Rex's Chicken 111th & Memorial - A quick review

[Ibanez]

Went there with the wife and kids. I had high hopes, they were dashed rather quickly.

Strike 1 - Line was nearly to the door when we arrived. A good sign? Maybe, but the problem with that is there was only one register being worked while the second one sat idle and several of the staff(kids) working in front were standing around chatting and 1 was absorbed with his iPhone.

Strike 2 - The girl taking orders was very slow and I had to repeat our orders 3 times. I hesitate to even mention it since the place is newly opened, but you would think that on a Friday night they would have someone operating the register that knew what they were doing.

Strike 3 - Restaurant was not well kept. The area around the soft drinks and sauce dispensers was especially bad. We also had to bus our own table, the round booth in the corner, as it was dirty and sticky with honey and the staff didn't seem overly concerned about it.

The food arrives....

Strike 4 - 2 of our 4 orders were wrong. The worker that brought it out said he would correct it and be right back. a little over 5 minutes later he returned.

Strike 5 - The orders that were correct when they came out had lukewarm, at best, chicken in them. The corrected orders that arrived later were the same.

Strike 6 - The portions were rather small. Being surprised at how small my basket of jalapeño chicken was I decided to take an inventory. 4 pieces of decent sized chicken pieces, the remaining pieces looked like the crumbs you get at Long John Silver's. There were 6 pieces of Okra in my side order of that and my side of fries consisted of 11 fries of various sizes. The wife had a salad that was decent sized, but the kids and I felt robbed on our chicken and sides. In fact the kids, 10 and 7, were still hungry afterward and we ended up going to Braum's for ice cream.

Strike 7 - The restaurant was dirty. Yes I know I mentioned it before, but this is a real pet peeve of mine. As customers would leave they would throw away their cups, basket liner, etc... which left the tables mostly clean, but not once did I ever see one of the staff wipe down a table.   

Strike 8 - I don't care what they call it, it wasn't the Rex's Jalapeño Chicken I remember. The fry bread was also a disappointment. The pieces we had all seemed rather doughy and more jelly donut, without the jelly, like in taste than what I would call fry bread.

All in all it was an underwhelming experience of overpriced food. We had similar bad luck with Coney Beach when it was at this location and like that former establishment this one got off on the wrong foot with me. We will give it another chance, probably, but if it again falls short we won't return.

Has anyone else been there since the opening? Curious to see how you experience meshes with ours.

[forevertulsa89]

Rex's chicken was one of my all time favorite Tulsa eateries and when they closed several years ago I was so disappointed. When I saw they were converting Coney Beach into a Rex's I couldn't wait to have that delicious chicken and fry bread again. Unfortunately after having it the other night I have to agree with you on several of your points. I did not go in the restaurant, we had someone go in and bring it home, but can imagine that it probably wasn't clean. Coney Beach was the same way so I'm not surprised it's the same at Rex's. We got the family pack, which wasn't really like the old family packs they used to serve. They gave us quite a bit of chicken, which I was pleased to see, and way more fry bread then the old family pack, but the sides were terribly disappointing. First, the portions were pathetic, they used to be very hardy in the family pack. Each individual got a cup with a side in it. I got okra and there were only 6 pieces of okra in the cup. Sorry but I want man sized sides not 4 year old portions. Second, the okra was one of the things I remember being the best at Rex's and the one's I had this time were nothing special at all. The original fried chicken was every bit as good as I remember it being, but have to sort of agree on the fry bread. That was the thing I was most looking forward to, but agree that it sort of tasted like an empty donut. Not as good as I remember. Also, they do not serve grilled chicken anymore which I thought was one of the best menu items they had right before the franchise went under. The place you mentioned is way overpriced for what you get. I remember Rex's being very well priced before, but the portions at the new startup are too high for the meal sizes. Coney Beach was overpriced and we all saw what happened to that concept. I hope and pray that they can get things figured out at the new Rex's because it truly was one of the best chicken places in town, but the new restaurant is an embarrassment to a historic franchise. I'll have to give it a try again in a few months and hopefully they will have worked out the kinks. If they don't I don't expect it to last.

[sgrizzle]

I also heard they didn't even have mashed potatoes, true?

[dbacks fan]

I also heard they didn't even have mashed potatoes, true?

Here's the menu from their website:

http://rexschicken.com/menu.html

No mashed potatoes on the menu, is it just me or does it seem very limited?

[sgrizzle]

Here's the menu from their website:

http://rexschicken.com/menu.html

No mashed potatoes on the menu, is it just me or does it seem very limited?

Morons.

