Best of - Tulsa Restaurants That Are Gone

[swake]

quote:Originally posted by AMP

Not sure why some closed.  But when they were open they were some of the hot spots in Tulsa for many.  Some small businesses close when the principal owner looses interest, retires or passes away.  Similar to when one operated by a dentist, doctor, mechanic, jeweler, tech, locksmith, machinist or other skilled person moves on.    

Seems there are many more older restaurants that are still open and doing well in Oklahoma City than in tulsa.  Molly Murphys was still open in OKC last time I was there.  

The National Chains just don't have that owner on site appeal that most of these did.  Something about having a person that actually puts some love into preparing your food, versus a person that seems to hate their job and it watching the clock while making it.  LOL

Perhaps it was the quality of the food as well.  Today's chains seem to buy their food from the Sysco truck or other national supplier. I recall some of these got their meat from Tulsa Beef or Hodges or Bauer & Sons meat processing in Sand Springs, Fadlers, again a local thing.

Few More of my Favorites

Impressions 15th & Lewis  Pasta & Prime Rib Sandwich
Der Winersnitzel
The orginal Ron's Hamburgers 15th & Harvard
The Italian Inn
Lea's Pizzareia 43rd & Peoria
Shakey's Pizza
My Pie Pizza  (Used the Pi Sign)
Crystal's Pizza
Kings Hamburgers 31st & Sheridan
Shaw's Hamburgers 32nd & Yale
Steven's Hamburger's corner 28th & Yale
The Pines East Pine between Sheridan & Memorial
Mark & Tammy's Hamburgers
Golden Drumstick  11th & Yale
Middle Path Restaurant 11th & Yale
Dariy Queen East 11th  
Chuck Wagon East 11th  Giant Wheel Burgers
Partners East 11th  Hot Apple Pie Alamode
Ma Bells 51st & Yale, Admiral & Sherican
Griff's Hamburgers
Burger Chef
Shoney's
Star Restaurant
Chefs Big Boy 11th downtown, Memorial
Hardens Chicken
Pancake Place
Pure Milk 41st & Hudson
Cafe at the Rose Bowl
Cafe at Yale Bowl  
Ken's Pizza
Concession Stand at Tulsa Speedway
Bisquits Plus
Sambos
The Speakeasy Steak Places 91st & Lewis/Deleware and one out south east of Broken Arrow.
Ann's Bakery

Fadler's is still around. A number of places on your list are open and a lot of your list IS made up of dead or nearly dead national chains. A lot of the others were mom and pop places that like you said were never going to outlive the owners.

Impressions is still open, now downtown.
Der Winersnitzel is a chain that is nearly gone nationally
Ron's Hamburgers, you can't go two miles in town without hitting a Ron's, it was not but now is a regional chain.
Shakey's Pizza, national chain that went under
Dairy Queen East 11th, A national chain and there are a still few Dairy Queens around Tulsa (and not a good chain at all)
Burger Chef. Another national chain, now gone
Shoney's, National chain (and not a good chain at all, closed largely on health department violations if I recall)
Chefs Big Boy 11th downtown, Memorial, It was Kips, and also a chain and also largely gone nationally.
Hardens Chicken, Harden is still open I believe
Ken's Pizza, Ken's was part of Mazzio's, it was brand of the Tulsa based regional chain that was ended
Ann's Bakery, they had a fire and I think they are still planning on reopening

And, Molly Murphy's closed in OKC more than a decade ago.  You really should get out more.

[iplaw]

quote:Hardens Chicken

FYI.  There's still a KEN's pizza in Sapulpa for anyone who cares...

[iplaw]

quote:And, Molly Murphy's closed in OKC more than a decade ago. You really should get out more.

Hey ***...I believe that the thread is titled "Best of - Tulsa Restaurants That Are Gone.  I didn't realize we were supposed to talk about restaurants that were still around.  I should have read more closely.[xx(]

[Conan71]

The original Mondo's on 61st. St.  They used to show the old silent films.

Blue Rose Cafe- I absolutely loved the Blue Rose Special burger and their marinated chicken nachos.

Personally, I thought Pennington's black bottom pie sucked.

[azbadpuppy]

Razor Clam
Louisiane
9 of Cups
Happy Joe's Pizza
My Pi Pizza
Shotgun Sam's
The Pagoda
The Fountains
Charlie Mitchell's

[Breadburner]

Sorry I left off Sambo's........

