Is Bricktown slowing down?

Bricktown still solid, backers say
Three restaurants have closed recently

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

Three Bricktown restaurants closed in recent weeks, but the head of the merchants' association insists the entertainment district isn't losing any momentum.
All three eateries were located along the Bricktown Canal. Da'Boat, a seafood restaurant at Oklahoma Avenue, and Rio Del Fuego, a Mexican restaurant, both closed over the summer. The latest casualty, Daddy Hinkle's Steak House, also known as J. Frank's, closed earlier this month and is already being renovated into the new home of Othello's.

David Southard, owner of Daddy Hinkles, said his Bourbon Street Cafe on the canal level of the Kingman building is still thriving. He said the steakhouse was too "experimental" for Bricktown. The restaurant was a new concept, based on the instant meat marinades his father's company sells in supermarkets nationwide.

"Anytime a business comes in and isn't well developed, Bricktown is tough on it," Southard said. "I have a restaurant that is very successful in Bricktown and one that wasn't."

Another challenge, Southard said, was building up business to support the 10,000-square-foot space. In the past few months, he tried to separate the space, operating a steakhouse fronting Oklahoma Avenue and J. Frank's Bar and Grill facing the canal.

Southard said he may reopen the bar and grill in another smaller location, depending on the future of NBA basketball at the nearby Ford Center.

Charles Biehler, co-owner of Othellos in Norman, said he and his partners are relocating their Ed Noble Parkway location to Bricktown and will offer a different menu that will include steaks, seafood and Italian dishes. He's also contemplating opening a pizza shop in the Oklahoma Avenue storefront.

"This site is very good," Biehler said.

Randy Hogan, developer of Lower Bricktown, said he expects the Rio Del Fuego spot will reopen as a new eatery by Christmas. The restaurant's failure is the first in the new Lower Bricktown. Hogan said other eateries — Marble Slab Creamery, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill and Earl's Rib Palace — are all exceeding expectations and thriving.

Brandon Bittle, who owned Rio Del Fuego, also tried changing concepts before closing his operation in Lower Bricktown. He originally opened a Nothing But Noodles, but changed it in January to a Mexican restaurant with no prior history with consumers.

"Mexican is safe," Bittle said at the time. "It's a good staple."

Bricktown visitors were skeptical at the start, questioning why an unproven Mexican restaurant would open in a district that already boasted two popular and well-known Mexican eateries — Chelinos and Abuelos.

Bittle wouldn't comment when contacted Friday. But Frank Sims, director of the Bricktown Association, thinks the visitors had the right gut instinct.

"A person needs to do due diligence when they enter an area," Sims said. "Two of our very successful restaurants are Abuelos and Chelinos, and a third Mexican restaurant was tough to pull off."

Sims said the restaurant closures do not indicate any slowing momentum in the downtown entertainment district. He said Da'Boat went through several owners, and a new restaurant announcement for the space is expected soon.

"I believe they were potentially under-capitalized, and that might have been the problem," Sims said.

Sims said the opening of The Melting Pot this winter along Sheridan Avenue in a previously undeveloped building shows Bricktown is thriving.

"That tells the story of what's going with Bricktown — we're catching national attention."

"There is a tremendous amount of interest in Bricktown. Not just restaurants, but also some retail opportunities. People are understanding that we are now a destination, no longer a place people drove through but a place they drive to. And the numbers continue to grow by leaps and bounds."

"A person needs to do due diligence when they enter an area."


Frank Sims, director of the Bricktown Association

Hornets season is coming up.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

I love the idea of Othello's in the Hinkle's spot. A locally owned restaurant with a known brand that doesn't have a presence in OKC proper. It might be a bit big, though, we'll see.

That could be a problem with bricktown also. They're all big properties that demand a high volume model. Maybe if we could get some more modest eateries in there that wouldn't have 80 tables to fill a night, we'd see more variety and more success.

I really liked that Hinkle's place, but whenever I was in there it just didn't seem very busy. I think part of their problem was just how they located on top of the Bourbon Street in Bricktown, which people have been going to for longer (including myself, definately my favorite place in Bricktown).

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

This is an example of a one-liner post that is serving absolutely no purpose.

Now, this is a useful post.

Were either of those useful?

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

Useful in making my point.

