City Garden (formerly Bleu Garten)

[dankrutka]

I agree. OKC just isn't dense enough to justify displacing a business that brings such life to the Midtown. Of course, Bleu Garten could be moved to another location, but there's no guarantee of the same success. Right now, it's one of the top gathering places for members of the OKC community and a real boon to making Midtown a walkable neighborhood.

[Pete]

Starting this weekend, Buttermilk Sliders will be a permanent fixture at Bleu Garten for lunch and dinner every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Buttermilk Sliders is a food truck operated by Todd Woodruff of Waffle Champion fame (and soon to be Maples BBQ fame).

One of the great things about this is that Woodruff & Co. can always use the kitchen at Waffle Champion if there is strong demand and thus, should be able to consistently serve even very large crowds.

Most trucks on busy days run out of food and have to shut down, but with this arrangement that should almost never happen.


Really a smart idea for both sides plus really good food.

[TheTravellers]

Funny characterization of the Bleu Garten atmosphere: https://www.thelostogle.com/2017/06/...he-flying-pig/

[Jersey Boss]

Funny characterization of the Bleu Garten atmosphere: https://www.thelostogle.com/2017/06/...he-flying-pig/

Ha Ha. The best humor has a grain or two of truth to it. Thanks for the link.

[Pete]

They just announced through social media that when they reopen for 2018 the entire facility inside their fence will be non-smoking.

Very glad to hear this.

[warreng88]

Here is a JR article on what Pete posted five months ago:

Bleu Garten snuffs out smoking

By: Sarah Terry-Cobo The Journal Record May 22, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY – Jamie Hyde is among a growing list of entertainment venue managers who don’t allow smoking outside. The general manager of Bleu Garten, the food truck park in Midtown, said she was at first nervous about the change as the implementation time drew near. Though customers supported the change, Hyde said she could understand that venues that are adults-only would have a harder time making the same case to customers.

Oklahoma State Health Department tobacco cessation coordinator Christin Kirchenbauer said it takes time to change social norms about smoking in public. So it’s important to take time to educate employees and customers before implementing a new nonsmoking policy.

Hyde said she and her staff were toying with the idea of going smoke-free last year, after allowing smoking for the first three seasons Bleu Garten was open. So they asked. She said the overwhelming response supported the decision to ban smoking inside the park’s gates.

“A lot of it was people with families, saying ‘thank goodness, we had to leave because the guy next to us was puffing smoke all over,’” Hyde said. “They are so happy we are family-friendly and now being smoke-free takes it one step further.”

Kirchenbauer said there are loopholes in Oklahoma smoke-free laws that don’t protect everyone from secondhand smoke. There are still some restaurants, bars, and work sites that allow smoking. Protecting workers’ and customers’ health can be a tougher argument to make in an outdoor, patio-like setting, rather than an enclosed space such as a restaurant.

“But (secondhand smoke) is still dangerous and they are still breathing it,” she said. “Secondhand smoke is more dangerous because when you inhale it, there is nothing to filter those chemicals.”

More than 7,300 people nationwide die each year from lung cancer related to secondhand smoke, according to the American Lung Association.

Kirchenbauer said it takes time to change what society considers normal as it relates to smoking. A half-century ago, people smoked in hospitals and on airplanes. But adding smoke-free policies has shifted the norm so it seems unusual to see someone smoking inside, she said.

“It’s important to make sure not to rush and give people plenty of time and ample opportunity to know about the change,” Kirchenbauer said. “It’s important to not shame anyone, but reinforce that you’re protecting people and making it safe for workers and for those who visit the business.”

The Bleu Garten food truck park closes in the winter, so Hyde said she decided to roll out the change in March when it opened for the 2018 season. She said she’s received good responses from social media posts about the new policy. That’s when Free the Night program contractors reached out to sponsor Tuesday’s live music.

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust pays for the Free the Night initiative to create awareness of businesses that have smoke-free policies. About 35 bars and clubs have voluntarily gone smoke-free after the program’s staff members have worked with those businesses, according to TSET spokeswoman Julie Bisbee.

Hyde said she can enforce the policy by training staff and the security company workers who work there. If someone lights up, he or she is immediately told to put it out or go outside the park to a nearby bench with smoker’s pole butt disposal stands.

Some patrons told her they have come to Blue Garten for years and didn’t notice the new signs around the park, Hyde said.

