Longtime Wichita restaurant that’s down employees will stop offering dinner service

Copper Oven at 2409 W. 13th St. in Wichita, has stayed open through the dinner hour since it opened in 2002.

But as of today, that’s over.

Phil Schoenhofer, who bought the restaurant with his wife, Sharon, in 2012, has just changed the restaurant’s hours and will no longer be serving during the evening. Instead of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m, as of Tuesday, Copper Oven’s hours have become 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Schoenhofer said he and his wife have been trying to retire for the past couple of years, but since the start of COVID-19, they’ve had trouble keeping staff. They recently lost a manager and are now down about seven second-shift employees.

“We just can’t replace them,” he said. “I’m tired of fighting it.”

The couple’s son, Jeff, will take over most of the management duties, though Phil and Sharon will work Fridays and Saturdays and cover vacation shifts for employees.

They’ve told longtime customers about the plan and have gotten mixed reactions, Phil said. Most of the restaurant’s business happens between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., though, so he doesn’t think it will be a big blow.

The restaurant, which focuses on home-cooking dishes, won’t change its menu, which offers breakfast until 2 p.m. plus a large variety of sandwiches, burgers, salads, pizzas, chicken fried steak and more. Phil said he’d reevaluate in a few months to see if he needed to drop anything.

“It is important to the entire Copper Oven family that we do the best job with what we have,” Phil said. “We love our customers and hope that we can continue to provide some of the best food and service in Wichita.”