LARNED — Kevin Welch loves to cook and his wife Michelle loves to run things.
That’s a great combination for a husband-and-wife team looking to start a business.
Edwards Street Brew & Bites at 603 Edwards Street (formerly VFW Post 7271) in Larned, is up and running. The bar and grill restaurant menu features wings, burgers, steaks and noshes at the bar, but there is something for the family, too. The menu, according to Kevin, is still evolving, but there are family dinner choices and daily specials. So far, the menu has also sported special items in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17 and National Ag Day on March 22.
Their restaurant motto is “Life is too short for boring food,” which could also stand as Kevin’s philosophy of life.
“I love to cook, so it is an interest for me,” he said. “I like doing a lot of unique things to food that nobody else has, because I’ve got my twist on a little bit of everything,” he said. “So far, it seems to be working.”
Hunting for a business idea
The Welches have already proven their business prowess by transforming their 100-year-old family farm near Macksville in 2014.
The barn, according to Michelle, was “swaying in the wind” and a family wedding was coming up. A whole-scale renovation produced the refurbished barn, an outdoor chapel, pavilion, bridal suit and plenty of outdoor opportunities for natural, rural wedding day photos.
The farm operation follows the traditional wedding season — April to October — with the occasional catered event around Christmas time at the request of local businesses. “We have some folks who want parties for their employees, but they want it in the barn. And it’s cold,” Kevin said.
In the back of their minds, the couple was wanting a year-round business opportunity.
“I was hunting with my brother in the western part of Pawnee County a while back when I got the idea to stop in Larned for a burger and a beer,” Kevin said. “But at the time, there was no place open where we could do that. That got me thinking, ‘well that’s something I could do,’” he said.
Michelle picked up on the idea.
“Two months later, I was in Larned for some reason and I don’t even know why I was on this side of town because I don’t always come over here to this side of town,” she said. “I think we knew that the VFW was going to be coming up for sale from the commander. When I drove by, I saw that the building was for sale. I called Kevin and told him ‘it’s now or never, If you want to do a restaurant I think we could do very well at it, but it’s your decision because you’re the cook.’”
They put a bid in January 2021 and closed the sale that March.
For inspiration and building materials, they returned to the farm.
“Our first thought was to brand it off of the farm,” Michelle said. After painting the building the same color as the farmhouse, tin and wood came from the main barn and other outbuildings. More barn wood was used to cover interior spaces and tabletops.
The bar, as a singular feature, was a special project from family history, Michelle noted.
Michelle’s grandmother’s aunt once was an owner of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Macksville and the building was destroyed by a tornado. Her grandmother, a teller at the bank bar, rescued the surviving portion and took it home, where it sat in storage from 2007, after sitting outside for awhile.
After a “resurrection” by Kevin, the bar sits as a showpiece portion of the restaurant. Another distinctive showpiece is the 19th-century freestanding cast-iron safe obtained in the sale of the VFW building; in the bar’s sitting area is a 100-year-old church pew from Tennessee. Doors and other features have been either rebuilt or recrafted from memories of the Macksville farmstead.
Things were proceeding toward a planned opening date in July 2021.
But the pandemic, and supply-chain issues intervened on some major necessary components, the couple said.
“Problems getting materials? That was this whole project,” Kevin admitted. “From start to finish that was the project.”
“It took 11 months to get the wiring done,” Michelle chimed in. “Fire suppression and ductwork ...” “took eight months,” Kevin finished. “Glasses, plates and silverware...” “... we ordered four and five times,” Michelle said. “Not one of those things were our first choice.”
“But it’s all working now,” Kevin summed up.
They opened their doors on Feb. 2, 2022. “It was a kind of special day,” Michelle said.
With Mondays off, Kevin fires up the grill for an 11 a.m. start to the morning, shutting off the grill at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday breakfast starts at 11 a.m. with the kitchen open until 2 p.m. While Kevin is in the kitchen, Michelle is out front with their servers and bartender.
“She runs the front half and I do the back half,” Kevin said. “Divide and conquer.”
The farm wedding event operation will continue, but “this operation will take the lead,” Kevin said. “We’re still working on some decor ideas and still tweaking a few things, but we’ve got things rolling along.”
