ty’s diner
Posted on 13. Aug, 2010 by Nick in entertainment
words > SHARON DURMASKIN
photo > DARRIN HACKNEY
Greg and Annette Helms were working in the real estate/mortgage industry in California until the bottom fell out of the economy and they started looking for other opportunities. They considered franchises and other businesses in California until one day Greg was perusing Craig’s List and found that Ty’s Diner was up for sale. So the Helms’s drove to Wichita, checked the place out, and bought it.
Greg lived in Wichita until 1989 and is a North High grad; therefore, it’s not surprising that he’d want to “come home” because as Helms says, “Wichita is a city that tries.” Other than a brief stint working at the old Suzy Q’s and Angelo’s, Helms has never been in the restaurant business. Then why did he buy Ty’s? “Part of the reason is Ty’s has been here for a long time and it’s kind of like a franchise without the royalty fees,” says Helms. “But it was two things: Ty’s has a lot of history in Wichita and in my opinion every town has it’s own ‘Ty’s Diner.’ And in my mind, Ty’s was always that kind of place. So it seemed like a good opportunity, but not only that, we purchased the real estate around it.”
I asked Helms to tell me about the history of Ty’s, since every time I ask someone about the place they just tell me how great the burgers are. “Ty’s was founded by Kenny Tyson in either 1952 or 1953. At the time it was initially a bar with an attached liquor store. So he bought a small grill and from what I understand he had a little electric fryer, so when you came to Ty’s you’d have to wait 30 or 40 minutes just to get a hamburger and fries,” says Helms. And Helms continues, “Ty would come in at 2:30 in the morning and hand cut the fries and the meat would be delivered fresh everyday. We’re just taking what he started and continuing that tradition.” Helms says that he and his wife are the fifth owners of the restaurant, which he jokes, “changes hands about every 10-12 years.”
Helms says that he and his wife have made only a few changes, all of which were necessary. The building now has a new roof, so when it rains water doesn’t come pouring in through the holes; they installed a new air conditioning system, fixed the vent hood, and installed new carpet and some new booths.
Given Ty’s reputation as having what some consider the best burger in town, I asked Helms what the secret is to a great burger. “The secret to a great burger,” says Helms, “is lean, quality ground beef that’s always fresh and never frozen and cooked on a good old grill that just makes it taste right.” Helms adds that part of the problem with other places is that they make burgers too complicated. “It’s just like anything else, if you have good, quality ingredients and you have a good recipe, it’ll turn out real well.”
Ty’s Diner is located at 928 W. Second.
