OKC Icon Coits for Sale

[SoonerDave]

aww, the S. Western location holds many memories for me. went to MSM HS and used to go to Coit's almost every morning for a sausage biscuit.

It wouldn't take a leap for me to believe that Western location is the loser among the three. That stretch of Western is mostly a feeder into downtown these days, and the area immediately around that Coit's isn't the greatest. I'd imagine there's been a steady decline in traffic there over the years.

I concur with rcjunkie that the Portland location always looks like it desperately needs a bottle of Windex and a washrag. We go there maybe two or three times a year if we're over on that side of town to grab a root beer, but that's about it.

I understand that the current family may not want to run the places any more, but if you are still running them, why wouldn't at least some notion of pride compel you to at least try to keep the places neat and clean until you unload and/or close them? If nothing else, the appearance of an unclean restaurant isn't going to do anything to attract potential buyers...

[Prunepicker]

I ate there 3 or 4 times a week. I believe Herman, an 80+ year old bus boy,
worked there. The place was a mess. I'd order my food and never
look up. Dirt was every where except in the kitchen. Loved their biscuits
and the croutons they'd make from them for lunch.

[corwin1968]

Is the first restaurant pictured in the NEWSOK video (not a Coits but I guess the predecessor) the current Chelinos by Capital Hill H.S.?

[Rewardsnetwork]

Coit's failed because of the same arrogance that most established Oklahoma restaurants suffer. Most big name Oklahoma restaurants have this belief that just because everyone has dined at their restaurant once, that they must all be regulars. Obviously there are empty seats every day but "everyone already knows about us" is their theme. Most Oklahoma restaurants don't understand marketing concepts such as "loyalty" or "increased frequency" or being "Top of mind" all they know is that everyone has had at least some exposure to their brand so that's good enough. They're like airline pilots who shut off their engines once they reach altitude. They fail to recognize that just because your local neighborhood has been sustaining them for years doesn't mean that people don't move, die, have a bad experience, competition moves in, etc. Once new business declines, they start making cuts on staff, food quality, etc. to make up the gap instead of trying to get new customers. Since their supported totally by regulars at this point, the regulars are very sensitive to the changes in quality, service, etc. and they start losing regulars too. Bottom line is that it's fatal for a restaurant to stop trying to attract new customers. Since Oklahoma City isn't as competitive as most large cities, true sound marketing is viewed as a gimmick instead of a regular business practice. Unfortunately most OKC restaurants would rather give coupons and discounts to current customers rather than gaining a new customer. It doesn't make since but it's what they're comfortable with and it's easier to do. It appears that Coit's was against any marketing, weather it be for new customers or to increase frequency and loyalty from current customers. In OKC you can probably still survive with that mentality but not when you food, service, value and cleanliness are also declining. All you have at that point is location and that's not enough. Considering that Coit's lived in the land of Sonic and Braums, it was just a matter of time and a blessing that they lasted as long as they did. If they were in another market, they would have been dust a long time ago.

[Prunepicker]

Coit's decline started after Don Coit died. Like many small restaurants
when the owner passes away the business starts to dwindle. The family
should have sold the restaurant to an entrepreneur instead of letting
it die away. They still had the best hot dogs in town.

[Pete]

I heard the two remaining Coits locations have closed.

Can anyone verify?


If true, this has been coming for a while but still very, very sad.

[boscorama]

I can confirm that the location on N Penn announced it had closed Friday morning, with phone calls to employees. Period.

[John1744]

Man I kept wanting to get up there for one last frosted mug root beer, tater round and coney, sucks that'll never happen.

[Pete]

Many, many high school memories at the Portland location and my family would always buy our Christmas tree at the one on Penn.

Yet another part of OKC history has faded away.

[GaryOKC6]

I worked at the 40th & Penn location in 8th grade (a long time ago) for .50cents an hour + tips. If i came up short on my money bag it came out of my tips. Never really made much in tips but it was my first real job. I used to go there in high school all the time. Sadly over the years the food declined. It lost it slowley over the years and I quit going there. My favorite thin was the chili coney dog and a root beer. I can still remember how awesome it was.