“The good thing is 99 percent of our guests are laid-back, so there have been no issues,” she said.

[Pete]

I'm really surprised (but very pleased) they went this route because 1) the entire space is outdoors and 2) tons of their patrons smoke.

In the times I've been there I noticed tons of people smoking.

[TheTravellers]

Cool, we might actually give it a try now (hate cigarette smoke, my folks smoked heavily for decades while I was growing up, surprised it didn't kill them or harm me or my brother).

[Pete]

Went by last night around 10PM and for that late hour on a Thursday night, they were absolutely jamming.

Clearly, the no-smoking change has not hurt their business.

[gopokes88]

Legendary bartender James passed away. There’s a gofundme for his funeral.

https://www.gofundme.com/bleu-garten...vite-to-donate

[tsou89]

Horrible. He always seemed happy. RIP.

[Anonymous.]

Operator signed new lease through 2023. This area with the Collective coming online is going to be so great during the warm season. Streetcar should get a nice workout.

[Pete]

They are reopening this weekend.

[shawnw]

Last Fall for BG

https://twitter.com/BleuGarten/statu...53756581961729

[Anonymous.]

The $ value of that corner has definitely outpaced Bleu's operations I am sure. I would not be surprised to see a large apartment complex proposed soon.

[Pete]

They could easily move that operation to another Midtown lot or elsewhere; they stated as much when BG initially opened.

I suspect this has as much to do with profitability and operator interest as it does future development.

The owner of BG has had 2 pretty spectacular and expensive recent failures: Banquet Cinema Pub and Anatomy Wine Bar.

Also, 3 other 'food truck parks' have been far from successful: The Yard, Delmar Gardens and Relax Park.

[riflesforwatie]

^ That rings true to me. MidtownR owns the whole block (Harvey to Hudson and NW 10 to NW 11), including the Palomar building. I know Palomar is eventually slated to move to a new facility as part of MAPS 4, but that is some time away. So unless there is imminent development on a *huge* scale (you could fit something like 15 or 18 Sentinels on that block) that would also involve Palomar moving quickly, seems much more likely that this is due to something with the BG operation itself.

[BoulderSooner]

Much more to do with failure of the operator. Then concept

[Pete]

And Midtown R owns that large vacant lot directly south of Fassler Hall.

You'd think if they wanted to do a large development sometime soon, they would choose the completely vacant land over the one that is occupied.

[Teo9969]

Much more to do with failure of the operator. Then concept

I'm guessing the Collective and Parlor did them (and the rest of the food truck lots) no favors.

I also thought they needed to do more to keep the space fresh and appealing and didn't seem to do that. Honestly, they should consider giving it a rest for a year or 2, see if some nostalgia builds up, and then open back up down on the Ford site. I think they could crush it down there especially on game nights and especially if Thunder Alley never takes off.

[chssooner]

This is such a prime corner, and an open-air bar, while cool, is not the best use of this corner. This needs to be a larger apartment/condo or mixed-use building, with some height (not a skyscraper, but a few stories would be awesome here)!

[dankrutka]

Wild to think that an open air, outdoor food truck-bar lot with plenty of space for physical distancing is closing during a respiratory pandemic…

[chssooner]

Wild to think that an open air, outdoor food truck-bar lot with plenty of space for physical distancing is closing during a respiratory pandemic…

They had inconsistent hours, and were not very communicative of times when they would be closed (or open, for that matter). It is on their operator for them failing, not the environment or COVID, in my opinion.

[Bits_Of_Real_Panther]

Wild to think that an open air, outdoor food truck-bar lot with plenty of space for physical distancing is closing during a respiratory pandemic…

Hey now, we here in Oklahoma just pretend the things in our life are unaffected by any "global news"

Get outta town

[catch22]

They could easily move that operation to another Midtown lot or elsewhere; they stated as much when BG initially opened.

I suspect this has as much to do with profitability and operator interest as it does future development.

The owner of BG has had 2 pretty spectacular and expensive recent failures: Banquet Cinema Pub and Anatomy Wine Bar.

Also, 3 other 'food truck parks' have been far from successful: The Yard, Delmar Gardens and Relax Park.

The owners are very nice people, but I think they may have bit off more than they could chew with how rapid they wee expanding. Vision comes with a price; I think all 3 concepts were cool but requires a ton of cash to keep that train on the rails.