After 30 years, one of the longest staples of downtown Wichita, Heroes Bar & Grill has closed.
I remember back twenty years ago, Heroes was such a popular spot. It was a good destination for lunch when I was working near downtown. Many downtown employees would also meet there for happy hour after work. Then at night, the lines were long and the memories were hazy with their Long Island Iced Tea, Knock Out Punch and Rolling Rock specials.
Somewhere along the line, things started to go downhill. The past five years, the lunch and after work crowd was essentially nonexistent.
I think the service severely dropped. In the last five years, I may have made 3 stops by Heroes in the evening and the service was never good. One particular time stood out. My friends and I dropped by right after dinner. When we walked in, there was not a single person in the building. Literally…. no existence of human life inside; not a single employee, no bouncers, not even a bartender. We walked around trying to figure out what was going on.
One of my buddies was outside smoking and saw a car pull up front where a girl got out. She ran to the bar counter, apologized to everyone, saying she needed a “smoke break”. Then we were given the most awkward presentation on what the drink specials were. It was such a weird experience. That ended up being our final time ever inside Heroes.
Who knows what the future holds for Heroes, but it’s certainly the end of an era for part of downtown Wichita.
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