[SSEiYah]

Yes, we tried to go to Coits at NW 50th and Portland over the weekend and it looks shut down for good.

[SoonerDave]

Coit's decline started after Don Coit died. Like many small restaurants
when the owner passes away the business starts to dwindle. The family
should have sold the restaurant to an entrepreneur instead of letting
it die away. They still had the best hot dogs in town.

Don't know this for a fact, but I had heard some time ago that the "next generation" of the family wasn't really interested in taking the restaurants over. When Coit passed, whomever did take it over just didn't seem to have the enthusiasim for it, and stopped a lot of the fun things the senior Coit used to do, like have OU-Texas ticket drawings, Christmas tree sales, those kinds of things. I'd called to ask one year about them and whomever answered basically said "yeah, the family's not really interested in doing that stuff anymore."

Just sad.

Will miss the root beer.

[ljbab728]

Last of Coit's Drive-Ins in Oklahoma City closes | NewsOK.com

[RadicalModerate]

So are ya' sayin' that yer puttin' the corpse of the beloved and popular Coit's in the proverbial plot ere Aubrey the Magnificent or Devon the Devine or even T Bone Pickins have been notified o' the potential windfall? O . . . Tis a dark day indeed when the last o' the real rootbeer/coney stands goes down (and up for sale at the same time!) Before they tear down the buildings . . . perhaps they could hire a local house moving company to turn them into mobile food trucks?

On the other hand it could be a perfect opportunity for The Battlin' Custinos to keep the feud going . . .

[UnFrSaKn]

The video from the RetroMetroOKC meeting at Coit's on 50th and Penn in July will be up some time, when I get the password for the YouTube account to upload it.

Coit’s Collection | Retro Metro OKC

RetroMetroOKC - YouTube

RetroMetroOKC Meeting - Coit's Drive-In (July 16 2012) - a set on Flickr

[Mr. Cotter]

While it's always sad when a business closes, Coit's seemed like a place you needed a personal history with to appreciate. I didn't grow up here, and had lunch at the 50th location once. It wasn't something I was anxious to repeat.

[Pete]

Yes, last time I ate there I was very disappointed and the place looked very run-down.

But their root beer was still fantastic.

[SoonerDave]

While it's always sad when a business closes, Coit's seemed like a place you needed a personal history with to appreciate. I didn't grow up here, and had lunch at the 50th location once. It wasn't something I was anxious to repeat.

Well, you have to understand that once Don Coit passed, the restaurants really, really suffered. Mind you, it was never "fine dining," spit-and-polish perfect (heck, its a hot dog stand), but whomever took over upon Coit's passing clearly didn't break their neck to keep the places maintained. I do think an opportunity to turn them over to someone who perhaps was better suited to manage them was lost in the interim, unfortunately. Obviously too late now.

I wonder who makes their root beer? Surely its just purchased from some beverage company...??

[UnFrSaKn]

[Pete]

Thanks Will!

Those videos will be a great chronicle when that Coits is ultimately torn down.


You can also see how rough the place had become.

[boscorama]

Well, you have to understand that once Don Coit passed, the restaurants really, really suffered. Mind you, it was never "fine dining," spit-and-polish perfect (heck, its a hot dog stand), but whomever took over upon Coit's passing clearly didn't break their neck to keep the places maintained. I do think an opportunity to turn them over to someone who perhaps was better suited to manage them was lost in the interim, unfortunately. Obviously too late now.

I wonder who makes their root beer? Surely its just purchased from some beverage company...??

I once heard that the root beer was made on site; will seek to verify and report back on this.

[ctchandler]

Boscorama,
I believe that the root beer Coit's served was the same as Weber's which owned the stores when Coit's bought them. Weber's is still in business in Tulsa. I agree with you that they made it on site. I drank the root beer from both Weber's and then Coit's and I'm sure it was the same.
C. T.

I once heard that the root beer was made on site; will seek to verify and report back on this.

[onthestrip]

While Im not a fan of root beer, it will be sad to not be able to get one of their Dr Peppers. They had just a slightly different taste that made it stand out, along with the good crushed ice.

[Garin]

[Tavia]

Gosh I miss Coit's!