[Gaspar]

The bad thing about the restaurant business is that it's typically too late by the time an owner finds out all of the things that are wrong.

Beautiful Brands is trying really hard to revive this concept and it looks like they're making some operational and concept mistakes.  I suggest contacting them with your concerns.  You can call them at (918) 488-9727 or use the email link on their website to voice concerns. http://www.beautifulbrands.net/index.cfm?id=7

If they choose not to address the problems than perhaps the revival of Rex's Chicken was not meant to be.

[YoungTulsan]

What does a pound of their chicken go for nowadays?

[Hoss]

If they choose not to address the problems than perhaps the revival of Rex's Chicken was not meant to be.

Case in point:

Interurban used to be a restaurant I frequented often after hockey games.  Good food and loved the atmosphere because I knew many of the players and many of my current friends I met at the hockey games.  Then the fire happened, and they changed it to Baxter's InterUrban.  I went one time after they reopened, had a bad experience with something in my quesadillas and their refusal to redo the order when I asked them to, so I got up and left and stiffed them on the check.  Which was well within my right to do if I asked politely to have my order redone.  I never went back.

The difference is that Baxter's still exists to this day.  But none of my hockey friends go there anymore.  Bad word of mouth can kill a restaurant.  Those that tell you otherwise are sadly mistaken.  I guess other patrons kept it afloat.

[Gaspar]

Case in point:

Interurban used to be a restaurant I frequented often after hockey games.  Good food and loved the atmosphere because I knew many of the players and many of my current friends I met at the hockey games.  Then the fire happened, and they changed it to Baxter's InterUrban.  I went one time after they reopened, had a bad experience with something in my quesadillas and their refusal to redo the order when I asked them to, so I got up and left and stiffed them on the check.  Which was well within my right to do if I asked politely to have my order redone.  I never went back.

The difference is that Baxter's still exists to this day.  But none of my hockey friends go there anymore.  Bad word of mouth can kill a restaurant.  Those that tell you otherwise are sadly mistaken.  I guess other patrons kept it afloat.

When a new restaurant, especially a franchise concept, opens the owners and managers need to be on the floor for the first couple of days interacting with the customers and identifying problems.  The first couple of days are the most important time in that restaurant's life.

No customer should ever leave without someone engaging them and asking about their experience. 

When most of us have mediocre restaurant experience and the wait-staff asks "how is everything" we automatically blurt out "fine."  That's a worthless answer to a worthless question.

When I used to do marketing, the question I would have them ask is "Is there anything we can change to make your experience better?" 

If you ask people for their advice you get further than if you ask for their opinion.  People also have a natural desire to implement "Change."  This gives them a degree of pride in the success of your business.

A side effect of this is that people tend to be disarmed by such questions.  Many times if a customer has an absolutely horrible experience, and a member of the staff asks them for advice on how the restaurant can improve, they get a chance to vent and are less likely to communicate the bad experience.  They are also more likely to return and see if the problems they identified were addressed.  If they were, they often feel a slight degree of ownership, and will frequent the restaurant more often.

This is all easy marketing 101 stuff, it's too bad that most business ignore it.

[FoodieGirl]

I second Gaspar.

Opening a brand new restaurant is one of the most stressful, nerve-wracking events for the first month or two. There are always tweaks to be made to operations. Finding that sweet spot of value - to - price is tricky for any restaurant chain.

Now, add to that the pressure of reproducing an iconic brand from over 20 years ago. There's a fierce loyalty to contend with that most new restaurants don't have to worry about. Everyone who had Rex's in the past will have a strong opinion based on their memories of BOTH the food and the experience.

If you really feel strongly that they are off base, leave a message on Beautiful Brands' website like Gaspar says. It's the only way they will ever know unless you can identify the managers and tell them while you are there.

You can call corporate at (918) 488-9727 or use the email link on their website to voice concerns. http://www.beautifulbrands.net/index.cfm?id=7 

Otherwise, come back and try them again after they have had a chance to address the usual "grand opening" issues that all restaurants deal with. You may have a better experience.

[Conan71]

I second Gaspar.

Opening a brand new restaurant is one of the most stressful, nerve-wracking events for the first month or two. There are always tweaks to be made to operations. Finding that sweet spot of value - to - price is tricky for any restaurant chain.

Now, add to that the pressure of reproducing an iconic brand from over 20 years ago. There's a fierce loyalty to contend with that most new restaurants don't have to worry about. Everyone who had Rex's in the past will have a strong opinion based on their memories of BOTH the food and the experience.

