View Full Version : What old business do you remember in OKC?



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RadicalModerate
06-20-2012, 10:43 AM
A twin of the Continental is here in Denver (I-25 & Hampden), we drive by it everyday coming home from work. They have painted all tan and added other screens around it so it hides the unique exterior that it shared with the OKC building. You can still see a hint of it from I-25 but I remember when it was still a standalone.

A friend and I always wanted to redevelop it into a live performance venue but we always had more dreams than money, especially 20+ years ago.

I remember that very theater too! From back about the time it opened. I think we saw "Stagecoach" or "How The West Was Won" (or maybe both of them, but not at the same time) at that venue. As impressive as it all was, I also still remember those two, blurry, vertical lines where the three projections of the film intersected. (picky, picky =). I'm pretty sure that this is where we also went to see "2001: A Space Oddys.....?".

When I moved to the OKC area, I was also impressed by the fact there was a "Cinerama" style theater here, but it seemed as if there weren't any "Cinerama" films being shown. That was about the time that I saw The Exorcist down at the Centre Theater. Even during its decline, the Centre (Center?) Theater was a Movie Palace. I really like how they chased the bats from the belfrey and fixed it back up into something even more enjoyable than a movie theater.

RadicalModerate
06-20-2012, 10:49 AM
The "Schnitzel" was my favorite meal at the Patio. An open faced burger topped with chili, onions, cheese, baked beans and an egg cooked the way you liked it. And of course, a side of French fries. I make it here about once a month and the only difference is, I add chopped jalapenos.
C. T.

Just imagine if Guy Fieri (Food Network, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives") had been around back then. This sounds like exactly the sort of Culinary Art that he is in search of. =) "Hey, 'Cookie' . . . Whadda we have in the Cooler/Pantry? Okay . . . Throw all of it at the plate for this Guy." Seriously . . . Except for the inauthentic use of the term "Schnitzel" it sounds quite filling. And probably for a very fair price, too!

Speaking of "Schnitzel" . . . One of the top five meals I've enjoyed in my entire life was at "The Keller In The Kastle." It was so good that I wrote a two-page "review" of the experience. (Fortunately, "Ingrid's Kitchen" (perfect), "The Royal Bavarian" (very good) and that (slightly over-priced) place out on 29th and Choctaw Road are still around. And all of them are "Old Businesses. =)

ctchandler
06-21-2012, 02:49 PM
Speaking of "Schnitzel" . . . One of the top five meals I've enjoyed in my entire life was at "The Keller In The Kastle." It was so good that I wrote a two-page "review" of the experience. (Fortunately, "Ingrid's Kitchen" (perfect), "The Royal Bavarian" (very good) and that (slightly over-priced) place out on 29th and Choctaw Road are still around. And all of them are "Old Businesses. =)
RadicalModerate,
My only complaint about The Keller was that every meal came with red cabbage and I'm not a fan. They would hold it, but not substitute. Ingrid's, very nice, and I love Old Germany (29th). I did have a problem at The Royal Bavarian, but it happens sometimes. Their food was very good.
C.

ctchandler
06-23-2012, 03:39 PM
Except for the inauthentic use of the term "Schnitzel" it sounds quite filling. And probably for a very fair price, too!
RadicalModerate,
I meant to mention, It was listed as "The Schnitzel" on the menu and not as a type of schnitzel, so as a proper name, it was valid, calling it schnitzel would have been inappropriate.
C. T.

Joe Kimball
06-23-2012, 04:26 PM
Were Stax what replaced the Circle Ks when they left the market for a while and then returned???

Yes. I remember being rather peeved that our classic Circle K's with all of their mainstays were going, only to be replaced by a rather generic concept touted as a "new grocery store". Three-quarter sized shopping carts, aisle signs, and a rather insipid produce section completed the attempted illusion, as well as radio spots for this new enterprise. Eventually the idea of that seemed to be abandoned like a Dalmatian after a sequel, and they lingered on until many of them seemed to have been bought out by Conoco franchisees, most of the type where you nowadays find "100% No Ethanol Gas".

A rumor was whispered in this ignorant, urban legend-rife, pre-millenial period that these signs, stylized as STAX/STAX/STAX in a column, were the Mark Of The Beast, which was explained as "Stax" being the Greek word for "six"....(it's NOT, in case you were wondering).

Larry OKC
06-25-2012, 09:35 AM
hadn't heard that one...

grantgeneral78
06-25-2012, 02:15 PM
I forgot all about STAX.

kikkwik
10-05-2012, 08:57 AM
I remember most of the ones you mentioned. Do you remember the El Patio Restaurant at 417 sw 5th? My grandmother founded, owned, operated it.

