lot of business because there’s not enough of them in town,” Arnold says.

Look for him to make a final decision early in the new year. At this point, it’s likely to be expansion where he is.

“Obviously, that would be the best scenario because I’m already here.”