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Jay
02-03-2005, 12:13 AM
Pajama-wearing customer finds drive-through changed
By Tricia Pemberton

The Oklahoman/newsok.com

Edmond resident Anne McKay had a recent brush with embarrassment.
Running out to Braum's on an early wintry morning, she knew she could grab a gallon of milk before breakfast and no one needed to know she was wearing only pajamas.
The problem was, Braum's quit selling gallons of milk or other grocery items through its drive-through window in November. McKay then was faced with showing off her nightwear or skipping breakfast.
"I apologized for them having to see me in my pajamas, and now I know not to go out to Braum's like that anymore," McKay said.
Terry Holden, marketing director for Braum's, said most customers, as McKay, have been understanding. But he's sure there are a few that have decided to take their business elsewhere.
"I'm sure it posed an inconvenience, but a lot of folks realize we're still pretty convenient and have some pretty good products. Sometimes we find we have to change whether we want to or not," he said.
Holden said the decision was made once most of the chain's 281 stores had switched to a fuller grocery store concept.
In May 2003, Braum's rolled out its Fresh Market, introducing about 60 varieties of fruits and vegetables as well as fresh cuts of beef, pork and chicken.
The chain also sells fresh-baked items and dry goods in addition to its traditional dairy and ice cream products.
"The question immediately intimates that this is a really horrible thing, and we don't mean it to be that way. We've just added so many grocery items, it just becomes impossible to sell things through the drive-through window," Holden said.
"We really would like to be all things to all customers, but we had to make a difficult decision."
Oklahoma City financial expert Bob Rader, senior vice president of Capital West Securities, said he doesn't think the decision will hurt business for Braum's.
"The store is structured with different cash registers for groceries versus fast food, anyway. Besides, picking produce and meats is hands on. You'd almost need a designated shopper just to service the drive-through window if you were going to have them select those items," Rader said.
That's why grocery stores have had such a problem with grocery delivery services and developing online shopping programs.
"People want to eye their cantaloupes," he said.
Braum's has 120 stores in Oklahoma and 161 additional stores throughout Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. The first Braum's opened in Oklahoma City in 1968. Holden said the first drive-through opened in 1988.

Midtowner
02-03-2005, 03:55 PM
Never knew you could even get groceries at their drive through.

I do like their milk better than supermarket milk though. Their other products seem to be of pretty good quality as well.

Patrick
02-03-2005, 09:31 PM
Hmmm....I don't understand why the lady didn't just go home and change!
Anyways, I guess I'm just not that daring.

I'm usually a very organized person, so I'd probably just go inside and get it during the day.

Like Midtowner, I never knew you could get groceries at the drive thru! For the sake of efficiency, I think Braums is making a good call.

GrandMaMa
05-18-2007, 08:02 AM
And do you know what else? I was so impressed when I discovered that they grow their own...EVERYTHING, seriously! If you will look at the beef, for example, there are no "gobs" of fat on the edges, instead, there is beautiful marbling throughout the meat...a very good sign of proper feeding and preparing the meat. We have begun buying more and more food there, and are very happy with it. The rib eyes are so large that we can devide them in half and my husband and I still have more than we can eat at one time.

metalhead
05-18-2007, 08:11 AM
And do you know what else? I was so impressed when I discovered that they grow their own...EVERYTHING, seriously! If you will look at the beef, for example, there are no "gobs" of fat on the edges, instead, there is beautiful marbling throughout the meat...a very good sign of proper feeding and preparing the meat. We have begun buying more and more food there, and are very happy with it. The rib eyes are so large that we can devide them in half and my husband and I still have more than we can eat at one time.

Their ground beef is the same case-ready prepackaged stuff you can buy at wal-mart, though. Same packaging, everything.

GrandMaMa
05-18-2007, 08:53 AM
the same packaging doesn't mean that the same product is inside does it? And no, I'm not just guessing and assuming about what I shared with others, I have a very good friend who is a manager at one of the stores, so I didn't just imagine what I was sharing. I don't know why you think that just because it's the same packaging that it is the same product it isn't.
Their ground beef is the same case-ready prepackaged stuff you can buy at wal-mart, though. Same packaging, everything.

