Central and Oliver has been the site over the past several years of many closings and tear downs: Albero Cafe closed in 2023, and its building was then demolished. The CVS that opened on the northeast corner in 2013 closed in August and is now sitting empty. Also last year, the vacant “Dinky Dillons” building that had been sitting for years on the southeast corner was torn down.
Now, there’s a sign that commercial life is returning to the intersection.
Jason Ingermanson, the owner of Mokas Coffee & Eatery parent company JRI Hospitality, says that the fourth Wichita Mokas will open on the corner sometime next year. Mokas has opened restaurants over the past four years at 143 N. McLean Blvd. and 1344 N. Veranda Drive. Another is set to open at 3851 N. Ridge Road sometime in April.
Ingermanson said this week that he doesn’t have an exact address for the new Mokas, but it will be built either on the northeast or southeast corner of Central and Oliver. The exact location will become more clear in the coming months and will be chosen based on things like soil samples and where other potential tenants decide to open, he said.
The company is working on the final design for the new Mokas, which he said will be similar to the one opening at 37th and Ridge. Construction will likely begin in August, and he expects the build to take about six months, meaning the restaurant should be open in spring of 2027.
Ingermanson said that the company liked the “College Hill vibe” of the area.
“We kind of feel like it’s underserved as well, from a dining, coffee and food standpoint,” he said. “And then if you look at where we’re at everywhere else in Wichita, it’s another good building-block site to bring the Mokas branding all together.”
The new Mokas won’t be the last one for the Wichita area, Ingermanson said. The company’s plans call for opening another Mokas each year for the next three years, both in the city limits and in Wichita-adjacent communities. The company recently began franchising and in the fall signed Christian Coleman, son of Wichita businessman Sheldon Coleman, to a six-unit agreement to build Mokas stores in the Kansas City metro, Lawrence and Topeka markets.
Ingermanson said that he’s expecting to sign another six-unit deal with another franchisee within the next 30 to 90 days. That franchisee will likely focus on markets like Manhattan, Hays, Garden City and Dodge City.
Once Wichita is up to seven or eight company-owned stores, the city will become a home base for the chain and serve as a training ground for potential franchisees.