18 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita has a diverse restaurant scene.
One spot in the College Hill neighborhood just had its operating partner named the Kansas Restaurateur of the Year.
Happiness Plaza along Douglas in Wichita was built in the 1960s. For about 50 years, the largest tenant was Dean’s Design, an interior design, home décor and flower shop.
In 2020, The Belmont Restaurant & Bar took over the space.
“We were happy to take over the space and kind of bring some new life into the frontage of it here and start developing The Belmont,” said Tory DeMarce.
DeMarce and his partners, Ryan and Anthony Francisco, fell in love with the building’s architecture back in 2019.
“We kind of took some of the things that we’ve seen throughout the Midwest and throughout the country and in my past restaurant experiences and tried to put what we thought would be the best fit for Wichita and for the Midwest here,” said DeMarce. “And that’s how we kind of developed the concept of The Belmont. The building is kind of known for its tulips through here and kind of the arches that are on the exterior, but we did find somebody here locally through WSU and with the help of Icon structures that could recreate them on the inside.”
The blue velvet, semi-circle booths facing Douglas are another very nice touch.
“The architect that was on the project with us did a fantastic job in helping us kind of put my vision and his vision altogether, and then Icon came through and built out an incredible space for us here,” said DeMarce.
The Belmont has eight garage door windows that open to the outside.
Of course, there’s the tall, central bar, the unique lighting fixtures, and the food. The Belmont offers a selection of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees.
“We try to strive on our quality of service, our quality of the ambiance, our food and our cocktails, and we’re looking to expand all of those as we can. We’ve got some new menu items that are coming up here shortly,” said DeMarce.
The Belmont survived a rocky opening during the pandemic in 2020 to become an award-winning establishment. The Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association named DeMarce the Restaurateur of the Year Monday night at an awards ceremony at Kansas Star Casino.
“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s really sunk in exactly yet, but I mean, it’s a huge honor to one, even be nominated, and two, to actually win the award. So, I’m super thankful to not only myself but the entire team, my business partners. It’s a great management team. We’ve got a great staff that’s here. We’ve got great vendors and the neighborhood and the support that everybody’s had for us. Without everything else, this doesn’t exist,” said DeMarce.
Two other KRHA winners are also from Wichita. Station 8 BBQ was awarded “Hot New Concept,” and the Chef of the Year is Jordan Rickard of FioRito Ristorante.
The Belmont is located at 3555 E. Douglas Ave. in College Hill. Their current hours are as follows:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.