Clark Crew BBQ

[Bill Robertson]

I was told today that Clark Crew was #1 in the city in terms of revenue, and likely the entire state.

Impressive since Travis Clark had never run a restaurant in his life; was just a competitive BBQ cook.

Absolutely amazing what they've been able to pull off, especially at scale. Hats off to them.

Absolutely fantastic food. Which was the easy part for them. Great location. Great design which somebody must have done that knows what they’re doing. Excellent service which is created by training, motivation and management so again they had someone that knows what they’re doing or just got really lucky.

[chuck5815]

Absolutely fantastic food. Which was the easy part for them. Great location. Great design which somebody must have done that knows what they’re doing. Excellent service which is created by training, motivation and management so again they had someone that knows what they’re doing or just got really lucky.

If you believe the holding company's SEC filings, the build out cost $3.9MM. That's almost real money.

[Roger S]

Absolutely fantastic food. Which was the easy part for them. Great location. Great design which somebody must have done that knows what they’re doing. Excellent service which is created by training, motivation and management so again they had someone that knows what they’re doing or just got really lucky.

Yes it was backed by BBQ Holdings which is the Famous Dave's BBQ group... So lots of money and lots of experience are behind Clark Crew BBQ.

[Pete]

I was told that they were running $1 million a month in revenue before the pandemic.

Still doing very well, just not at that level.

Even so, they are likely the biggest revenue-generating restaurant in the state.

[Bill Robertson]

I was told that they were running $1 million a month in revenue before the pandemic.

Still doing very well, just not at that level.

Even so, they are likely the biggest revenue-generating restaurant in the state.

We’re doing our part. We buy a weekend worth of meals every other Friday.

[AP]

I was told that they were running $1 million a month in revenue before the pandemic.

Still doing very well, just not at that level.

Even so, they are likely the biggest revenue-generating restaurant in the state.

If that's true, that's incredible.

[FighttheGoodFight]

DONT YOU TEASE ME LIKE THIS

"Hey, Norman, big news. @ClarkCrewBBQ
is looking into a Norman location for the near future.
and stay tuned! @405Mag
@VisitNorman"

https://twitter.com/winerev/status/1...633665024?s=20

[billokc]

I have not been there yet. Every time I think of going, it's packed to the point of having a long wait for seating. I don't live far from it, so I guess I'll just get it to go. I guess it's all about timing.

[Pete]

I have not been there yet. Every time I think of going, it's packed to the point of having a long wait for seating. I don't live far from it, so I guess I'll just get it to go. I guess it's all about timing.

Often, you can go straight to the bar area without having to wait for a table.

You may be able to do that on the patio as well.

[TheTravellers]

I have not been there yet. Every time I think of going, it's packed to the point of having a long wait for seating. I don't live far from it, so I guess I'll just get it to go. I guess it's all about timing.

Hope your to-go order goes better than our attempt. We tried to order online from them last Fri and found out their "special instructions" box could only hold 10 characters, not enough to say "No sauce on anything, just 2 individual containers of each of your sauces, please" (and yes, I know there's an option to say "naked" ribs or burnt ends, but didn't know if they sauced the brisket or chopped pork), so we decided to call an order in. After almost 5 minutes of hold music, we hung up and decided to do a frozen pizza. Going to try again on a non-Fri night, but that's not-great customer service, guess everything's fully open now, so you should just come on in and join the COVID party....

[Bill Robertson]

Hope your to-go order goes better than our attempt. We tried to order online from them last Fri and found out their "special instructions" box could only hold 10 characters, not enough to say "No sauce on anything, just 2 individual containers of each of your sauces, please" (and yes, I know there's an option to say "naked" ribs or burnt ends, but didn't know if they sauced the brisket or chopped pork), so we decided to call an order in. After almost 5 minutes of hold music, we hung up and decided to do a frozen pizza. Going to try again on a non-Fri night, but that's not-great customer service, guess everything's fully open now, so you should just come on in and join the COVID party....

We’ve ordered online and picked up curbside a number of times since March. We get the rib tray and enough sides & cornbread that we can have dinner twice and lunch once over a weekend. I order sauced and the ribs come dry with containers of the three sauces on the side.

[TheTravellers]

We’ve ordered online and picked up curbside a number of times since March. We get the rib tray and enough sides & cornbread that we can have dinner twice and lunch once over a weekend. I order sauced and the ribs come dry with containers of the three sauces on the side.

GTK, thanks. We usually also order enough for another meal from a BBQ place, eat the fried side first, save the beans for the 2nd time.

[Bill Robertson]

GTK, thanks. We usually also order enough for another meal from a BBQ place, eat the fried side first, save the beans for the 2nd time.

I picked up CC ribs last night. Actually I was a bit off. If you want meat completely dry order naked. There is just a little bit of sauce on them if ordered sauced.

[TheTravellers]

I picked up CC ribs last night. Actually I was a bit off. If you want meat completely dry order naked. There is just a little bit of sauce on them if ordered sauced.

Thanks for the update, we'll probably try them next week, had Empire this week.

[OKCretro]

Went there for lunch last week.
It was packed. didnt see many empty tables. People were siting back to back in booths.

Probably will wait awhile to go back and eat inside, but will definitely do take out.

[Bill Robertson]

Went there for lunch last week.
It was packed. didnt see many empty tables. People were siting back to back in booths.

Probably will wait awhile to go back and eat inside, but will definitely do take out.

