Artichoke Sandwichbar - Midtown — Restaurant in Wichita

Let me start by saying food was great. However, the service was not.

I've eaten at the Artichoke many times throughout my life. I lived in Wichita for the first 24 years of my life and moved to NE recently. Today my husband and I went to the Artichoke to use our free sandwich punch card/reward cards before driving back home. It was busy and only had a couple servers but we were happy to wait, no problem. And even though we planned to use our 2 free sandwich rewards cards that were fully stamped we planned to tip well because we saw how busy it was. Unfortunately we weren't able to tip at all. When we went to use our free sandwich reward cards we were told we could only use 1 at a time, which is not written anywhere on the cards or posted anywhere in the restaurant. When the server told us it was against the policy, I asked what the policy was and where I could find it. Her response was "I'm the manager" which... isn't really an answer to my question. If the policy was written somewhere and not just a verbal policy I'd have been happy to oblige. However it wasn't anywhere. She said it was because this had never happened before and that she would make sure it was posted from here on out. As a person who has worked in the food service industry, I firmly believe you should honor what is written so if the policy isn't available for the customer to read then the restaurant should honor both rewards cards. She continued to argue and told us to use it next time. When I explained that we don't live in Wichita she said "Obviously you do, you have 2 full rewards cards." I thought it was a little insane to try to tell me where I live so I showed her my NE ID to prove that I in fact do not live in wichita. At this point she grabbed our receipt and the 2 rewards cards and voided the whole meal, drinks and all. As a result we were unable to tip. We were not asking to have our whole lunch for free. When we left my husband tried to clear things up with her and she said that the managers were moving away from rewards cards because they aren't seeing a profit. They most certainly aren't seeing a profit if their manager just voided out $12 worth of drinks and sides because she didn't want to honor rewards cards.

What she didn't know is that we had filled those 2 rewards cards by having the rehearsal dinner for our wedding there, spending about $300 doing so.

I am disappointed in this experience and I truly hope management has not become so ridiculous and that this apparent manager was just...

I have been working downtown for over 15 years and have been a regular customer at the Artichoke. However, my recent experience was quite disappointing. I placed an online order through the restaurant's app, which is a common practice in this day and age when ordering food. When my colleague and I arrived at the restaurant, we realized that we had more time than expected for our lunch break. We decided to dine in and enjoy our food. We were seated and asked for our drink order, after which the waitress brought our food. We started eating, but then a manager came to our table and asked if we had placed an online order. When I said yes, she scolded us and said that we should have taken our food to go instead of eating in the restaurant. She also said that we confused other customers who were wondering why we got our food before them. I explained to her that our situation had changed, and we now had time to eat in the restaurant. However, the manager's response was rude and condescending. I felt like I was being treated like a child.

I believe that ordering food online and eating in a restaurant is a convenient option for many downtown workers who have short lunch breaks. Instead of eating in their cars or at their desks, they can enjoy their meals in a comfortable setting. If other customers were curious about how we received our food before them, the restaurant could have taken the opportunity to promote their app and encourage others to use it.

Moreover, I wouldn't be surprised if I paid more for my order because many companies add tech fees or increase the prices of food when ordered through an app. Therefore, I don't understand why I was treated in such a disrespectful manner, especially since there was no line to be seated, and plenty of empty seats were available. Our presence didn't cause any disturbance, and we were paying customers.

I've already spoken with the restaurant but they just flip the situation back on the customer replying that this is their policy and they stand by it. Which is fine, there are plenty of other places for me to choose from for lunch and they won't lose a wink of sleep from losing a customer....

On March 31, 2023 (originally posted on Yelp): We have been going to the Artichoke for many years, starting and continuing until Pat Audley sold because of health problems. Was the place to go for good friendly company, food, drink, and pub entertainment. After Pat sold, it maintained most of its charm and good food, but now it is not the same. Have not been in for some time, although ordered through the window couple of months or so.

My daughter wanted to meet us for lunch, and since she was at a meeting not far from the Artichoke, we told her to meet us there. Since the lunch time used to be packed, we ordered for three on the app "stating that we would eat in". When we arrived just before noon, the place was almost empty. When we told them that we had ordered online and were eating in, we were chewed out by the manager for doing so. Great way to welcome a customer.

After being seated, they brought out the boxes and set them down. When my daughter arrived, she asked the waitress if she could have mayo on the sandwich, acting bothered, she brought the mayo and charged $.50 extra on a $10.99 sandwich, and a $43 tab. Why???

The food was acceptable, but not as good as it used to be. The place was at best a 25% full for a Friday noon meal. I now understand why the crowd was so sparse. No longer that friendly...