Old Pizza Hut turns to Chartroose Caboose

The nation’s 36th Pizza Hut is about to become Lawrence’s first Chartroose Caboose.

The building, above, at 1606 W. 23rd – built some 40 years ago as a Pizza Hut – is scheduled to open by the end of next week as a home for Philly-style cheesesteak sandwiches, signature frozen custard and other quick-service fare.

The place will be the first franchise location for Chartroose Caboose, whose four company-owned restaurants in the Kansas City area include the original eatery northwest of Interstate 435 and Metcalf Avenue, not all that far from Shawnee Mission South High School.

“My boys went to Shawnee Mission South, and they’d all head over there for lunch,” said Kristin Wiedner, who co-owns the new place with her husband, Ben. “We figured, if it’s popular with the high school kids, it’ll be really popular with college kids – especially because a lot of the Shawnee Mission kids come up here (to Kansas University).”

The Wiedners’ boys, Bret and Lance, will manage the Lawrence location.

Communications

EA games to go wireless with Sprint

Sprint Corp. said Monday that it made a deal with Electronic Arts Inc. to sell several popular EA video games to its wireless customers.

The EA games will be available in the coming weeks through Overland Park-based Sprint’s Game Lobby, a Web site where users can download games and compare scores.

Electronic Arts also announced an agreement Monday to make its games available to rival Verizon Wireless’ Get It Now customers.

Sprint shares closed Monday at $25.02, down 45 cents on Nasdaq, while Electronic Arts shares gained 33 cents to close at $57.79, also on Nasdaq. Verizon shares dropped 33 cents to $34.36 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Appliances

Whirlpool enters bidding for Maytag

Whirlpool Corp.’s top executive fired the first salvo in a possible three-way bidding war for rival Maytag Corp., saying Monday his company’s $1.37 billion offer provides the “best opportunity to address Maytag’s needs.”

Jeff Fettig, chairman, president and chief executive of Whirlpool, also expressed confidence that potential antitrust challenges could be surmounted.

Whirlpool’s $17-per-share offer tops a $14-a-share proposal that the board of Newton, Iowa-based Maytag accepted from an investment group, Triton Acquisition Holding Co., on May 19. A month later, Maytag said it also was considering a preliminary $1.28 billion bid from Chinese appliance maker Haier America, along with Bain Capital and Blackstone Group, that valued Maytag at $16 per share.