The vacant Doma space is getting a new tenant — and so is the empty restaurant next door

The restaurant space that sits to the northwest of Towne East Square has been empty since Max Cole’s Doma closed just after the first of the year.

But the Doma building has a new buyer and will soon have a new tenant. Not only that, but the buyers also plan to open a restaurant in the long-vacant restaurant space directly to the west.

Julie Yang says that she and her husband, George, are moving their 5-year-old restaurant The Sweet Spot from its current home at 8448 W. Central into the old Doma building. The couple is in the process of buying both the Doma space at 7703 E. Douglas and the neighboring restaurant building at 7607 E. Douglas. (Its most recent tenant was the straightforwardly named Super Buffet, which closed in 2020. The building also was the longtime home of Joe Kelly’s Oyster Dock , which operated there from 1983 until 2004.)

The Sweet Spot move likely won’t happen until the end of November, Julie Yang said. Until then, the fine-dining restaurant will continue to operate where it is. It will likely close for a week while the move happens and then reopen in late November or early December.

Julie Yang said that the couple was drawn to the building’s square footage, which they felt they needed. They’ve been hard at work remodeling and have painted over the old murals that were on Doma’s walls. They also plan new flooring, lighting and tables and chairs and will add some half-circle booths.

“It just has a bigger patio and is a bigger place,” she said of the Doma building. “We’ve got a lot of events we could not host on Central because it’s way too small and the patio wasn’t big enough.”

The Sweet Spot’s chef, Preston Darnell , will also make the move to the new address.

The couple also plans to open a new restaurant in the building next door. It will be called Super East Buffet, and it will be a seafood and sushi grill. That won’t be ready until early next year, Yang said, adding that the long-vacant building needs lots of work.

In addition to The Sweet Spot, which the Yangs opened in December 2019, they also were the owners of New Neighbors at 2315 W. 21st St., where Amore Italian Restaurant is now. It operated from 2019 until 2022.

The Yangs also are the local franchisees for KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot , the all-you-can-eat restaurant chain that opened on Monday to big crowds at Towne East Square. They’re also planning to turn the former Jose Pepper’s spot at 2243 N. Tyler Road into a west-side KPOT, but it won’t open until after the first of the year.

“We just have too much on our plate,” she said.

Monday’s KPOT opening was a little crazy, Yang said. A line of people was waiting to get into the restaurant right when it opened, and the wait list had to be shut down around 7 p.m. because too many people were on it. Even then, around 60 to 80 parties on the list weren’t able to be seated.

Yang advises people who want to try KPOT, which allows customers to cook their own food on grills and hot plates at their tables, to get there early. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but those who put their name on the waiting list at the restaurant, which is inside the mall on the east-facing side, can shop until their tables are ready.

“That’s a nice benefit we have,” she said.

Her biggest need at the moment, she said, is employees for KPOT. Her staff is working double shifts, and though they’re keeping a good attitude, she really wants to hire more workers. She encourages anyone looking for a full-time or part-time job to stop by.

Food celebrity, self-proclaimed Wichita fan bringing his show back to town after 7 years

Take a peek inside the new Sheet’s Creek restaurant, opening Monday at the Waterfront

As Wichita’s newest Starbucks opens, property owner looks for another 21st Street tenant