DERBY has lost an IHOP – but hungry locals won’t be waiting long for a replacement.
The IHOP at 1906 N. Rock closed its doors on Sunday after eight years in business.
Derby has lost another IHOP but locals will soon be enjoying their rivals new menu[/caption]
IHOP is being replaced by the Big Biscuit eateries[/caption]
The IHOP at 1906 N. Rock closed its doors on Sunday after eight years in business[/caption]
The diner, in the Derby Marketplace development, just wasn’t making enough money.
Franchisee Mike Issa admitted: “It was slow, so we decided to shut it down and figure out something else.”
Issa, who ran the restaurant with business partner Moe Touffaha, said trade never took off in the town.
But within hours of the last pancake being flipped, a new name confirmed it’s taking over the building.
A spokesperson for The Big Biscuit revealed the Kansas City-based chain is swooping in.
The brand will turn the shuttered IHOP into its third Wichita-area restaurant.
The Derby site is part of a wider plan to open four corporate-owned Big Biscuits across the area.
The spokesperson didn’t give an exact timeline – but warned locals not to expect a quick turnaround.
He said the Derby opening likely won’t happen until the second half of next year.
It comes as The Big Biscuit pushes further into Kansas.
Its first Wichita-area branch is already being built at 2330 N. Maize Road.
The site, a former Mexican restaurant, is on track to open in October – with signage already up.
Earlier this summer, the chain announced a second Wichita branch too.
That one will replace the old Jimmy’s Egg at 106 S. Hydraulic, which closed late last year.
But fans will have to be patient – that restaurant isn’t expected to open until early 2026.
The Big Biscuit is growing fast, with nearly 30 restaurants across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The menu is designed to be a crowd-pleaser.
Diners can tuck into biscuits and gravy, pancakes, omelets, Benedicts, waffles, French toast and breakfast sandwiches.
Lunch is also covered, with salads, burgers, sandwiches and fried chicken strips all up for grabs.
For Touffaha and Issa, the Derby closure is another setback in the city.
They opened a Taco John’s in the same strip center around the same time as the IHOP.
But that too was forced to shut down in early 2020 because it wasn’t busy.
Issa admits Derby hasn’t been kind to them – but he insists the pair are still very much in the restaurant game.
They continue to run two Wichita IHOPs – one on North Rock Road and one on East Kellogg.
And across the region they have around 14 IHOPs in total.
That number is set to grow, with three or four more sites planned in Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.
So while Derby may have lost its IHOP, it hasn’t lost its pancakes -they’ll just be coming back in the form of a Big Biscuit.
The diner, in the Derby Marketplace development, just wasn’t making enough money[/caption]
The Big Biscuit is growing fast, with nearly 30 restaurants across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas[/caption]