SoonerDave
05-18-2007, 08:54 AM
I promise you that Braum's meat source is NOT the same as WalPuke.

A good portion, if not all, of Braum's meat products are provided by Schwab's right here in OKC.

-soonerdave

MadMonk
05-18-2007, 09:16 AM
I've purchased a gallon of milk from the drive through on occasion. It was a nice convenience. I'm sorry to see it go away. I know that they sell more stuff now and I wouldn't ask them to grocery shop for me, but how hard would it be to just keep a little fridge near the drive through to sell milk? It's not like I'm asking them to go pick out a good package of hamburger or chicken.

metro
05-18-2007, 09:35 AM
I agree MadMonk, I don't think it would be too hard to sell milk ONLY out of the drive through. The one pet peeve that I have is that when I do go inside the "Fresh Market" I have to wait 5 minutes for someone to come over from scooping icecream or frying french fries to check out my purchase.

Martin
05-18-2007, 09:42 AM
that's my biggest gripe with braum's... they have consistently slow service. -M

SoonerDave
05-18-2007, 09:50 AM
As much as I like Braum's, I *hate* this decision. It's so anti-customer, and anti-service.

An increasing number of businesses continue to treat customers like an inconvenience, and it's getting worse.

Of course, there are those here who would probably hail it as a hallmark of retail progress, and that I should kiss the ring of the benevolent retailer who deigns to take my money and give me a wet rag in return....

-soonerdew

metalhead
05-18-2007, 10:17 AM
I promise you that Braum's meat source is NOT the same as WalPuke.

A good portion, if not all, of Braum's meat products are provided by Schwab's right here in OKC.

-soonerdave


In that case, maybe I'll have to start buying more meat there. I just find it odd that they would use identical packaging and labeling as the crap they sell at wally-world.

metalhead
05-18-2007, 10:19 AM
that's my biggest gripe with braum's... they have consistently slow service. -M


Not the fault of the employees. I worked there in college, and every burger had to be made fresh. Extra waiting time means fresher food.

MadMonk
05-18-2007, 10:41 AM
As much as I like Braum's, I *hate* this decision. It's so anti-customer, and anti-service.

Exactly. The fact that I could get a gallon of milk along with some burgers for the family on the way home was something that differentiated Braum's from the myrad other burger joints in the area. It's a bad move on their part, IMO.



In that case, maybe I'll have to start buying more meat there. I just find it odd that they would use identical packaging and labeling as the crap they sell at wally-world.
They probably just purchase their packaging supplies from the same place.

bandnerd
05-18-2007, 10:45 AM
Um, didn't this happen in 2005, though? Looking at the OP...

I love Braum's. I love their burgers. Their yogurt is probably the best I've had. I regularly go there in the summer for dairy staples because I have more time to do my grocery shopping.

I never knew you could even get the milk through the drive through. I always figured it was just for fast food purchases.

GrandMaMa
05-18-2007, 11:03 AM
Did you know that they actually have a herd of milk cows located in Tuttle that supplies the local stores? They do the same all over the country, that's why their milk tastes so good, it is much, much fresher.

SoonerDave
05-18-2007, 11:45 AM
They do the same all over the country, that's why their milk tastes so good, it is much, much fresher.

Actually, Braum's is not national. Their operating rules dictate that they have to be able to deliver fresh milk within a certain driving radius of their Tuttle plant (which is open for public tours, by the way, which is a lot of fun). That necessarily restricts them to core region in the central/southern Midwest, eg Oklahoma, North Texas, perhaps into southern Kansas (?), and they (per the last tour I took) have no desire to open any other/broader regional farms/dairies.