Prunepicker
10-05-2012, 07:05 PM
I remember most of the ones you mentioned. Do you remember the El Patio
Restaurant at 417 sw 5th? My grandmother founded, owned, operated it.
I do! I thought it was part of the El Charrito chain.

So cool to learn a wonderful part of culinary history in OKC!

bs2007
10-10-2012, 10:03 AM
Does anyone remember a car wash shaped like a whale on or around NW 50th and Meridian??

Or am I just crazy??

Prunepicker
10-10-2012, 05:21 PM
Does anyone remember a car wash shaped like a whale on or around NW 50th
and Meridian??

Or am I just crazy??
Yes. A whale of a car wash, I believe, was the name. That location is now a
frozen drink drive-in.

chatterdude
10-19-2013, 08:40 AM
Yes, I remember Sweet Leona's. Help me out...trying to recall a club called The Greek or Greeks...had to to go downstairs to enter...had to pay to get in. It was downtown somewhere...anyone know more details?

RadicalModerate
10-19-2013, 11:02 AM
Does anyone remember a car wash shaped like a whale on or around NW 50th and Meridian??

Or am I just crazy??

I sort of remember that . . .
But that doesn't begin to answer your second question one way or the other. =)

Achilleslastand
10-19-2013, 11:35 PM
I sort of remember that . . .
But that doesn't begin to answer your second question one way or the other. =)

I remember the joint well.......I think the owner was Rosie O Donnell.

zookeeper
10-20-2013, 12:50 AM
I remember the joint well.......I think the owner was Rosie O Donnell.

Is that the same place that was a pool hall during the day?

RadicalModerate
10-20-2013, 07:17 AM
I remember the joint well.......I think the owner was Rosie O Donnell.
Wasn't it actually her sister, Whaling Jenny O'Donnell?
(she made Rosie look like Twiggy. plus she had a really bad attitude, proving that fat people aren't always jolly. her attitude was so well-known that somebody wrote a song about it: "When Irish Eyes are Frowning." this was before she moved the operation to Catoosa which is famous for liking whales. Especially blue ones).

(break out the tequila, Dubya, then crack open a beer and pull up your contacts list. =)

bluedogok
10-20-2013, 10:09 AM
Yes, the Whale of Wash was on Meridian next to Morrison Floral.

Prunepicker
10-20-2013, 01:02 PM
Is that the same place that was a pool hall during the day?
I believe it was a vacant lot until the car wash. The place just to
the north may have had a pool hall.

HotStuff80
10-20-2013, 03:10 PM
What was the name of the drive-in movie just west of OKC. I remember you had to drive over a bridge to get to it.

Anyone?

bluedogok
10-20-2013, 03:13 PM
The one just north of 39th by Lake Overholser?

That one was the Lake Air Drive-In or the Lakeside Dive-In (http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/oktlake).

Prunepicker
10-20-2013, 09:54 PM
The one just north of 39th by Lake Overholser?

That one was the Lake Air Drive-In or the Lakeside Dive-In (http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/oktlake).
Before it was a Drive-In it was a golf course.

ctchandler
10-27-2013, 04:02 PM
I would swear that there was a "Hobbies Hoagies" at Bryant Square, on the South East corner but my boys say no. I bought hoagies there back in the 70's. Does anybody remember it.
C. T.

pedmond
11-01-2013, 12:50 PM
I would swear that there was a "Hobbies Hoagies" at Bryant Square, on the South East corner but my boys say no. I bought hoagies there back in the 70's. Does anybody remember it.
C. T.

C.T., I remember a Schlotzsky's in the SW part of Bryant Square(next to Fantastic Sams) in the late eighties until they closed in about 2000. But, I don't recall a Hobbies Hoagies in Bryant Sq. When we moved to Edmond in 1982, there weren't many places to eat, but one we used to like was a cafeteria in Bryant Sq. I don't recall the name of it, but it's currently a Chinese Buffet.

ctchandler
11-02-2013, 10:00 AM
Pedmond,
I remember the Schlotzky's and I still remember a "mom and pop" hoagie store. Wasn't the cafeteria a Wyatt's? I have eaten there too.
C. T.
C.T., I remember a Schlotzsky's in the SW part of Bryant Square(next to Fantastic Sams) in the late eighties until they closed in about 2000. But, I don't recall a Hobbies Hoagies in Bryant Sq. When we moved to Edmond in 1982, there weren't many places to eat, but one we used to like was a cafeteria in Bryant Sq. I don't recall the name of it, but it's currently a Chinese Buffet.

