Three new restaurants and a retail store to open at Wichita State’s Braeburn Square

One of the many things the pandemic derailed in Wichita has been progress at Wichita State University’s Braeburn Square, the restaurant and retail development on the school’s Innovation Campus near 21st and Oliver.

“COVID put quite a dent in any . . . new restaurants wanting to open up,” said Tonya Witherspoon, associate vice president for industry engagement and applied learning.

Now, the university is making up for it with the announcement of three new restaurants and a store, which will bring the occupancy of Braeburn Square’s first building to 100%.

The new businesses include Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Two Hands Korean Corn Dogs and the Pedego Wichita electric bike shop.

They join existing tenants Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Social Tap Drinkery, Sungrano Pizza, Wheatly’s, Meritrust Credit Union and the Shocker Store.

The Journey East Asia Grill restaurant at Braeburn Square closed during the pandemic.

“The only reason it seems like all of these are opening up at once is it’s time to finally open up restaurants again,” Witherspoon said. “At the same time . . . we also have some new business partners that have been opening up.”

The NetApp building was ready almost a year ago, but employees still had a global work-from-home order, which now has been lifted.

Airbus, too, is open, and WSU is fully back, Witherspoon said.

“All of that . . . has helped.”

She said the three new restaurants along with the existing ones offer a nice variety for diners.

Braeburn has an area for concerts and events, and previously the school had to bring in food trucks for those events because there weren’t enough restaurants.

“It’s just going to be a really nice place to hang out,” Witherspoon said.

There’s space for more businesses, too.

“On the other side of the lake there’s some room,” Witherspoon said.

It’s all part of the vision that the late President John Bardo had for the Innovation Campus.

“His whole . . . plan was live, learn, play,” Witherspoon said. “We’ve really made it come alive. I think about that often. I wish he could be here — see what is really happening. The students are just energized and so excited.”

Pedaling on

In the three short years Pedego Wichita has been open here, Braeburn Square will make its third new site.

“And I’m going to say third and final,” said co-owner Russell Groves.

The electric bike shop has been operating a bit as a pop-up store at Bradley Fair.

“We are extremely grateful for our chance to be at Bradley Fair,” Groves said. “It’s been a wonderful location.”

However, it’s in 7,400 square feet, “And a bike store that’s 7,400 square feet just looks empty.”

The space had been a former Versona Accessories store, and Groves said, “We still have the crystal chandeliers from that time. We are going to miss being the only Pedego with chandeliers.”

Groves said the new store, which he hopes will open by the end of March, “is the chance to bridge between the Wichita community and the Wichita State community.”

“It’s going to be a chance for the community that isn’t connected to Wichita State to get a better look at Wichita State from the back of a Pedego.”

He said it’ll be especially handy for students, including international students, who may not have vehicles.

Also, Groves said, “It’s going to make it much easier than dealing with the parking situation at Wichita State.”

Nothing is finalized on a rental program yet, but Groves plans to offer long-term — like one or two semesters — leases.

He’s not interested in short-term leases given the high-end nature of the bikes and how often they’re stolen. Also, Groves said he wants more accountability than what a ride share bike would offer.

The bikes cost about $3,000, though Groves sells preowned ones for less.

The new store will be 1,440 square feet.

“That’s going to take a pretty good-size shoehorn to get that moved over there,” Groves said. “It will be a completely different display.”

There will be high ceilings, 8-foot wall hangings for bikes and then a neutral gray wall space above those to display art.

“I’d like to have it as a place for students and nonstudents to be able to show some bike-related, fun-type art,” Groves said.

Pedego has been a sponsor for AfterShocks, the Wichita State Shockers alumni team, and Groves said the store will donate some bikes to the WSU police as it did with the Wichita Police Department.

He said he feels donations like that come back to the store in myriad ways.

Plus, Groves said, “Wichita State has been just absolutely wonderful to us.”

Sentimental favorite

Picking Braeburn Square for his second Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen partly is a sentimental choice for Youssef Youssef.

The Lebanon native first came to Wichita in 1988 as an electrical engineering student at WSU.

“I love Wichita State,” he said.

While still in school, Youssef opened Le Monde on West Street, thinking a restaurant would allow him to be in charge of his own schedule.

