Elite 8 Round of Wichita’s Most Liked Restaurant Tournament Bracket

We’ve reached the Elite 8 of The Hunger Games: Wichita’s Most Liked Restaurant Tournament Bracket. 

If you’re just now catching up. This is our second go around to have some fun and determine not necessarily Wichita’s Best Restaurant, but more so Wichita’s Most Liked Restaurant as it pertains to my social media following.

The first time we did it, it was Tanya’s Soup Kitchen who bested 67 other restaurants to claim the championship. After the win, they were retired and not included in this year’s so we could spread the love to others. Please remember, the most liked restaurant in Wichita for our page is determined by social media clicks. This isn’t science, this isn’t for any big trophy; it’s all for bragging rights and to have some fun.

For some people, it’s beyond comprehension to compare two restaurants that are different genres. People frequently do it at home fighting about where to eat. In other industries, awards are giving out such as the Grammy’s, Oscars, MTV whatever awards that are genre-agnostic. People, it’s doable.

Note:

• It’s a most liked restaurant tournament, not determining what’s the best
• You can vote on whichever restaurant you like the most, or you don’t have to vote at all, or you can vote both
• If someone were to ask you what your favorite restaurant is, this tournament poses a similar scenario
• Don’t over think it, it’s just for fun. Restaurants don’t have to pay to be a part of it, there isn’t some advertisement heavy awards program after that or a cash grab to get more advertising revenue from restaurants

THE UPDATE

There were some extremely tough matchups in the second round and it only gets harder. With 8 restaurants left, you’re going to be forced to make some tough decisions. There’s still a wide variety of genres and cuisines left, from French, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, American, burgers, Peruvian, BBQ and more. 

HOW THE RESTAURANTS WERE CHOSEN

The Hunger Games II bracket features 128 restaurants that are unique to Wichita, sorry food trucks and pop-ups were not included. This means you can only find these establishments in the Wichita city limits.

Because of the “unique to Wichita” rule this excluded some favorites because they were either outside of Wichita OR had locations beyond the city limits. For example, restaurants like Dempsey’s, Knolla’s, and Chiang Mai have locations in Lawrence, Maize, and Andover which excluded them from this list. Other favorites who moved, like Bann Thai or Barn’rds are now outside of Wichita.

Furthermore, any previous restaurant who won is excluded. The inaugural champion, Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, was left out. And whoever wins this year will be left out in future years.

How else were the restaurants chosen? They were selected from last year’s ICT 100 list, a poll conducted on Facebook and asking the Oompa Loompas who help me with the blog.  There was no rhyme or reason to how the restaurants were matched up. I simply dumped all the restaurant names into an Excel spreadsheet and let it spit out the matchups.

“But hey Eddy, it STILL doesn’t make sense to compare a BBQ restaurant to a sushi restaurant?”

Yes, I get that. Stop over analyzing, vote for whichever one you prefer that particular day, and have fun with it.

HOW TO VOTE

So how will the voting take place? Polls will be conducted on Wichita By E.B.’s various social media sites: Facebook and our Instagram Channel.

REMEMBER since we always have to place a disclaimer, this bracket doesn’t necessarily mean the winner is the best. It’s a small sample size of the general population, but it’s the favorite according to our readers. So if your favorite place doesn’t win, please cry to your parents….. not me. Like our past social media voting, this all comes down to social media support. In the end, I hope you can find some new places you may have never heard of or tried! And just like any previous bracket, I will not be voting in any bracket. This will be left strictly to the general audience.

I do have ONE REQUEST. When you vote, ask yourself if you’re voting for what you truly feel is the BEST or if you’re just voting to support said place based on other reasons. Obviously, there is no way to regulate it, but I just wanted to throw that out there. I’ll be the first to admit that this is a glorified popularity contest, but at least restaurants don’t have to pay money to be a part of it, advertise, or buy a trophy or image assets if they win.

Starting this week, you will find a poll featuring one restaurant matchup on one of our various social media pages to vote for your favorite.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Shout out to the sponsors of The Hunger Games II: Wichita’s Most Liked Restaurant Tournament Bracket, Sabre Wealth.

Sabre Wealth Management is a partnership of Financial Advisors and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioners dedicated to helping you achieve your short, medium, and long term financial goals. Our group provides education and tailored solutions to your goals based around the six main categories of life planning: Wealth Management, Risk Analysis, Income Streams, Tax Reduction, Estate Planning, and Charitable Giving.

To learn more, visit sabre-wealth.com.

BRACKET UPDATE

Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

Happy Dining,
Eddy