[AMP]

quote:Originally posted by swake

quote:Originally posted by AMP

Not sure why some closed.  But when they were open they were some of the hot spots in Tulsa for many.  Some small businesses close when the principal owner looses interest, retires or passes away.  Similar to when one operated by a dentist, doctor, mechanic, jeweler, tech, locksmith, machinist or other skilled person moves on.    

Seems there are many more older restaurants that are still open and doing well in Oklahoma City than in tulsa.  Molly Murphys was still open in OKC last time I was there.  

The National Chains just don't have that owner on site appeal that most of these did.  Something about having a person that actually puts some love into preparing your food, versus a person that seems to hate their job and it watching the clock while making it.  LOL

Perhaps it was the quality of the food as well.  Today's chains seem to buy their food from the Sysco truck or other national supplier. I recall some of these got their meat from Tulsa Beef or Hodges or Bauer & Sons meat processing in Sand Springs, Fadlers, again a local thing.

Few More of my Favorites

Impressions 15th & Lewis  Pasta & Prime Rib Sandwich
Der Winersnitzel
The orginal Ron's Hamburgers 15th & Harvard
The Italian Inn
Lea's Pizzareia 43rd & Peoria
Shakey's Pizza
My Pie Pizza  (Used the Pi Sign)
Crystal's Pizza
Kings Hamburgers 31st & Sheridan
Shaw's Hamburgers 32nd & Yale
Steven's Hamburger's corner 28th & Yale
The Pines East Pine between Sheridan & Memorial
Mark & Tammy's Hamburgers
Golden Drumstick  11th & Yale
Middle Path Restaurant 11th & Yale
Dariy Queen East 11th  
Chuck Wagon East 11th  Giant Wheel Burgers
Partners East 11th  Hot Apple Pie Alamode
Ma Bells 51st & Yale, Admiral & Sherican
Griff's Hamburgers
Burger Chef
Shoney's
Star Restaurant
Chefs Big Boy 11th downtown, Memorial
Hardens Chicken
Pancake Place
Pure Milk 41st & Hudson
Cafe at the Rose Bowl
Cafe at Yale Bowl  
Ken's Pizza
Concession Stand at Tulsa Speedway
Bisquits Plus
Sambos
The Speakeasy Steak Places 91st & Lewis/Deleware and one out south east of Broken Arrow.
Ann's Bakery

Fadler's is still around. A number of places on your list are open and a lot of your list IS made up of dead or nearly dead national chains. A lot of the others were mom and pop places that like you said were never going to outlive the owners.

Impressions is still open, now downtown.
Der Winersnitzel is a chain that is nearly gone nationally
Ron's Hamburgers, you can't go two miles in town without hitting a Ron's, it was not but now is a regional chain.
Shakey's Pizza, national chain that went under
Dairy Queen East 11th, A national chain and there are a still few Dairy Queens around Tulsa (and not a good chain at all)
Burger Chef. Another national chain, now gone
Shoney's, National chain (and not a good chain at all, closed largely on health department violations if I recall)
Chefs Big Boy 11th downtown, Memorial, It was Kips, and also a chain and also largely gone nationally.
Hardens Chicken, Harden is still open I believe
Ken's Pizza, Ken's was part of Mazzio's, it was brand of the Tulsa based regional chain that was ended
Ann's Bakery, they had a fire and I think they are still planning on reopening

And, Molly Murphy's closed in OKC more than a decade ago.  You really should get out more.

If there were some of these Good Old Fashioned restaurants still open in Tulsa, perhaps people living here would be in a much better mood. LOL

I never said that Ron's other stores were closed. It reads "The orginal Ron's Hamburgers 15th & Harvard".  That was his first and original restaurant. None of the others are like that one, mainly becausse Ron is not cooking the burgers and chili. It remains closed.  

Fadlers I mentioned as a supplier for some of the local restaurants on that list.  Never stated they were closed, it was a point that many of those on the list purchased products from Fadlers and the other suppliers listed.  

Ken's Pizza is no longer, brand, chain, local whatever it is gone.  

Story on Ken Selby: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20060221/ai_n16164510/pg_2

I stand corrected on Impressions, I knew Tom had the location downtown after he closed Pizza dot Tom.  I have been there once.  The original Impressions that Tom had at at 15th and Lewis serverd Pasta and other entres that Tom did not have at his downtown location when I was there.  I mainly enjoyed his pasta.  