One of the great stories they'll tell you is that they had one of their milk transport trucks designed *specifically* and *only* for transport within the confines of the Tuttle dairy. It's too big to run on regular roads; they use it exclusively to ship the fresh milk to the processing plant. Depending on their schedule, if you time it just right, it's possible to get milk from a Braum's store that was produced less than 24 hours previously.

During the tour, the tour guides tell you how the original Mr. Braum was an absolute obsessive about running an efficient and clean operation, and after touring their plant, I think the family has done a great job of upholding that tradition. The place is impeccable, and it's evident the processes are refined to the nth degree. You leave the tour just itching to go buy some Braum's milk and ice cream!!

No, I do not work for Braum's, just a big fan. Best milk anywhere, IMHO, and NO BGH (bovine growth hormone).

They also have one of the most sophisticated (and expensive) water extraction systems in the world, and they use it to decrease the water content of their reduced-fat milks. It's why those products taste so much better/richer than the counterparts from other dairy companies.

-soonerdave

metalhead
05-18-2007, 12:10 PM
I promise you that Braum's meat source is NOT the same as WalPuke.

A good portion, if not all, of Braum's meat products are provided by Schwab's right here in OKC.

-soonerdave

All this Braum's talk made me hungry, so I went to Braum's for lunch. While I was there I checked out the meat. They have indeed changed the distributor since I had last looked, which was about two years ago. The ground beef, which is what I was referring to, has a generic label and is distributed by Fresh American out of Ft. Worth. But everything else has a Braum's label, so I guess that's the stuff they get from Schwab's.

Patrick
05-18-2007, 12:40 PM
Braums actually only makes certain dairy items. They buy the rest from suppliers, which has already been stated, one of their suppliers is Schwabs.

Braums makes: Milk and ice cream/frozen yogurt at their plant in Tuttle, and their baked goods (cookies, bread, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, etc) come from their bakery, which I believe is still here in OKC.

The meats, veggies, eggs, bacon, butter, soft drinks, pre-packaged dinners, and everything else, are merely distributed with the Braums label, and is made by someone else.

okclee
05-18-2007, 02:01 PM
As much as I like Braum's, I *hate* this decision. It's so anti-customer, and anti-service.

An increasing number of businesses continue to treat customers like an inconvenience, and it's getting worse.

Of course, there are those here who would probably hail it as a hallmark of retail progress, and that I should kiss the ring of the benevolent retailer who deigns to take my money and give me a wet rag in return....

-soonerdew



You hate the decision of not selling milk and produce through the drive-thru??

I asked the manager of the Braums at MacArthur and Kilpatrick, why they made this decision, and she said "because of rude and inconsiderate people". They would actually have customers go through the drive-thru order all kind of different produce along with milk and eggs, and when they received their order, the customer would complain about the selection of the produce.

Also how would you like to be in the drive-thru , waiting on your burger , but the car in front of you is trying to decide how fresh the lettuce is??

You can't seriously "hate" this decision, I am sure that you are being sarcastic.

CanRiv12
05-18-2007, 02:01 PM
During the tour, the tour guides tell you how the original Mr. Braum was an absolute obsessive about running an efficient and clean operation

Actually, interesting, because I think Braum's stores have gone down in terms of a "clean operation", or at least in the mind's of consumers. I've seen some research that many people choose other fast food retailers because they appear cleaner than Braum's (don't agree with it). Part of that is that most of the Braum's in this area are older, and are due for some renovations, at least compared to the other chains. I think Braum's is beginning to address that...

jbrown84
05-18-2007, 02:07 PM
They would actually have customers go through the drive-thru order all kind of different produce along with milk and eggs, and when they received their order, the customer would complain about the selection of the produce.

Then why not do it only for milk?

Patrick
05-18-2007, 02:15 PM
I don't think they should be providing this service for any grocery items. You don't see Wal-Mart and grocery stores selling their items at drive thru windows. Braums should be no different.

