New south Wichita Angry Elephant restaurant will have expanded menu, sports bar feel

Wichita by now is familiar with The Angry Elephant — the barbecue restaurant that first opened in 2017 but has operated at 756 N. Tyler Road since late 2019.

Now, founder Santiago Munoz is about to open a big new restaurant on Wichita’s South side — the part of town where he grew up. And although it will have a similar name, he said, it’s going to be a different concept.

Opening day for The Angry Elephant Burgers, Brew & Cue at 111 E 47th St. South could come as soon as next Wednesday, July 13, he said. If for some reason his liquor license doesn’t come through by then though, Munoz said, he’ll push it back a week to July 20.

Though the restaurant, which has taken over a former Burger King building near 47th and Broadway, will have the same barbecue items customers enjoy at the west-side restaurant, its menu will be larger and include steaks, chicken and seafood.

And the cavernous restaurant — which has 4,500 square feet and seating for about 180 — will have a much different feel.

“We’re going to be more of a sports bar with a barbecue theme, but it won’t be just strictly barbecue,” he said. “We’re really trying to base this off Old Chicago or Twin Peaks or Buffalo Wild Wings so that it has the kind of feel where you can come in, get a good drink, get a nice beer and a good meal.”

Munoz wants to be able to focus on the new concept, he said, so much so that he’s decided to sell The Angry Elephant restaurant at Central and Tyler to his longtime manager Angel Ponce. That deal should be wrapped up in a month, he said, and though Ponce will be in charge of the west-side restaurant, it will stay under The Angry Elephant umbrella and keep the same name and menu it has.

“It’s not a complete sell off,” Munoz said. “We’re just trying to just separate concepts a little bit.”

Fast food to sports bar

Munoz’s crews have completely transformed the inside of the onetime fast-food restaurant at 47th and Broadway. The interior was gutted, a large bar was added and the space was filled with modern flooring, all-new wooden booths and new tables and chairs. Next year, he plans to add a patio to the east side of the building.

At the front of the space is a large screen that will show sporting events via a 200-inch projector, and the bar and dining area also are filled with 22 television sets positioned throughout. Munoz said he hopes the restaurant will become a go-to spot for sports fans: It will have an NFL package and the ability to show basketball games, boxing matches and other sporting events.

Though the outside of the restaurant still has a Burger King look, a new sign is on its way, and Munoz is working on other touches that will give the restaurant its own identity.

Munoz said that he and his investors are hoping that the new restaurant will serve as a prototype for others they’re planning. One deal, which is almost finished, would add an identical restaurant in a former Burger King space in Hutchinson, and Munoz said he’s also hoping to eventually add one on Wichita’s east side.

When open, he said, he thinks the restaurant will be a destination for the south side.

“I just kind of wanted to bring something to the South end,” he said. “I’m a South High alumni, and I wanted to add something unique over here. There’s not too many dining options on the south end that are really like this.”

Learning from the comments

The Angry Elephant, people who frequent Facebook groups focused on dining may have noticed, has become a bit of a punchline over the years for certain commentors, who often trash it in reviews.

Munoz is aware of that, he said, and he’s learned from what he describes as “growing pains.”

At the new restaurant, his focus will be on consistency, in terms of both service and food. He’s invested in a large smoker that will ensure he doesn’t run out of menu items like brisket or ribs when the restaurant is busy.

He takes the bad comments seriously, he said, and if the complaints are legitimate, he tries to improve what’s wrong. But he’s also developed a thick skin when it comes to online comments. He points out that the restaurant also gets lots of great reviews, and sales keep going up on the west side. He must be doing something right, he reasons.

“For me, it’s not taking it as criticism but more as just something I can learn from,” he said. “I hate if someone does have a bad experience, and I really want to improve and make sure everybody has an equal opportunity to enjoy our food because we really do have a great product, I believe.”

The Angry Elephant Burgers, Brew & Cue’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Munoz said the kitchen will stay open until closing time and he hopes the restaurant will become a destination for late-night diners.