About 20 restaurants and bakeries later, both in Wichita and Beirut, Youssef said he finds himself still dreaming of being in charge of his own schedule.

It was a hard lesson to learn, but Youssef said, “The restaurant business has been great to me, and I gave it all my heart.”

Youssef used to run WSU’s University Alumni and Faculty Club, later renamed University Cafe, before it closed, and he called it one of his favorite ventures ever.

When he returned to Wichita three years ago after an economic collapse in Beirut, Youssef said he considered opening in Braeburn Square, but the area was still new, and the pandemic was just beginning. Plus, he lost so much in Beirut.

“You could say I chickened out.”

He had an opportunity to open the first Sesame Mediterranean on the west side at 2755 N. Maize Road, and Youssef said it has gone well.

Next week — just as soon as he receives his license from the Health Department — he’ll open the second of the casual Lebanese restaurants. Like the west-side one, the Braeburn Square Sesame Mediterranean will serve traditional Lebanese and Greek dishes such as hummus, shawarma, falafel, kababs and pizzas.

There won’t be alcohol at the restaurant, but diners can bring drinks over from Social Tap.

Like the original Sesame Mediterranean, this one will feature ordering at a counter, and workers then will bring food to diners’ tables.

Youssef said it’s a great location with a big population, including a lot of international students.

“I’m excited — especially to be here at WSU.”

Ready or not

The Braeburn Square Jersey Mike’s will be the fourth in the greater Wichita area for the New Jersey-based franchise.

Another franchisee has two Jersey Mike’s restaurants in Wichita and one in Derby.

Annette and Ryan Hennes have the one opening at Braeburn Square, and Annette Hennes will run the restaurant.

She said she was interested in opening a Jersey Mike’s a few years back, but her children were younger then.

“I wasn’t quite ready.”

Now, she is, and Hennes said, “I love . . . that Innovation Campus and the potential there in that area of town.”

The sub shop will open in May.

“The concept is simple,” Hennes said. “It’s just fresh and the best quality.”

She said the line to order is centered around a meat case concept.

There’s a cold sub line and a hot grill, too, with items such as a Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

Hennes said the restaurant slices meat in front of customers and has other ingredients prepared the same day on which they’re served.

“It’s just about the atmosphere and the service and the banter, talking to the employees down the line,” she said.

Jersey Mike’s will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

There will be about 20 seats inside and more overlooking a lake out back. Hennes said a garage door will open onto the back. She said the outside area is one of the great features of Braeburn Square.

“We are just excited to be part of . . . the university there.”

Outside chance

Two Hands Korean Corn Dogs is a California-based franchise that is capitalizing on a Korean food trend.

The carry-out only restaurant’s specialty is corn dogs, but “the outside is where it’s interesting,” said one of the two franchisees, who prefers not to be named.

Toppings include sweet or spicy options.

The corn dogs are made of either hot dogs, a melty mozzarella cheese or a mixture of both, and they’re coated with a rice flour batter and then deep fried.

They’re then topped with or rolled in things such as hot Cheetos powder, cubes of potatoes, crunchy rice puffs or bean powder and drizzled with various sauces. They’re quite filling, the local franchisees said, and they’re fun to eat.

Two Hands also will serve items such as fries with kimchi seasonings, slushes and soft serve ice cream along with elote, which is Mexican corn on the cob with seasonings.

College students are an especially good market for the restaurant, the franchisees said. Nothing will be over about $5 or $6.

Look for Two Hands to open around May.

Check it out

Witherspoon said Braeburn Square is going to have a number of great places to hang out, particularly before games and events. She said people can stop by for a bite and then take a shuttle to their event.

“It helps with parking, too, I think,” she said. “All of that makes the university a little more inviting for the community. At least that’s our hope.”

Krista Racine and Christi Royse of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the deals for all the new tenants.

Witherspoon said even beyond the restaurants and shops, there are reasons to visit the Innovation Campus.

She said it’s a great place to take walks and see sculptures and gardens in a dog-friendly space.

Witherspoon said she even knows of doctors and clinics advising rehab patients to go walk there on all-new sidewalks that are completely even — a perk in addition to the restaurants and businesses.

“I would just invite everybody to try it out.”