Easy180
05-18-2007, 02:24 PM
Problem with allowing anything other than the traditonal menu to be ordered through the drive thru is it is inevitable that people will then ask for just one more item along with it and so on

Have to have an all or nothing kind of deal at the drive thru or you will be opening up yourself to those lazy folks that will try and work the system.."Well why can't you grab me an OJ since you will be back there"..."Can you just grab a pecan pie as well?"

Bank drive thru is essentially the same...At least 5 or 10 times a day customers came thru asking for an exception to what is provided...Would be the same or worse at Braum's

Patrick
05-18-2007, 02:32 PM
Like, can you open me up a marketing account, and give me a car loan through the drive thru? Whatever

Easy180
05-18-2007, 02:39 PM
You would be amazed at the lengths people will go to not have to leave their cars

Would have around 2 or 3 people in the lobby and 10 cars deep in 3 drive thru lanes

Patrick
05-18-2007, 02:47 PM
Midtowner posted this a few years ago. I couldn't resist posting it again:

http://www.okctalk.com/gallery/data/500/fat_guy.JPG

SoonerDave
05-18-2007, 02:49 PM
You can't seriously "hate" this decision, I am sure that you are being sarcastic.

No, I was quite serious. I agree that it probably exceeds the bounds of reasonable expectation for fresh produce, eg veggies and things like that, but for milk? A frozen pie? Half-gallon of ice cream? C'mon...That's not unreasonable.

-soonerdave

BaconCheeseburgerDeluxe
05-18-2007, 07:15 PM
I have always thought it was a great idea to stop selling groceries through the drive through.

It speeds up the drive thru process and it exposes customers to new products that some customers may not know exists.

I love the Braums on Memorial and Macarthur. It has become my quickstop store. In a way they have become a picnic and bbq stop. You can buy soda,chips, buns, patties, veggies condiments and ice in almost all there stores now.

The Braums burger patties are awesome. They make them in a honeycomb cut, so that when they shrink during cooking it does not turn into a hockey puck. Like other store bought patties always do.

Keith
05-18-2007, 07:49 PM
Midtowner posted this a few years ago. I couldn't resist posting it again:

http://www.okctalk.com/gallery/data/500/fat_guy.JPG
Hey Patrick, did you ever think of going on a diet? LOL

MadMonk
05-18-2007, 10:10 PM
I don't think they should be providing this service for any grocery items. You don't see Wal-Mart and grocery stores selling their items at drive thru windows. Braums should be no different.
Well, if they provide a service that customers want, what's wrong with that? I'm not saying you should be able to order your full grocery list. Just limit it to milk sales only (I imagine it was a very popular item). Perhaps even state that policy on the menu board where you order. It's a very nice service they provided that didn't take very long. Most of the time you would be waiting on the burger to cook anyway.

Easy180
05-19-2007, 09:47 AM
So do they pay an extra person to go out to the milk cooler or do they make the cashier step away and get it madmonk?...Using the cashier slows up the line and paying an extra person is a waste of Braum's money

All about seconds in drive thrus...Some people will drive on if they see 4 or 5 cars in a line...I know cause I do it myself

Patrick
05-19-2007, 11:32 AM
All about seconds in drive thrus...Some people will drive on if they see 4 or 5 cars in a line...I know cause I do it myself

Me too.

MadMonk
05-19-2007, 01:35 PM
So do they pay an extra person to go out to the milk cooler or do they make the cashier step away and get it madmonk?...Using the cashier slows up the line and paying an extra person is a waste of Braum's money

All about seconds in drive thrus...Some people will drive on if they see 4 or 5 cars in a line...I know cause I do it myself
Please see my post mentioning having a small cooler nearby for the milk. Besides, when a customer is sitting there waiting for his/her order, a quick trip to get the milk is not something that would extend the wait.

MadMonk
05-19-2007, 01:36 PM
So do they pay an extra person to go out to the milk cooler or do they make the cashier step away and get it madmonk?...Using the cashier slows up the line and paying an extra person is a waste of Braum's money

All about seconds in drive thrus...Some people will drive on if they see 4 or 5 cars in a line...I know cause I do it myself
Please see my post mentioning having a small cooler nearby for the milk. Even if they don't have something like that, when a customer is sitting there waiting for his/her order, a quick trip to get the milk is not something that would extend the wait any more than they already wait for them to put together the burger and fries.