Prunepicker
11-02-2013, 04:31 PM
Pedmond,
... [in Bryant Square in Edmond] Wasn't the cafeteria a Wyatt's?
C. T.
Yes.

bluedogok
11-02-2013, 05:56 PM
Pedmond,
I remember the Schlotzky's and I still remember a "mom and pop" hoagie store. Wasn't the cafeteria a Wyatt's? I have eaten there too.
C. T.
Maybe Sub Stop?

Prunepicker
11-02-2013, 09:27 PM
Maybe Sub Stop?
There was a Sub Stop on 2nd and Broadway in that old gas station.

ctchandler
11-03-2013, 10:12 AM
No, it wasn't a chain, it was a mom and pop locally owned, non-franchise hoagie/sandwich shop. I guess I'm going to have to do some serious research on this one. I might have to stop by and ask the owners.
C. T.

ctchandler
11-03-2013, 10:13 AM
PP,
I think you are talking about the Southwest corner of 2nd and Boulevard.
C. T.
There was a Sub Stop on 2nd and Broadway in that old gas station.

BlackmoreRulz
11-03-2013, 12:02 PM
Wasn't it called Planet Sub or something like that?

Prunepicker
11-03-2013, 12:15 PM
No, it wasn't a chain, it was a mom and pop locally owned, non-franchise
hoagie/sandwich shop. I guess I'm going to have to do some serious
research on this one. I might have to stop by and ask the owners.
C. T.
I'm thinking they opened another shop near 15th & Boulevard.

ctchandler
11-03-2013, 01:28 PM
BlackmoreRuiz,
No, Planet Sub is still there, and they are South (same parking lot) of the place I am talking about.
C. T.
Wasn't it called Planet Sub or something like that?

ctchandler
11-03-2013, 01:33 PM
PP,
I can't picture anything at that location. Maybe on the Southwest corner? There has never been anything North of 15th as far as I know.
C. T.
I'm thinking they opened another shop near 15th & Boulevard.

Prunepicker
11-03-2013, 03:02 PM
PP,
I can't picture anything at that location. Maybe on the Southwest corner?
There has never been anything North of 15th as far as I know.
C. T.
I believe it was in the shopping center on the SE corner and specifically
in the island that contained several shops. I'm not sure.

CarltonsKeeper
12-06-2013, 02:47 PM
Does ANYONE remember a small Diner at S.W. 41st & Penn called Ellen's Grill? It was open when I was a kid or at least I frequented it from around 1958 to 1961 approximately !! I was wondering if anyone else remembers it or the owners or any other information concerning this Diner. I have been told it had multiple locations (which I don't remember) etc. I have tried for three years to obtain this information to no avail. Not that it really means anything other than satifying my curiosity. No one yet has came up with any reliable information so far. Any help would be appreciated..............Probably would require Mr. Pete's help on this one. Thanks !!

Prunepicker
12-06-2013, 06:38 PM
Does ANYONE remember a small Diner at S.W. 41st & Penn called
Ellen's Grill...
Long time no hear!

I don't remember it. But I remember Swydens, about 41st and S. May.

HangryHippo
12-07-2013, 06:36 AM
I miss Allen's.

CarltonsKeeper
12-07-2013, 12:22 PM
I must be the only living person who remembers this place !! Any ideas C.T.???

gjl
12-07-2013, 01:23 PM
Browns Lawn Equipment. 41st and MacArthur. Between the Shamrock gas station and the funeral home. I worked there from 1969 to 1973.

CarltonsKeeper
12-07-2013, 04:44 PM
Long time no hear!

I don't remember it. But I remember Swydens, about 41st and S. May.

I lived a couple of doors up from the Swydens - but I didn't know them... @Prunepicker (I think I have ran out of memory) LOL....

Garin
12-08-2013, 09:44 AM
Le Mans arcade in crossroads mall.

CarltonsKeeper
03-23-2014, 07:38 PM
Ellens Grill was definitely there and it was just North of J&I Hitch which was previously a FINA service station. J&I bought the place sometime after 1963. (I knew the owner of the FINA station) It must have been owned under another name and just operated as Ellens? Thanks for the work CT....

Dynamite
05-25-2014, 01:40 AM
My memory fails me so does anyone remember the names of my favorite hangouts: the drive-in at May and Britton Rd., the drive-in next to the Founders Tower and a burger place I think it was called Kennedy's (if I remember right it was on May just north of Hefner? Maybe someone else has a better memory than me.

Prunepicker
05-27-2014, 06:29 PM
I lived a couple of doors up from the Swydens - but I didn't know them...
@Prunepicker (I think I have ran out of memory) LOL...
You might try a computer shop and upgrade.