OK let me complete my train of thought, which I thought was more than implied.

There was substantial evidence last Hornets season that the Hornets help Bricktown. With the upcoming Hornets season, Bricktown will be thriving once again, mark my word.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

The problem was it didn't look like a real restaurant was in there. Instead of paying real money for a nice neon sign which would have advertised their existance, Hinkel's opted for vinyl signs which made them look like what they ultimately were -- a temporary tennant.

You have to spend money to make money is the old saying. It particularly rings true in Bricktown. If you want to compete with first-rate establishments, you must yourself build a first-rate establishment. If your business wants to go the vinyl sign route, you should opt for a location in a strip mall somewhere in Moore.

Also, there are two (at least) very well established steakhouses already in Bricktown. Hinkels went into an oversaturated market, offered prices comparable to their competitors, offered quality comparable to their competitors, but where they failed was letting people know they existed and showing the public why they deserved to exist.

It's laughable that the owner is saying this is just 'bad luck' or whatever. It's his own poor management that resulted in this.

I'll say it again -- you have to spend money to make money.

__________________
It's a friendlier OKCTalk!

Da Boat had a nice neon sign. I'm sure everybody remembers their blue and red neon sign.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

I really liked Da Boat. It was a pretty good place.

I have no idea why it didn't catch on.

__________________
It's a friendlier OKCTalk!

It's not as if it never caught on. It seemed like they were actually there for a long while.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

Del Fuego was a bad idea so no surprise there...It was alright, but you have to have something exceptional to draw people away from the bricktown staples Chelinos and Abuelos

Da Boat was good...That location just hasn't had any luck for some reason

How about the chance to open up a Eskimo Joes in Bricktown? Eskimo Joes is one of the places in the state that has gotten national coverage. If your an okie and you see someone wearing that Eskimo shirt you have something in common. What yall think?

Uh oh! Be careful of the post police.

That location on Oklahoma should be in store for some better fate once they get more retail and condos there on that side of the canal.

I agree, good idea.

__________________
Keep away from Miss Margarita Mean...

Very nice!

Nice idea. And how about a Sooners store next door? We need more gift shops in Bricktown. More places where you can buy Sooners and Cowboys merchandise, red earth t-shirts, Native American merchandise, etc. I wish the Hornets store would've located in Bricktown.

Eskimo Joe's has made it clear that they have no intention of locating outside of Stillwater. They are as associated with OSU as O'Connells is with OU. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but it won't happen.

These restaurants going out doesn't bother me, because they will all be replaced quickly with better operations. Othello's is a proven restaurant and Al Eschbach's place should do well as long as the food is decent. And pretty much ANYTHING will do better than Rio Del Fuego in that prime location. What a waste of space that was. It was a terrible mistake to change formats without hardly giving Nothing but Noodles a chance. I'll be interested to see what goes in there. Chipotle would be nice.

What I don't get is why Steve L. in the Oklahoman article didn't mention that Al Aichbach's Bar & Grill is relocating in Da' Boat's spot. OKC Business and the Journal record announced this lke 2 weeks ago. I love his articles but the Oklahoman seems to be going even more downhill lately. I love this quote from the article.What is soooooo "experimental" with another steakhouse in Bricktown. Like someone said, there are several already established for years in the area. He must be dilusional saying a steakhouse is "experimental" in Oklahoma??

I think he means "A steakhouse which barely advertises its existance, only putting up a vinyl tarp for a sign."

Maybe that's the part that was experimental?

If Al's folds will it be due to the fact that a sports bar is too experimental?

__________________
It's a friendlier OKCTalk!

This line also throws me off. Good old boy Frank Sims (who by the way is the director of the Bricktown Assocation) tries to promote the Melting Pot as proof Bricktown is thriving". I have two issues with that statement. First, it was a Simply Fondue, not Melting Pot that was announced for Bricktown. Secondly, it was supposed to open last winter, then they said by Oct./Nov. this year (which clearly it won't). So my question is how is that proof Bricktown is thriving and how come the director of the Bricktown association can't get that right?

I emailed Simply Fondue this morning and got this canned response like I did several months ago:

Melting Pot is, I believe, going in the building where the police substation is currently. Simply Fondue is going next to Abuelo's.

First one in wins.