Even barring all that, I'd still wait a few seconds longer for the convenience of getting the milk at the drive through. If you won't, then nobody's stopping you from going elsewhere. My guess is that more people liked the convenience than hated the extra wait.

dismayed
05-19-2007, 03:44 PM
A huge part of a fast food restaurant's profitability is based on drive through wait time. I could definitely see why they would want to do this.

Plus, I get frustrated enough as it is when a mini-van is in front of me buying burgers for the entire soccer team. I couldn't imagine waiting for someone to rattle off their shopping list too. :)

mranderson
05-19-2007, 04:49 PM
A huge part of a fast food restaurant's profitability is based on drive through wait time. I could definitely see why they would want to do this.

Plus, I get frustrated enough as it is when a mini-van is in front of me buying burgers for the entire soccer team. I couldn't imagine waiting for someone to rattle off their shopping list too. :)

I HATE fast food drive thru's. They are very slow and cost fuel with the car ideling so much. If I can not go in, even for my take out order, I will not eat there.

How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.

Karried
05-19-2007, 05:53 PM
I remember a few months back.. I was inside Braums on Memorial and a customer and his passenger were in the drive through.. I can't remember exactly what was said to the girl taking his order but she attacked him.... he was being pretty mellow and she was saying.. ' I know you didn't just grab those napkins out of my hand'! He was saying' What, what? No, I didn't grab the napkins' Something like that... I was shocked! I couldn't help but think...wth? This is customer service?

Knowing my temper, I would have reached through that window and grabbed something else, like her throat.

jbrown84
05-19-2007, 06:07 PM
I always just go inside, even when I'm taking it to go.

Do the same thing at the bank.

Patrick
05-19-2007, 09:56 PM
I always just go inside, even when I'm taking it to go.

Do the same thing at the bank.

You usually get better customer service that way.

OkieKAS
05-20-2007, 10:12 AM
People with disAbilities can not always go inside
If I ask for my milk at the window....I get my milk at the window.


*Once, at McDonald's/Chickasha I requested Iced tea w/fresh Lemon, (appx 10:00 pm)......it was delivered to me w/o fresh lemon, asked again for the fresh lemon.....deliverer retrieved it, returned it back, shortly, w/o fresh lemon.....returned it again, retrieved it back again via no lemon......but this time the deliverer (a young teen girl) handed me an actual WHOLE lemon saying that she did not know how to "cut it up". I handed her another 50 cents and left..........::::true story::::

*At a KFC/El Reno, I asked for chicken breast strips and instead received a whole piece of chicken breast......driving back thru the drive - thru, I explained that I did get my correct order.....a young teen male said "I am so sorry, if I was smart, I wouldn't be working here". (I tipped him a $1) :::::true story:::::::

dismayed
05-20-2007, 01:40 PM
How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.

It's funny, I do the same thing a lot of times. I've found that so many people just use the drive though by default that you can usually walk right in, order, and get out long before the car you would have been behind even makes it to the window.

I have a friend in the restaurant management business and asked him about this. It turns out that almost all fast food places use some formula where they calculate the time from which you place your order at the speaker and the time you arrive at the window to get your order, and based on the average order price they calculate out how much they make in that window of time and are always trying to increase its speed.

I think perhaps the fatal flaw in that formula is that they start the clock when you place the order, not when you queue up into the line.

Karried
05-20-2007, 04:57 PM
How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.


I think in the long run they get more orders by not having people park and walk in.

Maybe they only have to hire one person taking the orders through the drive through and hire more to handle the walk in customers. I don't know about profitability.. more like an added convenience for customers.

