The Culver’s restaurant on North Maize Road set chain records for the biggest opening day and for the biggest opening week when it opened last summer. Now, the Wichita franchisee is ready to add a Culver’s on the east side of town. This week, he said that his second local Culver’s will open at 3620 N. Rock Road. That’s right across the street from the Braum’s near 37th and Rock Road. Construction should start in October, and the restaurant should be open by summer 2026. There’s also a Culver’s under construction at 2801 South Rock Road in Derby, but it’s owned by a different franchisee. It should be open in December. Culver’s sells butter burgers and frozen custard.
The wait is almost over for another chain that Wichita has been anticipating. Parlor Doughnuts is taking over the old Hurts Donut shop at 7010 W. 21st St. and should be open sometime this month. It will specialize in what it calls layered doughnuts, more commonly known by the trademarked word “cronut.” The Wichita franchisees say they plan to eventually open another two Parlor Doughnuts locations in the Wichita area.
Finally, if you’ve been following local chef Josh Rathbun’s health journey, you’ll be happy to hear that his kidney transplant surgery happened on Tuesday and was a success. I heard from both Rathbun and his local donor, Francie Foster, and both are doing well. In case you missed my story last week on Dining with Denise, Lotte owner Rathbun needed a kidney transplant and put out a plea on social media for a living donor. It was answered by his father Randy’s next-door-neighbor, Foster, who volunteered to donate one of her kidneys. Foster said she’s sore but slowly improving.
