They're anything but plain vanilla, these new Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Stores.

Work is well under way on the first of the next generation of Braum's stores at 800 E Lindsey in Norman. It will replace the Braum's at 1320 E Lindsey, built 28 years ago, and should be complete by the end of July, spokeswoman Andie Schwab said.

It's "model W,” the 29th different design of store since the first Braum's opened in Oklahoma City in 1968. Some models were tweaked, not overhauled, hence more models than letters from A to W.

It's the first major new design since "model V” debuted in September 2002, ending the mansard roofs that had defined Braum's exteriors for 20 years.

The plan is to replace some of the dairy-based treat and grocery retailer's oldest stores — 59 locations without drive-through windows — with the new stores.

Stacked-stone exteriors, composition gabled roofs and state-of-the-art digital menu boards inside and out will set off the new stores from the not-so-new.

"We're excited about building our first store with our new look and design in Norman. We've been working on this prototype for years,” said Drew Braum, president.

"Inside and out, from the stone exterior to the stained concrete floors, it's unlike any Braum's store you've ever seen before.”

The prototype has 5,756 square feet of space, a little smaller than the previous model, which has 5,800 square feet, Schwab said.


Change in emphasis
The space is proportioned differently in the new design to accommodate a change in emphasis at Braum's.
Neither Braum's ice cream nor the 10,000 cows in Tuttle that produce it are going anywhere. In fact, new flavors including cake batter and fried ice cream, plus new sherbets, are coming.

But with the new design, Braum's is reducing the seating areas from around 120 seats to 86 seats, and is expanding its "fresh market” areas to accommodate a growing line of produce and staple groceries.

The new stores will have the traditional fountain area for ice cream, grill area for sandwiches, and the enlarged market for dairy, baked goods, meat and produce, with wider aisles, double checkout counters and automatic doors.

Other features will include wrap-around murals of farm scenes in the market areas, pendant lights over multicolored tables in the restaurants, and open-beam ceilings.

The new stores will replace the chain's oldest, smallest stores.

"My family and I thought it was time for something bigger and better,” said Braum, whose parents, Mary and Bill Braum, opened the first Braum's store in 39 years ago. "Within the next few years our plan is to rebuild about 59 stores throughout a five-state area, using this same prototype.”

After Norman, the next new stores will be built in Choctaw, Oklahoma City, Altus and Ada, Schwab said. Braum's has 276 stores in all in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

"It's unlike any Braum's store you've ever seen before.”

Drew Braum, president



Changes

New Braum's stores upcoming:

•Norman — 800 E Lindsey, replacing a store at 1320 E Lindsey

•Choctaw — 14205 NE 23, replacing one 14729 NE 23

•Oklahoma City — 4201 NW 39, a new store

•Altus — 2505 N Main, replacing a store at the same location

•Ada — 13th and S Mississippi, replacing one at 601 N Mississippi

Good post, thanks for the info!

I'm glad to see Braum's putting a little extra into the look of the stores... I did quite a bit of shopping at the Choctaw store beacuse of it's convenient location to my old house, and always thought that it was one of the worst looking stores they had. But the looks never changed the fact that there was always good stuff sold inside!

I enjoy their food, but more than new designs, more than new products, please, please, can't they figure out a way to improve their service time. i don't want the burger cooked faster, but I would love to see a Braum's where it doesn't take over six mionutes just to place an order, with only one person inf ront of you, and they had a simple order, and then another six minutes to see your order get underway.

Hot or cold, it doesn't matter, i can not name one burger barn, home spun, national or regional, that is consistently slower than Braum's. I only go back as often as I do for the milk and well, they ARE tasty burgers once you get one

I agree...Braum's is horrificly slow...Always has been, but it seems it just falls into the same speed category as other ice cream stores...The two frozen yogurt stores I drive thru seem to take an average of 5 to 10 minutes per vehicle...Not sure if they have to make the yogurt from scratch or what

They make Braum's seem like a McD's when it comes to speed

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

Love the dairy products, service could be better, but if your looking for a desert we go to Sweet Mercy. They have frozen custard with all kinds of toppings and any espresso drink you want, or they can blend the espresso in with your frozen custard, which is awesome!! It's on I-240

No kidding...The only place with slower service (in general) is theaters.

