Does anyone know what happened to Carrabas on Memorial? I just drove by and the sign was off the building and the OKC location isn't on thier website anymore?? That sucks, I loved Carrabas!!

They also closed a Carrabas in Tulsa. Here's what the person in charge said of that closing..
Carrabba's Italian Grill chain has closed its restaurant at 4848 S. Yale Ave.

Carrabba's, a division of Tampa, Fla.-based Outback Steakhouse Inc., built the restaurant in 2002-2003.

Debbie Parolise, joint venture partner of Carrabba's Italian Grill in the Tulsa area, said business conditions dictated the restaurant's closure.

"The closure is a prudent business decision for us at this time," she said. "On behalf of all of us at the restaurant, we want to express our appreciation to the Tulsa community for their patronage over the past six years."

The company will work with each of the employees to relocate them to one of the company's other restaurants in the area, she said.

Carrabba's original Tulsa location at 11021 E. 71st St. remains open.

Memorial road already had two italian restaurants when Carrabas opened. Not to mention the restaurant was in a bad location. It would have had higher traffic if they were at the mall or at the west end of NW Expressway were there is no italian restaurants.

Definatley would have done better in a different location!!
Thanks for the info

Yeah they were late to the game going up against Johnny Carino's and Bravo Cucina.

No offense to anyone, but there were too many mediocre "Italian" chain restaurants in OKC. There were so many we would get them all confused.

I was not a fan of Carrabas. I didn't like their food at all.

I loved Carrabbas, they always seemed to have a slightly different take than most of the other Italian restaurants. I suppose I'll still go to the one left in Tulsa when I go to visit the family.

I was not a fan of Carrabas. I didn't like their food at all.


I agree. I went there one time and was not impressed at all. Overpriced for the same type of food I could get elsewhere.

Olive Garden is the most popular Italian in Okc area. That explains the problem.

I've only been to Carrabas once...it was in Tulsa. I found it to be decent, but if you already have an Italian Restaurant you like in the area, why even bother trying the new one? You all forget that Olive Garden is over there as well. Very bad location selection.

Olive Garden is the most popular Italian in Okc area. That explains the problem.

You took a scientific survey?

Olive Garden - EWWW

I have never understood everyone's fascination with Olive Garden. I have had better Italian Food from a frozen box of Stouffer's. Heck, Fazoli's is better than Olive Garden.

i have never understood everyone's disgust with olive garden. i have had worse from a frozen box of stouffers, even crap from fazolis.

I like Macaroni Grill on NW Expressway. I never understood why that's the only one we have. Also, Carino's is my 2nd favorite. I'm not a fan of Olive Garden either. I agree that Fazoli's is even better than Olive Garden.

I don't think Macaroni Grill has more than one location in cities our size. They actually closed the Wichita location.

1. Bravo Cucina
2. Zio's
3. Macaroni Grill
4. Fazoli's
5. Olive Garden
6. Johnny Carino's
7. Carabbas

For the price, I enjoy Zio's in bricktown...may not be the best, but their prices are good compared to the others.

Olive Garden is the most popular Italian in Okc area. That explains the problem.

That honor actually belongs to Flip's (well not maybe the most popular, but the Best Italian Restaurant, yay!):

OK Gazette Best of OKC (http://www.okgazette.com/p/12937/Default.aspx#food)

This is a copy from a post I just put up in the Cheeseburger in Paradise closed thread.

I just read that Cheeseburger in Paradise, Carrabas, and Outback are owned by OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC. http://www.osirestaurantpartners.com/ (http://www.osirestaurantpartners.com/)

We've lost Cheeseburger in Paradise, Carrabas, are we going to lose Outback? I'm not sure if these are franchises or not. I didn't get that far into their website.

For the price, I enjoy Zio's in bricktown...may not be the best, but their prices are good compared to the others.
I'll take Spaghetti Warehouse over Zio's any day.

That honor actually belongs to Flip's (well not maybe the most popular, but the Best Italian Restaurant, yay!):

OK Gazette Best of OKC (http://www.okgazette.com/p/12937/Default.aspx#food)
My favorite was always Tony's Italian Specialties by 30th & Penn. Tried to take my wife there once on a trip back to OKC and found that it had closed.

