Owners of long-awaited sandwich shop almost ready to open but first want a practice run
The long wait is almost over for the opening of Solly & Jude’s, an arena-adjacent sandwich shop that partners Bruce Rowley, Justin Brown, Alex Thomas and Paul Drace announced plans for a little more than a year ago.
Though they’re not quite ready to throw the doors open to the public, Thomas said, they are planning this Sunday, Dec. 10, to open at 5 p.m. and let people stop in to purchase drinks and try free samples of the sandwiches they have planned for the menu.
After that, they’re planning several days of invite-only soft openings, and when they feel like they’re ready, they’ll open the doors at 400 S. Emporia and welcome customers in for regular service. That will likely come in a couple of weeks, Thomas said.
On Sunday — when comedian Adam Sandler will be performing across the street at Intrust Bank Arena — they’ll keep the restaurant open until people stop coming, Thomas said.
The partners first announced plans for their sandwich shop in November 2022 and hoped to have been open by spring. They thought they were ready to go a couple of months ago, Thomas said, but then they became “mired by red tape,” and an inspector handed them a long list of alterations that would have to be made to the building before the restaurant could open. That, along with the fact that their contractors were backed up with work, delayed the opening.
“We did the best we could, and now we’re going to try to eke through the winter and get ready for good service,” Thomas said.
Solly & Jude’s — named for Thomas’ son, Solomon, and Brown’s son, Judah — will serve 10 sandwiches, two soups, tater tots with different sauces, coleslaw, cookies and chips, Thomas said. One of the sandwiches he’s most excited about is the hot Italian.
“If there’s one we wanted to hang our hat on, that’s the one,” he said. “When I was testing out sandwiches on the East Coast, it was one I was really excited about.”
Other sandwiches choices include corned beef, pastrami, smoked turkey, a BLT, a Reuben and a ham and cheese. There’s also the New Yorker, made with pastrami, corned beef, slaw, spicy mustard and Swiss, and a grilled cheese.
Once the restaurant opens fully, every sandwich will be served with chips, a cookie and a little ramekin of coleslaw.
Solly & Jude’s also will serve custom rattlers and shandies made by blending various juices with Walnut River and Wichita Brewing Company beers.
The hours for the restaurant once it’s fully open will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It won’t be open on weekends unless the arena is putting on events.
“That may change, but we’re one of the few restaurants south of the arena here, and the weekends in this area still need a little development,” Thomas said, adding that they expect most of their business will come from people who work downtown and want to grab lunch or dinner.
Solly & Jude’s also will have patio seating, and the owners plan to eventually install a takeout window off of the patio.
Thomas said he and his partners are happy to finally be able to start opening the doors.
“We’re just glad we’re at the end of the road here and we’re going to be able to serve some sandwiches,” he said.
Thomas owns Lucky’s Everyday, Kirby’s Beer Store and is a partner in the Cotillion and a partner with Drace in Lava & Tonic.
Brown owns Barleycorn’s, Snug Harbor, Jerry’s Bar & Grill and the Shamrock Lounge, and Rowley, a longtime local marketer, is a partner in an investment group that owns seven properties around the arena.
