Wichita Art Museum restaurant to close for now; future is in flux

Less than a year after opening at the Wichita Art Museum, restaurateur Katharine Elder’s 1400 by Elderslie is closing.

What may happen in the restaurant space — and with future WAM events that require catering — is under discussion. That most likely will include a new catering partner, but Elder may still be involved in at least some events and may have input into a new restaurant.

“Everything is still in flux,” she said. However, Elder added, “The cafe is going to for sure close and pretty much immediately.”

The proprietor of Elderslie Farm in Kechi, which has a cafe, restaurant and creamery along with a Bradley Fair store, first worked with WAM for an event under former museum director Patricia McDonnell.

When new director Anne Kraybill arrived in August 2022, she said she saw the enthusiasm over Elder and a chance to reimagine the museum’s restaurant, which Latour Management had operated as the Muse since 2007.

“It kind of looked like a hospital cafeteria, let’s be honest,” Kraybill said.

Both Elder and Kraybill said there were a lot of successes since the restaurant opened in March along with a large learning curve that included some events that did not go as planned.

For instance, the first event that 1400 by Elderslie catered was for Art on a Monday, which the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum threw.

“The cost for that luncheon was significantly over the budget that we had outlined for that event, which was of concern to us obviously,” said Friends chair Janet Wright.

“We had a conversation with Katharine, and she was very open about wanting to help us and make adjustments as necessary for the next event.”

That next Friends event “did not turn out to be a positive circumstance either,” Wright said.

There was a lack of communication about where and when the food should be served, she said.

“Katharine was very regretful of that and did not charge us then for the food they got out.”

The next Art on a Monday “turned out much better,” Wright said. “This time there was a written contract between the two organizations.”

Even though the problems were worked out, the Friends likely will have a new caterer to work with.

“I just hope we can come up with something that people can enjoy and is affordable and can be profitable for both parties,” Wright said.

Elder said large-scale catering events are not her forte, nor is it her interest or goal to do them.

“We’re just not equipped to deliver those on the level that I think . . . Wichita and the patrons deserve.”

Events with 60 or fewer people and “very carefully curated menus” fit better for Elderslie’s abilities, she said.

Elder pointed to successful events such as the opening party of the Clearly Indigenous exhibit that featured a visiting chef from the Potawatomi tribe.

Like that event, she said she wants “to include a focus on the culinary expression, table-side service and celebrating artists and chefs around the country.”

“In a way, that gave additional substance to the visual art that had been brought in with a resident culinary experience.”

Kraybill, whose last day as WAM director is Jan. 12 before she becomes CEO of the Art Bridges Foundation in Bentonville, Ark., said she hopes to see Elder continue with dinners like that.

She said the Celebrity Chef Dinner with Toni Tipton-Martin “was an amazing event.”

Elder said one of the biggest catering hurdles for her was the kitchen at WAM.

“The kitchen here is not a catering kitchen.”

Kraybill said there’s also been a lot of deferred maintenance, which will be taken care of while the restaurant is closed.

During her time with 1400 by Elderslie, Elder said she had to refine and hone the menu, much of which she said went well.

“The opportunity to bring a seasonally focused menu into the space was wonderful.”

Overall, though, Elder said, “I’m not sure that the model that we introduced to WAM resonates with the patrons and with the public.”

She said that concerned her because “this is Wichita’s restaurant.”

A grab-and-go concept may work better, Elder said. She may work with a new catering partner to help develop what the new restaurant could and should be.

Elder said the volume of business the restaurant does was a surprise to her.

“There’s less consistent traffic than I thought,” she said. “As a business owner, it’s a little bit difficult to navigate fluctuating volumes.”

Being a renter was another new challenge, Elder said, as was having to discuss with WAM anything involving patrons, “even things as simple as shifting the menu.”

It was all a lot to navigate, she said.

“I think Katharine learned a lot,” Kraybill said. “She took . . . feedback, and she never was defensive about it.”

Kraybill said restaurant margins are tough.

“It’s a really difficult industry.”

She added, “I personally always enjoyed my meals there.”

WAM is in talks with Blue Moon Caterers, but nothing is finalized.

Elder said she has no regrets about her time at WAM, though she said she wishes she’d had the foresight to better understand the catering situation and that she needed help.

She said her relationship with Kraybill and WAM “has been very easy,” and she wants to see the culinary side of the museum succeed whoever is responsible for it.

Elder said that’s why she went to WAM in the first place, “trying to celebrate and elevate the culture of this place that we share.”

“I don’t want to be a hindrance to that in any way.”

There are many conversations to go about WAM’s culinary future, and Elder remains interested in it.

“I’m interested in a vibrant, thriving Wichita that includes the arts and culinary and all of those pieces well past 2024, and if Elderslie has an opportunity to participate in making that happen, we are proud to do so.”