
By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Few towns conjure images of the old West better than Ellsworth. Pretty Boy Floyd likely never visited the city, but the speakeasy-themed steakhouse named after the infamous bank robber had its own following before shutting down in 2020. Last month, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced Pretty Boy Floyd's Underground Restaurant and Venue would be receiving $65,000 as part of a revitalization grant.
Ellsworth County Economic Development Executive Director Stacie Schmidt applied for the Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grant as a big step to put Pretty Boy's back in business.
"The grant money repaired the roof," she said. "There was significant damage in the building because the roof needed to be replaced, and it was coming in the back wall. The HEAL grant replaced the roof, and that's already been done. That building has plans to be remodeled, which will include the reopening of Pretty Boy Floyd's. But we're not quite ready for that just yet. There need to be some renovations done."
Pretty Boy Floyd's Steak & Shine was in the basement of a building that includes the old Masonic Temple. Entered through an alley door and down a flight of stairs, the basement restaurant included dark corners and prohibition-era memorabilia. The old menu included four types of steak, chicken fried steak and chicken, and a Pretty Boy Floyd half-pound hamburger topped with breaded pickle chips, onion strings, and chipotle mayonnaise.
Schmidt has no specific date for the restaurant's reopening due to complications in finding contractors to complete repair work. At best, she said, the restaurant was looking at six months. The top-two floors of the building are also under planning.