Restaurant is changing hands
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Originally published 01:13 p.m., June 5, 2008
Updated 01:13 p.m., June 5, 2008
Photo by Adam Vogler
Stephan (left), Tamara and five-month old Jax Cole are pictured Wednesday, June 4. The Cole's are taking over ownership of The Wheat State Grill, 707 Commercial.
The Wheat State Grille, 707 Commercial St., will have a change in ownership and name and some menu modifications within the next few weeks.
“Right now our target date is July,” said Stephen Cole.
He and his wife, Tamara, have purchased the business and will change its name to Cole’s when the paperwork is completed.
In the meantime, the couple is managing the operation.
“I’m the general manager right now down there and my wife is the service manager, and we’re running it for Ryan (owner Ryan Murphy) while we wait for the paperwork to go through.”
They will be joined in a few weeks by Cole’s brother, Brandon, who will come from California to work in the restaurant and help with the start-up of another business, College Mag.
Cole said he already has been a corporate trainer for The Cheesecake Factory and has operated an award-winning restaurant near the California-Oregon border.
He plans to remove steak from the restaurant’s menu and emphasize simple fare — “really good sandwiches,” appetizers and hamburgers.
“Out in California, we won Best Burger,” Cole said of a contest involving about 120 restaurants along a 10-mile stretch of the coast. “We want to focus on having the best burger in town.”
The California restaurant, which he termed a “mom-and-pop hamburger shop,” also included an ice cream shop.
“We’d like to see the same thing going here,” Cole said.
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner after the purchase has been completed. The couple plans to include several types of salads on its menu, as well as something tasty for vegetarians and meat-eaters, alike.
“We’ve got one of the best house salads you’ve found in town, and do chicken Caesar, too,” he said. “We also have a grilled portobello burger that’s very good.”
Cole, who is safety director for Norfolk Iron and Metal, is no stranger to the area; one of his ancestors is Henry Robert Cole, who lived in rural Lyon County.
“My family’s actually been in the greater Emporia area for 100 years,” Cole said. “I own the family farm just outside of town.”
The new Cole’s may not even be the first restaurant in the family; he said he has been told that one of his extended family members operated the Cole Family Restaurant here years ago.
The new Cole’s will continue as a non-smoking bar, he said, and will cater to larger parties and events, such as weddings and Christmas parties.
“It’s absolutely just one of the most beautiful places in town,” Cole said of the building. “They spent a lot of money making it what it is.”
The business has a capacity of 400 people and can be rented out for special events, such as weddings, Christmas parties and meetings.
The space naturally divides into four different rooms: an upstairs bar to accommodate about 85 people, two other rooms that will hold 75 each, and a main bar area for 150 people.
“Then we have our outdoor patio as well,” he said. “We have so many different segments in there.”
Live music and disc jockeys will be featured, and a comedy night with Joe Tyler from Kansas City is planned in July. The DeWayn Brothers have appeared twice at Wheat State the past two months, and Cole hopes soon to offer food sales to enhance Live in the Lot activities.
Cole’s goal is to draw Emporians to the restaurant and to emphasize customer satisfaction to give the business an edge over the corporate competition.
“Basically, if you come in there and aren’t happy, you’re going to talk to an owner or a family member,” he said. “You can’t succeed without customer satisfaction. Without the support of the community, you can’t survive. ...
“First off, we want to be a restaurant people want to go to. We know the community is looking for a great place to eat. I get tired of corporate fare.”
Cole’s will be open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. On Wednesdays, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and re-open at 7 p.m. for Live in the Lot. The special on Wednesday will be $1 margaritas.
Cole will continue working at Norfolk during the day and at the restaurant in the evenings. During the day, Tamara and Brandon Cole will operate the business.
Cole served four years in the Marine Corps.
“I had served with the presidential helicopter squadron, so I got to go lots of places and worked lots of hours,” Cole said, mentioning Africa, Europe, Mexico and “all over the country” as destinations for the squadron.
In the process, he said he met former President George H.W. Bush at Camp David.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Cole said of his experience in the Marines.
He said he also has been a freelance writer for the Fresno Bee.
The Coles are parents of a 5-month-old son, Jax.
Comments
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Posted by witherdin2ition (anonymous) on June 5, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Are they going to improve the inside of the restaurant? One of the things I dislike about Wheat State Grill is the atmosphere. It still looks like Club 707... smells like it, too.
Posted by DJrocksthemic (anonymous) on June 5, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So what kind of business is college mag, you tease it in the story and then don't tell us. Oh well, guess we're just building suspense, if anybody knows though I wouldn't mind knowing what this college mag is?
Posted by BrandonCole (anonymous) on June 6, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In response to (witherdin2ition) we are working on ways of making the restaurant more inviting during the daytime while maintaining it as a popular nightlife destination as well. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. And in response to (DJrocksthemic) here's a link to the collegemag website, it should explain a little about what we are trying to do in regards to that venture as well.
www.thecollegemag.com
Posted by JohnDoe (anonymous) on June 12, 2008 at 1:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow I remember when 707 was a fun place to go on the weekend. It also was THE prime spot downtown as I know everyone remembers. Packed every night. It has basically failed to function as a restaurant/banquet hall so far. On the restaurant end the burgers will be competing against local legend J's down the street along with every other place in town to get a burger. Tough road is an understatement. Mexican restaurants, like Centenella and La Hacienda, already host $1 margaritas. Weddings and meetings? I wasn't aware that there was such a demand for that. Plan to compete with all of the hotels and reception halls that have overnight accomodations or have simply been in town longer. As much as I like non-smoking establishments, it only works if everyone is doing it. WAY too progressive for the area to go it alone. In short, the location thrived as downtown's night club and failed to produce anything else. History has a crazy way of repeating itself. Take note, you might make some money that way.
Posted by scole (anonymous) on June 22, 2008 at 6:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
(JD) Thank you for your advise. We offer a smoke free front room. The main bar is still a smoking room. we do have an excellent ventilation system in place that draws almost all of the smoke from the room even on our busiest nights. There is a great demand for a meeting place in downtown Emporia that can offer food service and entertainment capabilities. We continue to see a healthy interest in booking our establishment for a variety of events. I do not feel as if I will be competing with J's. They have an excellent burger, however they are very limited on space. I have atmosphere, people will come for the great food , but will stay to enjoy good music, a cold beer and the latest sporting event on our 4 flat screen T.V s. Likewise Centenilla and La Hacienda may both offer a Margarita special, however we have a huge dance floor and dancing music all night long afterwards. Something they are not able to do. We can offer great food during the day and succeed. We will do so, and offer a great nightlife as well. Thanks for the input again, it shows at least one person is taking an interest.
Stephen
Cole
Posted by lildarling (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish the Coles luck. I can think of four businesses that have been at that location in recent years. I hope they have found the magic formula to be successful. Fourth Avenue seems to be the type of establishment the Coles are emulating. I wish Fourth Avenue would have succeeded. Emporia is a tough market.
Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope the Coles are a huge success. I don't necessarily think Emporia needs another restaurant, but I am a glutton for variety. And to have another eatery downtown is exactly what I think Commercial Street needs. Keep some businesses in the heart of town. Sounds like a winner, I can't wait to try it.
Posted by sociallyconsious (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope that everything works out great for the new owners. I work on Commercial and really enjoyed eating lunch at the Grill but had to stop because I never could get my food in less than 45 minutes. With travel time that never left time to eat. Hopefully you will hire more cooks so I can once again enjoy your food.
Good luck
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