29th / Air Depot c/o Dicks sporting goods / Olive Garden

[graybilljeff@yahoo.com]

I overheared that Dicks sporting goods was coming to town. It will be built in the area of the school that is going to be torn down and that Santa Fe steakhouse was purchased by the city and that Olive Garden is going in its place. Has anyone else heared this? Or is this just talk?

[Thunder]

Hopefully just crappy talk. Why would the city want to buy the Santa Fe Steakhouse?! It is a perfectly good business and quite busy. No logical reason to tear it down. Plenty of room to add a stupid Olive Garden elsewhere.

[Watson410]

Sante Fe is HORRIBLE!! It sucks! Logans AND Cheddars are both better than Sante Fe.. No need for three steak houses in one little stretch!

[Watson410]

especially when there isn't a Seafood place or Italian place (besides Primo's) any where in Mid-Del.

[Soonerman]

Dick's Sporting Goods would be a nice add for Midwest City as thier isn't a sporting goods store of that caliber in that area. I would figure Dick's would also open a store over in Quail Springs area as well

[oneforone]

Watson,

I think you have it backwards Logans Sucks (It's a bad carbon copy of Santa Fe, with lousy food and lousy service.) Cheddars is starting lose it's appeal with me. Every time I go the service is terrible or the food has been cold or over cooked. In the beginning, I blamed it on being new and still getting the kinks worked out. Now, I am not sure what to think of the place. You would think they would have had their act together after being open a year.


I have never understood the appeal of Olive Garden. Olive Garbage is the Wal-Mart of italian restaurants. I have had better italian food out of a frozen Stouffer's box.

I am glad a sporting goods store is coming to Midwest City. I hoping for an Academy but, that will work for me.

[bombermwc]

I thought Olive Garden was supposed to be headed for the Del City site on Sooner and 40. I guess since that project went flop, they decided to pack up??

One interesting point, West Side (if you couldn't already tell) is being sold off. Having that school there prevented and liquor from being sold withing some number of feet...which kept a restaurant from building in the lot just south of it. Now that it's going to be sold off, that limitation will be gone, AND there will be a lot of empty land to build on. I don't know if the residential area was re-zoned when they took out those houses, but I'm sure that would be easy to do as well.

What I want is a freaking book store. We know Barnes and Noble is out...that deal went south years and years ago. And with Borders going bankrupt, doesn't seem to make sense to pursue them. So you've got Books a Million...great store. Seems like it would be a perfect fit too......as long as it's not some crappy place like Waldens.

[TaoMaas]

What I want is a freaking book store. We know Barnes and Noble is out...that deal went south years and years ago. And with Borders going bankrupt, doesn't seem to make sense to pursue them. So you've got Books a Million...great store. Seems like it would be a perfect fit too......as long as it's not some crappy place like Waldens.

Amen! Except, I would add that we need a movie theater, too.

[MustangGT]

What I want is a freaking book store. We know Barnes and Noble is out...that deal went south years and years ago. And with Borders going bankrupt, doesn't seem to make sense to pursue them. So you've got Books a Million...great store. Seems like it would be a perfect fit too......as long as it's not some crappy place like Waldens.

Barnes & Noble is in about the same financial situation as Borders and Books a Million is not far behind. Sadly Brick and Mortar book stores are a dying breed.

[flintysooner]

Barnes & Noble is in about the same financial situation as Borders and Books a Million is not far behind. Sadly Brick and Mortar book stores are a dying breed.

Was reported just yesterday that Ackman was willing to sponsor a Border's buyout of Barnes and Noble.

[bombermwc]

Now that's some funny crap. I've actually contacted Books a Million before about this. Since we already have 1 in town, it's easier to expand to a second location. Plus they ship all their stuff in via normal shippers, not their own semi's anyway.....

There isn't another GOOD book store on the entire east or south side until you get to Norman. So they'd have the total market share! Plus there's Rose State out in MWC...it's not like comparing to having a university, but at least a college in town means that many more young folks headed somewhere to study. They already go to Starbucks, Target's Starbucks, Panera, etc. on 29th to study....check out how many people have their laptops out at the wifi places. Even over to IHOP.

[Lauri101]

A book store would be awesome!
And IMHO - Santa Fe service is far superior to Logans or Cheddars combined. Too bad - been to both in other locations and they were fine. Perhaps they need to find some professional managers to crack the whip, instead of pimply-faced boys who don't understand customer service. (No offense to pimply-faced boys)

[bombermwc]

OK, well the statement that the city bought the place seems to be false....it's not showing up on the acessor's page. If they city bought the place (which how/why would/could they), then it should have been reflected, and the last change shown is in 2007. Cities don't typically own restuaurants...that would be weird.