If you really feel strongly that they are off base, leave a message on Beautiful Brands' website like Gaspar says. It's the only way they will ever know unless you can identify the managers and tell them while you are there.

You can call corporate at (918) 488-9727 or use the email link on their website to voice concerns. http://www.beautifulbrands.net/index.cfm?id=7 

Otherwise, come back and try them again after they have had a chance to address the usual "grand opening" issues that all restaurants deal with. You may have a better experience.

I need to speak carefully, but I think it's an issue which emanates from the top.

[DolfanBob]

I haven't bothered to venture down there after my experience with Coney Beach. We installed the Satellite TV system there and I have been out on a few service related calls and decided to try the food. I was underwhelmed. Over priced hot dogs and terrible service was enough to keep me from going back.
Everytime I went out there, I could not seem to find or get anyone who even knew or acted like a manager. Total disorganization.
As to bringing back Rex's Chicken without the knowledge of the former founders or owners, to me would be like trying to bring back Pennington's drive in. Cant be done.

[sgrizzle]

Otherwise, come back and try them again after they have had a chance to address the usual "grand opening" issues that all restaurants deal with. You may have a better experience.

Not everything listed is a "grand opening" issue. They aren't forgetting to serve any form of potato with chicken, they don't list it on the menu. They aren't accidentally overcharging, they have high prices.

Some restaurants will adjust food/pricing over time, but it's not a "grand opening" issue. It's a failure to think out what you're doing.

[swake]

I haven't bothered to venture down there after my experience with Coney Beach. We installed the Satellite TV system there and I have been out on a few service related calls and decided to try the food. I was underwhelmed. Over priced hot dogs and terrible service was enough to keep me from going back.
Everytime I went out there, I could not seem to find or get anyone who even knew or acted like a manager. Total disorganization.
As to bringing back Rex's Chicken without the knowledge of the former founders or owners, to me would be like trying to bring back Pennington's drive in. Cant be done.

There are Penningtons around that could do just that.

[YoungTulsan]

Ok, I decided to go and check it out since I remember loving me some Rex's back in the day.

My guess on price was $11.99 for one pound.  That was guessing they were pretty high priced.   When I got there I found my guess to be 100% spot on.

I went around 4:30, so it wasn't quite peak business.  There were some empty tables, and the place seemed pretty clean.  It looked like about 2/3rds of the people were waiting on carryout orders while the other third were eating there.

There were too many random employees, but the kitchen was not streamlined to handle the volume, nor did it look smart to have just one cashier.   While the idea of everything being cooked fresh to order is a good one, they should have a pretty good idea to have a certain supply of chicken and frybread ready to order since there was a line of customers as well as many more paid and waiting on their orders.   While there was just one cashier working a line that got longer as I watched, there were probably 10 teenagers standing around, handing over completed orders, walking orders to tables, etc.   I think things would actually run smoother with less employees because with such an overabundance of workers no one takes charge and has the confidence to go out and start taking care of stuff since so many others are also idle around them.

They need about 2 more cashiers, half the floor staff, and the kitchen needs to be streamlined to have chicken that is obviously going to be ordered ready.

The wait:  There wasn't a long line when I came in, I put in my order and sat down.   It took about 15 minutes to get my order.  I saw about 15 people (10 to-go and 5 tables) get their food as I waited.  I wasn't too irritated, but it was 4:30 so I fear for them at 5:30 to 7:00 when there would be no room for all the people waiting.

The food:   I just got a pound of chicken and a basket of frybread.

The chicken was the same flavor I remembered it (which is damn good) but the chicken was a little bit burned.  Some of the breading was brown to near black, which negatively effected the flavor.  Otherwise it was obviously fresh from the fryer when I got it.

The frybread was perfect.  I could tell it was fresh as well, I didn't have a problem with the grease level like another poster had said.

Another prediction I made that was correct is that they don't have pure honey now.  I don't remember if it was 100% real honey before, but what you get now is "honey sauce".  The principle ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, "honey" is just an ingredient lower down the list.

All-in-all I will not go out of my way to get some Rex's in the future (I live nowhere near 111th & Memorial).  If it were on my corner I might consider it.  Definitely not a cheap meal like Bueno or bargain basement pizza.   I remember considering Rex's expensive back before they went out of business over a decade ago.  Food costs on boneless chicken have only skyrocketed since then, so I wasn't surprised by the prices being charged (and in fact guessed correctly).  Good tasting boneless chicken (when not overcooked) is a nice convenience food which I don't mind paying for, but driving more than a couple of miles for it eliminates the mindless convenience I was looking for in the first place.