A video circulating online Tuesday evening showed a sign posted at Old Tokyo Steakhouse in Wichita indicating the business had been seized by the state. The footage spread quickly across local social media pages, prompting questions from residents about what led to the closure.
Old Tokyo Steakhouse has not directly addressed the seizure sign in any public statement. However, the restaurant has confirmed that its doors will remain closed until further notice. No timeline has been given for when, or if, the business will reopen.
A Pattern Seen Across Wichita
Seizure signs like the one photographed outside Old Tokyo Steakhouse are typically posted by the Kansas Department of Revenue when a business falls behind on state taxes. The department has said in the past that seizing a business is treated as a last resort, only used after repeated attempts to work out a payment plan with the owner have failed.
Wichita has seen several similar cases in recent years. The Anchor, a longtime bar and restaurant near downtown, was seized in the spring of last year after the Kansas Department of Revenue said the business had fallen behind on its tax payments. That closure came after the restaurant had reopened from a remodel only months earlier. Other local businesses, including a barbecue restaurant near 13th and Washington and two taco restaurants on the city’s east and north sides, have faced the same fate in past seizures tied to unpaid sales and withholding taxes…