The Quiznos sub chain is no more in Wichita, but a new chain is taking over its last spot

Wichita has lost its last Quiznos sandwich shop. But soon, the space it vacated will be home to a new poke restaurant called Pokemoto.

Late last month, the franchisee for Wichita’s last remaining Quiznos, at 550 N. Webb Road, posted a farewell on social media, thanking customers for supporting the restaurant for 20 years. It’s been Wichita’s only Quiznos since the downtown restaurant at Douglas and Main closed in 2019.

The Quiznos signs are now gone from the building, and recently, a poster announcing the arrival of a new restaurant was put up in the window.

Pokemoto, a Connecticut-based chain with restaurants mostly in the eastern half of the United States, specializes in Hawaiian poke bowls made with various proteins, toppings and sauces. Customers can build their own bowls or choose from predetermined combinations.

Wichita’s previous experience with poke came from Poke Mix, which operated at 8919 W. 21st St. from 2017 until it closed in 2020. The concept was then absorbed into the coffee shop Crafted at 9730 E 21st St.

The Pokemoto chain announced last month that it was planning to open a new corporate-owned store in Wichita, but it had not yet announced the address. In its release, the company noted that Wichita is “unique with three open-lunch major high schools as well as Wichita State University within its trade area.”

Pokemoto’s CEO said that the corporate-owned store was a “seed” location meant to lure franchisees into opening more restaurants in the area.

In addition to poke bowls served on a base of white or brown rice, Pokemoto’s menu includes poke wraps, poke salads, miso soup and Dole Whip ice cream treat. Protein options include ahi tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken and tofu.

The Quiznos sandwich chain first entered the Wichita market in 1996, opening a store at Harry and Rock. Several more quickly followed, including the Douglas and Main location the following year. But the restaurants have slowly closed one by one over the past five years. The third-to-last Quiznos at 240 S. West St. closed in 2017.

Stay tuned for updates on an opening day for Pokemoto. In the meantime, customers can text WichitaWebb to 833-884-9669 to get a coupon for 50% off any bowl at the restaurant’s opening.