City + State

[BoulderSooner]

I would say websites are not really needed for most, .

completely disagree ... food truck sure ...

but absolutely need a website if they are a trying to be a mid level or above place ..

[LocoAko]

This. I love the ambiance/atmosphere of the Jones, but the last few times I have eaten there the food has been mediocre at best.

Interesting. I really like the food at Jones.

I don't want to pile on, but I feel the exact same way as others re: C+S. I only went once. The ambience was great, the cocktail was okay, and the food was just... not good, especially at that price point. It was just so bland. And the place was empty. We kept remarking on how nice the space was, but.... yeah. That's only going to take you so far.

[April in the Plaza]

Also, I am not 'cheif', 'boss', 'bud'... I don't need to be called 'sir' but if you are uncomfortable treating someone like a valued customer then you should find other work.

Agreed! Although that’s a great opportunity to hit them with, “I’m not your buddy, guy!”

[OkieBerto]

completely disagree ... food truck sure ...

but absolutely need a website if they are a trying to be a mid level or above place ..

My job is digital marketing and I do websites for multiple companies. If you are going to have a website it better work and it better be easy to use. Otherwise, a Google listing and a consistent social media marketing plan is all you really need. I am saying this even though I can make twice as much money selling them my website creations. This knowledge is based on analytics and time spent on websites. They are not what they use to be. Sure there is something to be said about companies that still have a broad customer base of those who are older and like websites, but the next generations will likely never look at a website.

[BoulderSooner]

My job is digital marketing and I do websites for multiple companies. If you are going to have a website it better work and it better be easy to use. Otherwise, a Google listing and a consistent social media marketing plan is all you really need. I am saying this even though I can make twice as much money selling them my website creations. This knowledge is based on analytics and time spent on websites. They are not what they use to be. Sure there is something to be said about companies that still have a broad customer base of those who are older and like websites, but the next generations will likely never look at a website.

the target demo for high end restaurants is still not the next generation ...

they better have a website .. (and most do )

[OkieBerto]

the target demo for high end restaurants is still not the next generation ...

they better have a website .. (and most do )

I don't disagree with you on that. If you are a high-end restaurant whose target market is people with a living wage then yes, you need a great website that can explain every detail of your menu and hours to those who would pay those prices.

[Plutonic Panda]

Did they have an Instagram wall?

Sorry, just a little cross-thread reference.

I lol’d at this.

[PhiAlpha]

I will also say, importantly, that "ambiance" is not nearly as high valued in the OKC dining scene as it probably is in other places because the regular clientele (i.e. the locals) just don't care as much. That's neither a knock on our restaurants or our people, it's just a different value system. To that end, a place like City and State going all out on the design (and I personally thought it was as beautiful as any restaurant we've had) does not get a ton of ROI for that. It really is more about the food and service in OKC.

Yeah I don’t think it’s failure has anything to do with people not appreciating the space. That’s about the only reason I went back and was again disappointed by the expensive food that was near as good as it should’ve been at that price point and the fact that brunch took 2.5 hours with us regularly having to flag down servers for various things that woudlve come up if they’d checked in with us a few times. Just poorly run and it’s sad that it ended up that way with such a cool space

[PhiAlpha]

I would say websites are not really needed for most, but they do need some sort of social media and they need to have a strong Google listing and listings on other search engines like Bing.

Highly disagree. You absolutely need a website, socials and well managed yelp and google review pages in a competitive market. Besides it’s way too easy and cheap create all of that. You’re just shooting yourself in the door from the start if you don’t.

[PhiAlpha]

I thought that was part of the show at Waffle House?

No. Waffle House is where the waitstaff battling the customers is an accepted part of the dining experience LOL

[soonerguru]

My wife and I dined at City + State a few weeks ago. We had a 7 pm reservation on a Friday night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. There were only two other tables dining in that entire, massive restaurant. The entire front dining room was totally empty.

When we walked in to be seated, they hadn't even turned the music on. It was bizarrely dead-feeling. I did mention it to the FOH manager and she said, "Oh, we forgot to turn it on."

Unlike a lot of restaurants these days, it was well staffed. There were two or three bartenders / bar backs, at least three servers, and a host. Despite that, there were very long waits for drinks and we weren't ordering complicated craft cocktails.

