Ziggy’s Pizza specializes in rectangular pizzas.
Courtesy
Ziggy’s Pizza
A homegrown Wichita pizza restaurant that has several locations is about to expand outside of the city for the first time.
Ziggy’s Pizza, which was started in 2012 by brothers Jamie and Ryan Verbeckmoes and has expanded to include four local restaurants, is about three weeks away from opening in Manhattan.
It’s moving into a converted gas station at 1026 Poyntz Ave., which is in between downtown Manhattan and the popular Aggieville entertainment district. The space previously was home to a restaurant called Parkside Station, which closed in March.
Wichita-founded Ziggy’s Pizza is about to open its first out-of-town restaurant. It’s taking over a converted filling station in Manhattan, home of Kansas State University. Courtesy Jamie Verbeckmoes
Jamie Verbeckmoes, who attended Kansas State University in Manhattan from 2003 to 2008, said that he’d always been interested in opening a restaurant there but never found the right spot. Then, he noticed that the Parkside Station space was available.
“It was an historic, old filling station,” he said “And this family, who we’ve come to know through this process, had completely renovated the building into a cool, hip little restaurant, and they needed to get out of it. So it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.”
Jamie Verbeckmoes said that the building “fits all of the Ziggy’s vibe that we’re looking for. It has a great patio, it has a cool little bar, and it’s right across the street from the park, just a couple of blocks from Aggieville.”
The park Verbeckmoes is referring to is the 45-acre City Park, which features a water park, a band shell and a walking trail and is home to many events.
The Ziggy’s owners took over the filling station space about a month and a half ago, Jamie Verbeckmoes said. The Manhattan Ziggy’s will be managed by the brothers’ 25-year-old nephew, Cam Fenwick, and his best friend, Bryce Forrest. Both are Kansas State alumni and both serve as general managers at Wichita Ziggy’s restaurants.
Jaime Verbeckmoes said that about 22 of his Wichita Ziggy’s employees are attending school this fall at Kansas State, and most of them have already applied to work at the Manhattan restaurant. He expects the restaurant will open with a built-in audience of college students from Wichita looking for a taste of home and Wichitans who travel to Manhattan for games.
Are the Ziggy’s owners interested in expanding to other Kansas towns?
Ryan, left, and Jamie Verbeckmoes opened the first Ziggy’s Pizza in Clifton Square in 2012. Travis Heying The Wichita Eagle
“We’re always looking, but we’re not trying to grow too quickly,” Jamie Verbeckmoes said. “But we do like a lot of different areas in those parts of Kansas — even Kansas City or Lawrence.”
Ziggy’s restaurants specialize in the type of rectangular pizzas the Verbeckmoes brothers’ mom made when they were kids. The restaurants also serve wings, appetizers, salads and toasted sandwiches and have full bars.
The original Ziggy’s is in Clifton Square, 3700 E. Douglas. The other Wichita restaurants are at 12115 E. 21st St., 8494 W. 13th St., and 13605 W. Maple.
This story was originally published July 31, 2026 at 2:18 PM.
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The Wichita Eagle
Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.