Harden's name is on one hamburger place left near 4th and Sheridan. No longer Fried Chicken. I don't think the family owns it any longer, but I could be wrong.  I believe Rick bought them out when he was on 15th street prior to moving on Sheridan.  But again, I may be wrong,  Don owned a franchise which was located on Utica near 6th street.  He now owns the old Lot A Burger location on North Lewis north of Pine across and north from the Springdale Shopping Center. Next time I am at Harden's Hamburgers I will ask Rick.      

There are also many restaurants I see in OKC that are still in operation for many years.  Just used Molly's as an example, sorry if it is no longer there, I was told it was two years ago by a friend that lives there.    

Kips Big Boy is correct, sorry I made a mistake, I was reaching for that name.  My pencils, as do most all pencils, still have erasers on the ends of them as I am a human being.

Article about Kip's Big Boy
http://www.cosmicool.com/googie/ezskips.html

I do get out quite a bit, driving over 65,000 miles a year, traveling through a dozen or more states.  

Peace

[AMP]

Nine of Cups, that one I miss a lot.

[bokworker]

Sambo's is still around... they just call it Denny's now. Got in some PC trouble with the Sambo's name and the corporate logo that they used.

[Wingnut]

I miss Crystals Pizza at 21st & Sheridan
Mondos Italian
Applegates Landing, a great place to take a date,
Ken's Pizza. Yes I have seen the one in Sapulpa. It's down the road from TG&Y.
Taco Hut. There are some in Kansas but none here.
Griffs Burger Bar
Mr. Burger on Admiral
Shotgun Sams
Tastee Freeze on 11th. The gal owned that for about 40 years.
Irish Mike Clancys Pizza, 11th & Mingo. Never got there, but heard it was real good.

[PreserveSouthTulsa.com]

Some of my childhood favorites were all east-siders:

Shakey's Pizza
Shotgun Sam's
Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips
Pizza Quick

One I don't miss:

Duff's Smorgasbord  (I used to have to clean up after all-you-can-eat crab legs night...I think my hands still smell like butter!)

[AMP]

According to an article Denny's purchased 800 Sambos locations.

Original Sambos is still open in California !
http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/  

"From SantaBarbara.com" :

"On June 17, 1957 the first of Sambo's nationwide chain of family restaurants was opened in this very location, right across the street from the beach. The name derived from a combination of the original owners Sam Battistone and Newell Bonette who commonly were referred to as Sam and Bo. When they discovered the book "Little Black Sambo" written by Hellen Bartrum in 1899, they thought it was the perfect match. Today, this original Sambo's is the only one remaining in America.
Another interesting story on this topic is Pancakes and Prejudice".


http://www.alamedainfo.com/Ken_Prag_12_sambos_1919_Webster.jpg



Character in the illustration appears to be from India.

[swake]

quote:Originally posted by AMP
I do get out quite a bit, driving over 65,000 miles a year, traveling through a dozen or more states.  

Peace

You travel 65,000 miles a year and have not seen Riverparks in 25 years? That makes sense. If you haven't seen Riverpark for 25 years do you think there just might be a number of older Tulsa places that you have missed?

Here are some current places I could think of that have been in town for more than 25 years (some more than 70 years) that are not chains. I also looked in the phone book, but stopped at "F" as the list was getting too long.

Coney Island
The Petroleum Club
The Celebrity Club
Steakfinger House
Claude's
Webber's
Mary's Italian
The Polo Grill
Fuji Sushi
Queenie's
Jim's Never on Sunday
Billy's on the Square
Wilson's BBQ
Café Ole
Fellini's
Jamil's
Cardigans
Chicken Coop
Freddie's
Baxter's Interurban
The Atlas Grill
Casa Loredo
Chimi's
Bodean's
The Spudder
Diamond Jack's
Elmer's
Avalon
Atlantic Sea Grill
Brothers Houligan

[T-Town Now]

Most of my old favorites have already been listed:

Ma Bell's
My Pie
Smokehouse Blues (81st and Harvard)
Kings (31st and Sheridan - great burgers!)
The Pagoda
Zuider Zee (I loved the windmill)
Charlie Mitchell's

Anyone remember Melody's at 71st and Memorial (around 1980-1981)? It was later Chi-Chi's, and the building is now torn down. It sat east of the old Target store. Melody's had great Sunday Brunches.

[PreserveSouthTulsa.com]

I completely forgot about Der Winersnitzel at 31st and Mingo and the A&W Root Beer stand around the corner.  

And I miss running over to the Sub Station for a steak and onion sub after hours playing Galaga at Quarter Horse or wasting time walking around Luboyle's(?)Sporting Goods.