The food itself was good, but not exceptional. Our bill ended up being quite expensive in the end for rather ho-hum food. Nothing was bad but certainly nothing stood out. And, while our server was very kind, they were not attentive at all. We found ourselves craning our necks wondering where our drink orders were and, I'm not kidding, the servers and bar staff were chatting it up at the bar while we waited. Overall, there was absolutely nothing special or remotely charming about the evening, which, for us, was supposed to be a special night out (we had also booked a room at The First).

For a place that sunk so much coin into design, the atmosphere was lacking to say the least. It was an entirely forgettable experience on a night and at a time one would expect a decent number of diners.

People don't eat out as much as they used to because it's insanely expensive, so experiences like what we had can add up to be fatal to an establishment.

[OkieBerto]

Highly disagree. You absolutely need a website, socials and well managed yelp and google review pages in a competitive market. Besides it’s way too easy and cheap create all of that. You’re just shooting yourself in the door from the start if you don’t.

I haven't used Yelp in years and I rarely hear anyone use that word. I would say, in our local competitive market, telling Pete about your restaurant is far more beneficial then having a website. The moment he lets his many followers on his facebook and Instagram, those places get over run by the locals. No matter if it is high end or a small donut shop. The power of Pete and Social media can not be denied.

If you are a high end restaurant, yes you need to have a great website, but even City + State has a website. The problem is that their website isn't good and it actually made me not want to go there. If you have a website you better keep it looking nice and updated. It better be easy to navigate and have plenty of great photos of your food and space. If you don't have those things, then your website is actually working against you.

[Ginkasa]

I haven't used Yelp in years and I rarely hear anyone use that word. I would say, in our local competitive market, telling Pete about your restaurant is far more beneficial then having a website. The moment he lets his many followers on his facebook and Instagram, those places get over run by the locals. No matter if it is high end or a small donut shop. The power of Pete and Social media can not be denied.

The initial rush of customers because of social media announcements is temporary. If the business is good some of those customers from the opening rush will hopefully stick around, but you also have to get newcomers to try in the coming months and years. Having some kind of easy to find and reference presence online is going to be important. Oftentimes if I'm searching for something new I'm looking first at Google Maps and see what information is on there. I mainly want to see photos, reviews, and information on the menu. I'll go to a website if they have one listed, but if the Google listing has that information I'm set.

[OkieBerto]

The initial rush of customers because of social media announcements is temporary. If the business is good some of those customers from the opening rush will hopefully stick around, but you also have to get newcomers to try in the coming months and years. Having some kind of easy to find and reference presence online is going to be important. Oftentimes if I'm searching for something new I'm looking first at Google Maps and see what information is on there. I mainly want to see photos, reviews, and information on the menu. I'll go to a website if they have one listed, but if the Google listing has that information I'm set.

This is exactly how I search for all local retail and restaurants. Google has even made it fun to add photos and reviews to keep you searching. Most everyone is using google to find the restaurant and google even offers a webpage for those smaller companies that can't afford a large elaborate website. Most of the information and photos you need are on the Google listings.

[Thomas Vu]

Now that I think about it. I think all I really need from a dine in place in terms of a website is pretty simple. A static page with a menu and the hours. Maybe jazz it up with some pictures.

[Anonymous.]

According to their social media. They are hosting a local music event coming up in July (was supposed to be tonight). Perhaps this place is going to become event space only.

[Pete]

According to their social media. They are hosting a local music event coming up in July (was supposed to be tonight). Perhaps this place is going to become event space only.

That's what it's been since closing.

[BG918]

This is exactly how I search for all local retail and restaurants. Google has even made it fun to add photos and reviews to keep you searching. Most everyone is using google to find the restaurant and google even offers a webpage for those smaller companies that can't afford a large elaborate website. Most of the information and photos you need are on the Google listings.

I was just in Europe. I used Google maps extensively to find places to eat, usually going by the star count and type of food I wanted.

[OkieBerto]

I was just in Europe. I used Google maps extensively to find places to eat, usually going by the star count and type of food I wanted.

Most of my clients are shocked at how much more information they get from Google listing analytics than from their websites. You can even track the zip code of phone calls made by tapping on your Google listing phone number. This also helps to tell other people searching how busy their phones might be. Giving them an idea of how popular of a business you are despite the review numbers.

Also, I went to an event at the City + State location. The place is very nice and the event was great. They catered food and we had the upstairs all to ourselves including the patio. They had a live band playing the whole time. As an event space, it is a winner. The restaurant was just not managed how it should have been.