With gas prices so high... I'm not wanting to sit idling in the line. I'll just walk in...

okclee
05-20-2007, 05:03 PM
This is why Sonic is one of the fastest growing fast-food chains in the world. People love to stay in their car and order fast crappy food.

Come on Okies let's stay the fattest and unhealthy city in the U.S., we can do it if we all try.

kevinpate
05-20-2007, 06:12 PM
While I'm very unlikely to ever be confused for a healthy eater, some of my family are regular consumers of healthy fare. They find it very possible to eat healthy at many of the fast food locations.

PUGalicious
05-20-2007, 06:14 PM
How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.
Seems to work for McDonald's. But, then again, I'm sure their business experience scarcely compares to your own.

SoonerDave
05-21-2007, 07:34 AM
This is why Sonic is one of the fastest growing fast-food chains in the world. People love to stay in their car and order fast crappy food.

Come on Okies let's stay the fattest and unhealthy city in the U.S., we can do it if we all try.


Thank you for your condescending, superior, judgmental, holier-than-thou observation on everyone else!

I guess we can rest assured nothing as lowly as a "crappy" hamburger has ever deigned to cross your lips.

The point isn't about being "lazy" in a drive through, it's about customer service. The Braum's situation is merely one more benchmark in our American retail culture that promotes the notion that a customer is an inconvenience, not the source of a retailer's livelihood.

I'm reminded of a sign I saw in one small restaurant some time ago that had words to the effect of "Customers are NOT an inconvenience. Customers are NOT a hassle. Customers are the reason we have a paycheck, the reason our doors are open, and the reason you have a job."

This isn't a carte blanche license for customers to treat foodservice employees like garbage, but a reminder to keep the cart before the horse. Serve the customer. If you don't remember and honor your customers, you end up like the General Motors corporation, twenty years too late asking the question, "Where did all the customers go?"

-soonerdave

MadMonk
05-21-2007, 08:03 AM
Thank you for your condescending, superior, judgmental, holier-than-thou observation on everyone else!

I guess we can rest assured nothing as lowly as a "crappy" hamburger has ever deigned to cross your lips.

The point isn't about being "lazy" in a drive through, it's about customer service. The Braum's situation is merely one more benchmark in our American retail culture that promotes the notion that a customer is an inconvenience, not the source of a retailer's livelihood.

I'm reminded of a sign I saw in one small restaurant some time ago that had words to the effect of "Customers are NOT an inconvenience. Customers are NOT a hassle. Customers are the reason we have a paycheck, the reason our doors are open, and the reason you have a job."

This isn't a carte blanche license for customers to treat foodservice employees like garbage, but a reminder to keep the cart before the horse. Serve the customer. If you don't remember and honor your customers, you end up like the General Motors corporation, twenty years too late asking the question, "Where did all the customers go?"

-soonerdave
:congrats: :yeahthat:

GrandMaMa
05-24-2007, 09:03 AM
Actually, Braum's is not national. Their operating rules dictate that they have to be able to deliver fresh milk within a certain driving radius of their Tuttle plant (which is open for public tours, by the way, which is a lot of fun). That necessarily restricts them to core region in the central/southern Midwest, eg Oklahoma, North Texas, perhaps into southern Kansas (?), and they (per the last tour I took) have no desire to open any other/broader regional farms/dairies.

One of the great stories they'll tell you is that they had one of their milk transport trucks designed *specifically* and *only* for transport within the confines of the Tuttle dairy. It's too big to run on regular roads; they use it exclusively to ship the fresh milk to the processing plant. Depending on their schedule, if you time it just right, it's possible to get milk from a Braum's store that was produced less than 24 hours previously.

During the tour, the tour guides tell you how the original Mr. Braum was an absolute obsessive about running an efficient and clean operation, and after touring their plant, I think the family has done a great job of upholding that tradition. The place is impeccable, and it's evident the processes are refined to the nth degree. You leave the tour just itching to go buy some Braum's milk and ice cream!!

No, I do not work for Braum's, just a big fan. Best milk anywhere, IMHO, and NO BGH (bovine growth hormone).