I really don't consider a chain restaurant to be much of a loss- when something on Western Avenue or Midtown closes, or any of the handful of locally owned places on Memorial, then I'll be upset.

Try Trattoria downtown or Flips on Western for good Italian that is local and tasty.

In terms of consistently good quality and value, Zios is hard to beat. It isn't the fanciest Italian food, but its a very good family value IMHO.

Olive Garden is just nasty. I was trying to be a good, fair sport and try them again a while back, and the prices were horrendous and food quality was as bad as ever. Yuck.

I agree that Carrabas' location on Memorial is poor. All those restaurants on the service road west of May are in a lousy location. Don't forget the predecessor set of restuarants on Memorial (SW corner) are all long gone, too.

The rebuild of Memorial Road had at least something to do with the logistical problems for those restaurants. The whole focus of that area is now much farther east.

Never been a big fan of Outback; overpriced what few times we've been there....

As long as BJ's is around, I'm happy....just don't get over to Mem road that often anymore. Used to go for AMC theater, but there's little to no need now with either Harkins downtown or Warren in Moore..don't think that hasn't factored into at least part of the "location/economy" question.

I really don't consider a chain restaurant to be much of a loss- when something on Western Avenue or Midtown closes, or any of the handful of locally owned places on Memorial, then I'll be upset.

Try Trattoria downtown or Flips on Western for good Italian that is local and tasty.

I'm not much of a chain-bigot. If the food a restaurant is offering is of decent quality, service is good, value is good for my money, I have no problem with a chain. Don't understand why "chain" inherenly draws so much condescension. Yeah, some chain restaurants aren't very good (Smokey Bones comes to mind), but not all of them.

I've been to Flips a few times, and it has struck me more like a wine bar than an Italian restuarant. Not being a drinker, it didn't do much for me.

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

I'm not trying to be a snob or anything- I agree chains can be good and offer great dining, but in a community sense when one closes in OKC it's not a huge deal, because there are a ton of local options to keep us satisfied. On the other hand, if the lone Mcdonalds on Main St, Smalltown, USA shuts down it could be a big deal.

I'll take Spaghetti Warehouse over Zio's any day.

GAG. I love their (S.W.) atmosphere, but the food there is bottom of the barrel. Only the bread is good.

As long as BJ's is around, I'm happy....just don't get over to Mem road that often anymore. Used to go for AMC theater, but there's little to no need now with either Harkins downtown or Warren in Moore..don't think that hasn't factored into at least part of the "location/economy" question.

Going on this logic, I wonder if the new Warren Theater on Memorial will help these locations in the long run? Granted, Warren actually serves food so perhaps it wouldn't help all that much.

Going on this logic, I wonder if the new Warren Theater on Memorial will help these locations in the long run? Granted, Warren actually serves food so perhaps it wouldn't help all that much.

I thought Warren decided not to build the new theater due to the economic downturn. Has that changed?

As long as BJ's is around, I'm happy....j.


Bleh..went there once...terrible service...pizza was not very good, and my wife ordered a potato that came with dirt still on it.

I sure miss Tony's Italian Specialties at 27th and N. Penn. To me, it was easily the best real Italian food in the city. Cafe Pranzo is not bad. The big chains? I like our own regional Zio's. Everybody has a different taste though so it's not that one is necessarily "better" than the other.

and my wife ordered a potato that came with dirt still on it.

awww... thats where all the minerals are. lol.

I thought Warren decided not to build the new theater due to the economic downturn. Has that changed?

Yeah, last I heard the new theater was on hold indefinitely, as was the planned expansion of the Moore theater.

awww... thats where all the minerals are. lol.


Yes but the minerals weren't on their menu....i'd never go back to BJ's - not at all impressed.

I know that this is more about OKC than Tulsa, but if any of you ever get up this way and want good Italian with decent portions for a fair price, go to Napoli's.

Napolis Italian Restaurant (http://www.napolisitalianrestaurant.com/)

This one shows three locations, but they actually have five; the other two are at 6161 S 33rd West Ave (pretty close to the Turnpike exit as you enter Tulsa) and one at 10901 E 31st St (west of 31st and Garnett Rd)

I've been several times and all of their locations serve the same. Great service from all and you'll never go back to Olive Garden if you live in the Tulsa area.