Jim Kyle
05-27-2014, 07:04 PM
My memory fails me so does anyone remember the names of my favorite hangouts: the drive-in at May and Britton Rd., the drive-in next to the Founders Tower and a burger place I think it was called Kennedy's (if I remember right it was on May just north of Hefner? Maybe someone else has a better memory than me.If you're referring to drive-in theaters (aka passion pits), the one at Britton Road was Twilight Gardens and the one near the Founders Tower site (long before the tower was built) was Northwest Highway Drive-In. Sorry but I don't remember the burger place.

bluedogok
05-27-2014, 07:52 PM
If you want to look up some of the old ones this is a good site.
Drive-Ins.com (http://www.drive-ins.com/)

CarltonsKeeper
05-31-2014, 09:19 AM
You might try a computer shop and upgrade.
Mental Memory......LOL !!

Achilleslastand
05-31-2014, 05:39 PM
If you're referring to drive-in theaters (aka passion pits), the one at Britton Road was Twilight Gardens and the one near the Founders Tower site (long before the tower was built) was Northwest Highway Drive-In. Sorry but I don't remember the burger place.

Was the burger place perhaps Bonapartes?

Prunepicker
05-31-2014, 06:23 PM
Was the burger place perhaps Bonapartes?
Bonaparte's was on NW 39th Expressway and in Shepherd Mall.

Achilleslastand
05-31-2014, 06:26 PM
Bonaparte's was on NW 39th Expressway and in Shepherd Mall.

Yes but wasn't there one at around May and Hefner? Or something similar?
I remember ordering from the tables using the phones that were at the tables and no it wasn't Del Rancho.

Prunepicker
05-31-2014, 06:26 PM
If you're referring to drive-in theaters (aka passion pits), the one at
Britton Road was Twilight Gardens and the one near the Founders Tower
site (long before the tower was built) was Northwest Highway Drive-In.
Sorry but I don't remember the burger place.
The Northwest Hi-Way Drive In was operating in the 70's. The property
was later sold, in the 80's, and the Mariott is in that place. The tower
was built @1964.

boscorama
05-31-2014, 06:46 PM
Yes but wasn't there one at around May and Hefner? Or something similar?
I remember ordering from the tables using the phones that were at the tables and no it wasn't Del Rancho.

That would be Across The Street.

Jim Kyle
05-31-2014, 10:39 PM
Yes but wasn't there one at around May and Hefner? Or something similar?
I remember ordering from the tables using the phones that were at the tables and no it wasn't Del Rancho.There was a Boomerang Grille near May and Hefner's NE corner in the 80s that had phones at each booth. Could that be what you are thinking of?

Jim Kyle
05-31-2014, 10:41 PM
The Northwest Hi-Way Drive In was operating in the 70's.But it was built in the late 40s; when I was in high school (1946-48) we used to park on Grand Blvd, north of the theater, and watch the screen for free...

Jim Kyle
05-31-2014, 10:42 PM
That would be Across The Street.Which was on NW Highway west of Independence, where Panera is located now.

RadicalModerate
05-31-2014, 10:45 PM
There was a Boomerang Grille near May and Hefner's NE corner in the 80s that had phones at each booth. Could that be what you are thinking of?

There was a Boomerang Grille in the same Shopping Center at least until about 2005.
It went away not long after Snyders IGA on the same corner.
I used the in house phone ordering system maybe twice.
The food was not exceptional. Nor was the "dining experience".
At Boomerang Grille. Except for the quirky phones.

Achilleslastand
05-31-2014, 11:03 PM
There was a Boomerang Grille near May and Hefner's NE corner in the 80s that had phones at each booth. Could that be what you are thinking of?

It was in the 70s and for the life of me I cant remember. Don't think it was Boomerang although I have been known to be wrong.

bluedogok
06-01-2014, 11:30 AM
There was a Boomerang Grille near May and Hefner's NE corner in the 80s that had phones at each booth. Could that be what you are thinking of?
The Boomerang was in the old Schlotzsky's space in the 90's and wasn't there very long. I think there was an Across the Street where Garfield's/The Dugout was in the 70's.

boscorama
06-01-2014, 07:08 PM
Which was on NW Highway west of Independence, where Panera is located now.

Unless my memory is shockingly mistaken, there was an Across The Street on the west side of May, just north of Hefner. 1970's.

Jim Kyle
06-02-2014, 06:46 AM
Could have been, as well. The Panera location began as an Across The Street, later became a Crockett's Barbeque, and finally Panera. I seem to recall there were other names in between, also, but can't pull them out of the mists. It may well have been the very first in the Across The Street chain with the name derived from the fact that it was across the street from Baptist Hospital and the only eating place in the vicinity,