They also have one of the most sophisticated (and expensive) water extraction systems in the world, and they use it to decrease the water content of their reduced-fat milks. It's why those products taste so much better/richer than the counterparts from other dairy companies.

-soonerdaveBy saying "All over the country" I didn't mean to imply Nationally, but I supposed it sounded that way...thanks for the clarification...

BailJumper
05-24-2007, 10:50 AM
This is why Sonic is one of the fastest growing fast-food chains in the world. People love to stay in their car and order fast crappy food.

Hmmmmm, no. They make a pretty damn good hamburger and coney for a great price. Especially considering how little meat is actually on one of their burgers.

Personally, i hate to eat in a car. We usually order ours to go.

GrandMaMa
05-27-2007, 09:14 PM
No, I was quite serious. I agree that it probably exceeds the bounds of reasonable expectation for fresh produce, eg veggies and things like that, but for milk? A frozen pie? Half-gallon of ice cream? C'mon...That's not unreasonable.

-soonerdaveIf you stop and consider the location of these items within the store, I think that you would understand why someone at the window can't just run clear across the store and get a gallon of milk or ice cream or whatever, it isn't located by the window. I prefer to walk in and look around anyway, they have added some new item almost every time I visit and I would never know about it if I could get my milk through the window.

Oh GAWD the Smell!
06-01-2007, 03:14 AM
This is why Sonic is one of the fastest growing fast-food chains in the world. People love to stay in their car and order fast crappy food.

Come on Okies let's stay the fattest and unhealthy city in the U.S., we can do it if we all try.

I too take exception to this. I love hamburgers, and will eat them from Sonic, McDonalds, Chili's, Braums, Booger Fling, etc. I'll eat them from the drive through, I'll eat them in the restaurant, I'll take them home, and I make a damnfinetasty one on the grill if I do say so myself.

I'm also quite the beer drinker. Some of my beers are heavy, high in calories, and generally very bad for me.

My blood pressure isn't out of whack, my cholesterol is fine, I'm not a drunk, and I don't weigh 300 lbs.

All things in moderation there Captain McInmybusiness.

As for the topic at hand, I'm going to have to try ordering some lettuce at the Braums drive-thru this weekend...Just to have an excuse to walk around in their store in my PJ's. My PJ's that have little fat sumo wrestlers on them. That's how I roll...With a fat guy on my pants, not in them.

scootinger
06-10-2007, 10:32 PM
Actually, interesting, because I think Braum's stores have gone down in terms of a "clean operation", or at least in the mind's of consumers. I've seen some research that many people choose other fast food retailers because they appear cleaner than Braum's (don't agree with it). Part of that is that most of the Braum's in this area are older, and are due for some renovations, at least compared to the other chains. I think Braum's is beginning to address that...

Yeah, I agree....every time I see any of their ads or go to a Braum's it feels like I've walked into the 1980s. That's something they really need to work on.

soonerfaithful
06-15-2007, 10:11 PM
I've been going to Braum's when they first opened when I was a little girl. Now my teenage daughter will only drink Braum's milk.
Braum's processes it's milk right there at Tuttle. So the milk goes from the cow, straight to the process system, to the plant to be put into containers then on the delivery trucks. So yes you will be getting milk that has come from the cow within 24-48 hours. This is one reason Braum's milk is cheaper then other stores.

Many stores are looking old as they are old. There is remodeling going on and there is talk of some of the smaller older stores being rebuilt.

With Mr. & Mrs. Braum getting up there in age it will be interesting to see what changes if any will be made when their kids take over.

SuperScooper
06-16-2007, 08:22 PM
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

Rifleman2C
06-17-2007, 05:05 AM
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!

kevinpate
06-17-2007, 11:57 AM
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

Easy180
06-17-2007, 05:06 PM
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

sweetmercyfan
06-18-2007, 12:05 AM
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

Oh GAWD the Smell!
06-19-2007, 01:13 AM
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

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.