Topeka's History

Topeka's Steakhouse n' Saloon is the culmination of over 30 years of successful restaurant experience here in Virginia and surrounding states. In every venture, the founders of Topeka's have found the same formula for success: to consistently prepare great quality food, serve it with a comfortable style and do it at a fair price.

In 1967, the Cornett Group started with Colonel Harlan Saunders, and his revolutionary KFC products. Freshness and flavor was the hallmark then, as it is still today. After 25 successful years in that system, the Cornett's and their partners decided to create a restaurant that would satisfy the increasingly "food smart" American public. The menu had to reflect a cuisine of basic quality and freshness, demonstrating the made-from-scratch philosophy that is Topeka's foundation. The service was not just service, but comfortable accommodation and anticipation of each guests' needs. Professional and pleasant, not overly casual.

In October of 1994, the first Topeka's opened in Richmond after a year of preparation and planning. Since then, Topeka's has carefully grown into Hampton and Chesapeake, Virginia. In October of 2003, Topeka's expanded once more, adding the Swift Creek Location in Chesterfield, Virginia. Topeka's will continue to grow modestly, never sacrificing the quality of its operations for growth.

Topeka's Philosophy

Success is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. At Topeka's, everything matters. We make everything from scratch that we can make better. Whether it's aging our own beef and cutting each steak here in the restaurant to retain as much of the natural juices as possible; or making our own bread from scratch every day. The quality of our food along with our comfortable and efficient service is our hallmark along with our desire to continuously make it better and ever-evolving to create variety for our customers every day.

Topeka's is the sum of every individual in our company. We take great care to provide our people with industry leading incentives and rewards in addition to training so they can provide our customers with the experience that is Topeka's. Comfort, quality, every need anticipated and provided; and constant improvement, moving the bar of quality ever higher.

Our goal is to serve both our guests and our team members equally and superbly. We believe the restaurant industry is one that is unique, rewarding, demanding and noble. And we do our best to ensure that you, our guest, as well as our team members feel great about your experience at Topeka's. We look forward to serving you again soon!