But remember, the city itself doesn't actually have anything to do with the Town Center project, it's the Midwest City Memorial Hospital Authority (yes I said MEMORIAL, not Regional Medical Center). The city sold the hospital (which caused it's quality of care to go down the crapper...wouldn't take my dog there), and the money went to the authority, which acted like a trust. The city then used Eminent Domain to clear out the land. That's why there has been such an issue and the city lost the lawsuit on ED because it was public funds being used to support a private project. The Authority used Sooner Investments to serve as the leasing and property management company. Not every business there is owned by Sooner though...just check out places like Santa Fe, which existed before all the mess. Jack in the Box is listed as the business, but the owner is still the Authority.

So right or wrong, the city managed to make a HUGE change for MWC. Personally, I agreed with MWC on this one and thought it was crap that one or two people could make such a problem (look at Stillwater and the athletic village). That's the entire reason why ED exists...to keep a small number of people from keeping something from happening. But when the city uses it for private development....that's a bad situation. That's what happened here, and MWC lost. Just happened that the project was already done by the time the litigation was over.

[Lauri101]

Good summary bombermwc! Now lets get out tomorrow and support the bond issue!

[TGall]

I can't see a book store coming to Midwest city book stores are heading the same direction as video stores History.

[easternobserver]

you do know that the conspiracy theories about the able commission are wrong, right? the restriction on alcohol near schools only applies to bars and liquor stores, not restaurants or other businesses that do not derive more than half of their revenue from alcohol sales....this was a land grab, plain and simple.

[bombermwc]

Mid-Del didn't have a reason to sell the building other than they didn't use it. The orchestra was there, but that was it. The other things that HAD been there had moved out years ago. It's surplus property for the district that they would never use again. Land grab - no. Did someone get the land in the end after they had been wanting it, yes. I'd be interested what the actual price was since it's not listed on the assesor's site. They for sure didn't just give it to the hospital. The sell has been approved by the school board for several months, but they discussed it in executive sessions that weren't open to the public.

[Stephune]

Has anyone noticed what's going on with Falcones? I drove by yesterday and the windows are all covered...it seems like they haven't been open for a while.

[kevinpate]

Has anyone noticed what's going on with Falcones? I drove by yesterday and the windows are all covered...it seems like they haven't been open for a while.

Closed down. You're down to Bricktown and North May for a pizza/pasta/pesto fix from them.

[Stephune]

Sad day!! I wonder what they'll put in it's place...

[Corndog1]

Dont care if it closes, was never impressed, but hate to see empty spots over there? We need all the businesses to do well out here to get new ones to move in with them. Closings dont help to bring in new folks.

[Thunder]

Dont care if it closes, was never impressed, but hate to see empty spots over there? We need all the businesses to do well out here to get new ones to move in with them. Closings dont help to bring in new folks.

If there is mass closures and that it is a constant problem, then it will be tough to bring in new businesses. But, that is not the case here, since there is rarely any closings. I can only think of a couple... Mattress Mart, Falcone's, and ... any others? In this case, these closures will bring in new businesses to take their places and that is good.

There will always be a closure here and there...everywhere. It is not bad or good. Look on the positive side, sometime a change is good to see new businesses instead of the same all the time.

[realtorchris]

The owner of Falcone's needs to understand that just opening the door doesn't a restaurant make. Consistency, quality, and standards that are set, and maintained are. I love Falcone's NW May location. That being said, for a chain to grow and develop, consistency is the key factor. When I visit the Bricktown location I should get the same as any other, but that isn't the case. Certainly wasn't the case in the MWC store. Multiple visits, many different times, and it was never the same, and quality was iffy at best. I love the bada bing, and the calzone. I think that the company could use a supervisor that quality checks all locations, without bias, and isn't afraid to make cuts and changes. I understand the "want to control" mentality that someone can do everything, but an owner needs someone else to catch the misses...Just saying! What a concept, and I hate to see it mishandled.

[metro]

Watson,

I think you have it backwards Logans Sucks (It's a bad carbon copy of Santa Fe, with lousy food and lousy service.) Cheddars is starting lose it's appeal with me. Every time I go the service is terrible or the food has been cold or over cooked. In the beginning, I blamed it on being new and still getting the kinks worked out. Now, I am not sure what to think of the place. You would think they would have had their act together after being open a year.

I have never understood the appeal of Olive Garden. Olive Garbage is the Wal-Mart of italian restaurants. I have had better italian food out of a frozen Stouffer's box.

I am glad a sporting goods store is coming to Midwest City. I hoping for an Academy but, that will work for me.

Not a MWC'er but I agree. OG is low quality, but disagree with you on Dicks, IRS much better quality than Academy, Academy is the Olive Garden of sporting goods stores.

[Bostonfan]

Agree Metro, Academy is awful. No need for them to expand to MWC.