We haven’t been in since February. But do take out about every other week.

[soonerguru]

I have read on a FB forum that they are not requiring masks or distancing the tables at all. Their 'cue was pretty good but I'm taking notes of the establishments looking out for the safety of their customers -- and equally important, their staff. When I decide to return to in-person dining, I will patronize those establishments that did the right thing.

[TheTravellers]

I have read on a FB forum that they are not requiring masks or distancing the tables at all. Their 'cue was pretty good but I'm taking notes of the establishments looking out for the safety of their customers -- and equally important, their staff. When I decide to return to in-person dining, I will patronize those establishments that did the right thing.

You're probably going to have a fairly short list of acceptable places. Patty Wagon appears to be doing decently, Empire (and maybe all other 84 Hospitality places) isn't even open for dine-in yet, I think the Taco Bueno on 23rd/May isn't doing dine-in yet (their windows say "Drive-thru open", so I assume they're not doing dine-in), but we haven't gotten anything from them yet. Bellini's was bad early on (asking a positive worker to come in and work) but not sure if they're better, Braum's sucks (obviously). We do exclusively takeout/curbside/drive-through, and will for the foreseeable future.

[Bill Robertson]

I have read on a FB forum that they are not requiring masks or distancing the tables at all. Their 'cue was pretty good but I'm taking notes of the establishments looking out for the safety of their customers -- and equally important, their staff. When I decide to return to in-person dining, I will patronize those establishments that did the right thing.

I agree with Travellers if sticking to it you will have a very short list. It would help if there were real rules for restaurants other than staff masking and patrons masking while being up and around.

[TheTravellers]

Problem with in-person dining is that you just cannot keep your masks on while eating or drinking, and people are going to talk while dining out, sometimes loudly because of the "energetic and vibrant" atmospheres (e.g. no acoustic deadening), and that's the primary way it spreads. Perfect storm of multiple bad factors (same as bars, but just a bit better, most likely, because of the sit-down environment of restaurants vs. bars). Just cannot believe that OK is pretty much open for business everywhere, anywhere, anytime, with no real enforcement of anything, while other places don't even have bars or in-person dining open at all. So we keep the economy straggling along for months more being completely open and with no enforcement, while if we actually enforced mask mandates and kept things closed for a bit more and had relief from the government, the USA wouldn't suck so horribly bad and stupidly. Just getting so tired of all the a**es that do the bare minimum, if even that. Going to start telling every single person that doesn't mask up "You are the reason we're in such a sh**hole environment right now and the reason the economy is tanking and can't move forward and get it under control". Of course they'll ignore me because if they had a brain, they'd already be masked up, but at least I'll feel better.

[soonerguru]

You're probably going to have a fairly short list of acceptable places. Patty Wagon appears to be doing decently, Empire (and maybe all other 84 Hospitality places) isn't even open for dine-in yet, I think the Taco Bueno on 23rd/May isn't doing dine-in yet (their windows say "Drive-thru open", so I assume they're not doing dine-in), but we haven't gotten anything from them yet. Bellini's was bad early on (asking a positive worker to come in and work) but not sure if they're better, Braum's sucks (obviously). We do exclusively takeout/curbside/drive-through, and will for the foreseeable future.

Fine. I'm so used to cooking now I won't miss it. It's not fair to the operators who are doing things right. There's no excuse for restaurateurs to be so reckless about enforcing clear, obvious protocols at this point. They are endangering their own industry, for one, not to mention the clear risks to public health, the health of their patrons, and their employees. The barbecue is very good, but there is other good 'cue out there.

[Bill Robertson]

Fine. I'm so used to cooking now I won't miss it. It's not fair to the operators who are doing things right. There's no excuse for restaurateurs to be so reckless about enforcing clear, obvious protocols at this point. They are endangering their own industry, for one, not to mention the clear risks to public health, the health of their patrons, and their employees. The barbecue is very good, but there is other good 'cue out there.

I wonder which restaurants are spacing and really requiring patrons to wear masks when not seated.

[soonerguru]

I wonder which restaurants are spacing and really requiring patrons to wear masks when not seated.

I know the Good Egg, 84 Hospitality, and Humankind groups are all doing a great job, from what I'm reading. I don't dine out so others could probably speak to this better. Hal Smith's joints started out good before dine-in opened, and then they started stuffing people in like sardines in all of their restaurants.

Charles Darwin is the invisible front of house manager in the Hal Smith restaurants.

[Bill Robertson]

I know the Good Egg, 84 Hospitality, and Humankind groups are all doing a great job, from what I'm reading. I don't dine out so others could probably speak to this better. Hal Smith's joints started out good before dine-in opened, and then they started stuffing people in like sardines in all of their restaurants.

Charles Darwin is the invisible front of house manager in the Hal Smith restaurants.

“then they started stuffing people in like sardines in all of their restaurants”
And there’s a big part of the problem. If people show up to be stuffed in it’s going to be A) hard for a for profit business to not want to serve them and make money and B) another sign of how too many people just don’t take this seriously.
The establishments are being irresponsible but so are the patrons.

[BoulderSooner]

I have read on a FB forum that they are not requiring masks or distancing the tables at all. Their 'cue was pretty good but I'm taking notes of the establishments looking out for the safety of their customers -- and equally important, their staff. When I decide to return to in-person dining, I will patronize those establishments that did the right thing.

if that is your criteria very few of those establishments will remain