I really have a hard time watching some of those people move. I want to hit them with a cattle prod when I watch how slowly they go after that popcorn bag.

Even at Harkin's...I think they hired only people that were orphaned in the jungle at an early age and were raised by turtles.

Braums used to have great burgers but something happened to them. I don't know what the difference is but their burgers do not taste the same as they used to. The last couple of times I went into Braums I was very disappointed in my burger. Do they taste different to anyone else or have my taste buds just changed?

The new Braums at 39th and Tulsa opened on Monday. If anyone would take a picture and post we could see the new design. It is quite different from other stores I have visited. The outside uses a lot of stonework and the inside is more segregated between the grocery side and the restaurant side.

I worked for Braum's for 3 years. The problem isn't that they're slow (I even smirked when I read that!), it's that there poorly designed. When the person in front of you orders 6 banana splits, than you're going to have to wait. Braum's structure and food offerings are not built on speed. That's why you'll get to the window and have a melted cone. Yours was made first because it was simple, meanwhile the other guy is making 15 large shakes. Braum's is a great restaurant, and I enjoyed working there. In fact, if I had to, I wouldn't mind going back as a store manager, but they need a training overhaul. The staffing models they use are way off. They run a barebones crew, when you need extra because of the time it takes to make their products.

nothing against you superchris, but for me braum's seems to be routinely slow whether or not they are busy. -M

...and routinely run by retarded, under-supervised, high-schoolers.

Hopefully the Braum's along I-35 in the Lewisville-Denton, Texas, area is getting replaced. It is definitely one of the OLD designs. Does anyone know if it is planning to be rebuilt? I can't believe corporate has allowed it to remain there for so long. Its signage is definitely way out of date.

Right now the stores they have on the list to replace are the smaller model non drive thru stores.
They are also remodeling some of the other stores that do have drive thrus but there aren't as many of those they are doing.

Well...I won't deny that!

This is probably because of the retards!

Or if you live in Norman and have driven down Lindsey just east of campus, you've seen this store model for almost a year now. Definitely an improvement.

For those still wanting to see what the new stores look like, you can access a page on their newest store here: Braum's Ice Cream!

Also, you can see a larger image at this location: www.lippertbros.com/images/pic-braums1-big.jpg

I must confess that these are remarkably better looking than previous Braum's stores. As a native Oklahoman, I really missed Braum's for the 16 months I was temporarily located in Orlando, FL.

Anyway... for what it's worth, thought I'd share the pictures.

Paul
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I AM PS3

Meh. Looks like it belongs at Kelly & Covell in Edmond.

Thanks for posting those pictures I AM PS3. I drove by the new Braums on 39th and Tulsa almost every day while they were building it and didn't recognize it as a Braums until I saw the distinctive B on the building when it was pretty close to being done. I even knew a Braums was going in close to there but the address that someone posted on this site was a few blocks to the west of the where the building actually went in.

I certainly hope the braums on 19th in moore is expedited to #1 on the list of renovations. Its a piece of crap and the wood paneling is awful!

Service may suck, buts some of the best ice cream known to man!

If it has a drive-thru it may be awhile before it is replaced. If it does not have a drive-thru, it will be one of the 59 they are planning on replacing.

I hope Braum's could take some stock in the maintenance of their stores, old or new. There's a great disparity among stores in fairly close proximity to each other, in terms of cleanliness.

As an example, the store at SW 89th east of Penn is usually not very clean - heck, I don't even like to go in there anymore - but the store on S. Western just north of 119th is usually very sharp. Don't get that, as fastidious as Braum's seems to be about everything else...

-Dave

The one one 18th and Classen is pretty nice. I tell ya, Braum's has the best hamburgers around.