One of the owners of Stroud’s — the fried chicken restaurant that has operated at 3661 N. Hillside since the summer of 1993 — says that its owners had a difficult time deciding to close the restaurant next month.

But the decision, which was announced via social media on Wednesday morning, was inevitable. Prices have just gone up too much lately, said Kevin Allis, the restaurant’s managing partner, and the owners didn’t see any other way.

The lease is set to expire at the end of May, and the ownership group — which also includes Allis and his wife, Rochele Cochrane, plus Bill and Catherine Shea and Doug and Diana Farha — have decided not to renew it.

“We’ve raised prices three times in the last year and a half,” Allis said. “And it’s not just food prices. It’s the cost of occupying the building. We have an older building here, and our insurance went up tremendously.”

For nearly four decades, Stroud’s has served family-style fried chicken dinners and holiday meals to families or big groups celebrating special occasions. Set up in a converted old barn on the edge of town, the rustic restaurant has been one of the few places where parties of 20 could find tables big enough to accommodate everyone.

But that will end next month. Allis said that the restaurant will open for one last Mother’s Day then will close for good. The owners are targeting May 15 as Stroud’s final day.

Since the pandemic, Allis said, nothing’s been the same for the restaurant. Customers’ dining habits have changed, and the only way to have continued serving its menu without raising prices would have been to shrink the portion sizes.

“We’re Stroud’s. We can’t do that,” Allis said. “We serve family-style meals.”

Wichita’s Strouds was licensed by the Stroud’s in Kansas City, where the first Stroud’s opened in 1933 and where two still operate: at 5410 NE Oak Ridge Drive and at 8301 W. 135th St. in Overland Park. Wichita’s restaurant has the same menu and uses the same recipes.

Back in 1993, the restaurant’s Kansas City owners — who’d been getting rave reviews nationwide but were reluctant to franchise or expand — signed their first-ever licensing agreement with Dennis Clifford and Blaze Brigman, both experienced Kansas City restaurateurs.

The duo initially had trouble finding the right spot for the restaurant. Then, a young George Laham, who at the time was working for J.P. Weigand & Sons, showed them a private venue called the Wine Barn. The owners decided it was perfect, and they added 1,800-square-feet onto the back of the barn for the restaurant’s kitchen, where cooks prepared pan-fried chicken, real mashed potatoes., and gravy made with cracklings.

The City of Wichita had to annex the property so that Stroud’s could install a city sewer line, and neighboring business KWCH had to agree to allow an easement on its property for the line to be installed. The restaurant opened on Wednesday, June 30, with 30 full-time and 30-part-time workers, most wearing shirts printed with Stroud’s then-motto “We choke our own chickens.”

The Farhas and Sheas bought the restaurant in 1999, and Allis started there in 2013, he said, eventually becoming a partner.

Allis said he was dealing with feelings of sadness around the decision. In addition to losing his customers, he’ll also be losing long-standing employees, including a cook who’s been with Stroud’s for 25 years.

He said he’d also miss his relationship with Wichita State University Athletics, which is Stroud’s biggest catering customer. The restaurant would frequently provide food for WSU’s Champions Club and its All-American Club and will serve one last meal to the latter on May 2.

“Trust me, I’m very sad. But we had to do it,” Allis said. “We had a 30-some year run, and that’s kind of biblical in restaurant years.”

Until it closes, Stroud’s will keep its usual hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 2:21 PM.