# OKCpedia > Restaurants & Bars >  Nic's Diner + Lounge

## Pete

Justin Nicholas, better known as Nic to those who frequent his wildly popular yet tiny place on N. Pennsylvania Avenue, has started construction on a new restaurant and bar concept in a historic Midtown building.




To be called Nic's Diner + Lounge, the restaurant will feature breakfast, lunch and dinner and a basement level lounge and bar with it's own entrance.

The building at 1116 N. Robinson has been undergoing a renovation which has resulted in the removal of a 70's era metal facade, cleaned stonework and new windows and doors.  Interior work started two weeks ago and framing is largely complete.




Nic's Grill at 1201 N. Penn has been featured on the Food Network's Diners Drive ins and Dives and regularly appears on many Best Burger lists.  Nic himself mans the grill 10AM to 2PM Monday through Friday, with almost continual lines out the door.


Nicholas told OKCTalk that the diner will feature the same great burgers and fries but also add back the popular breakfast the grill once offered before hours were reduced.  In addition to full breakfast, the new restaurant will offer a complete menu of comfort food, such as a Reuben sandwich, chicken fried steak, porch chops and steak.

All food will feature Nic's tried-and-true philosophy:  Generous portions of quality, well-cooked food.

Nic's Grill will continue to operate and Nicholas will still keep the same hours there, but will also spend a significant amount of time at the diner.

While the restaurant will feature a clean, open design and seat about 60, the intimate downstairs lounge will be traditional with dark woods and velvet fabrics.  In addition to a full bar, a limited food menu will be offered there as well.

Hours are yet to be determined, although Nicholas is considering late-night dining if demand warrants.

This will be the latest in a surging number of restaurants and bars along the booming 10th Street corridor, which now includes Sidecar, Broadway 10, The Garage, Bleu Garten, R&J Supper Club, Fassler Hall / Dust Bowl, O Bar at the Ambassador Hotel as well as established Midtown favorites such as McNellie's, Louie's, Waffle Champion, Stella, 1492, Cafe do Brazil and several others.

Nic's Diner + Lounge will open this fall.

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## OkiePoke

Might have a breakfast spot next to work now. I will take some pictures soon.

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## Pete

I've wanted to try his chicken fried steak for a long time but know that any time I manage to get into the grill that I'd always just have to have the burger.

Now, the CFS will be infinitely more accessible.  And the lounge sounds very, very cool.

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## Roger S

I've tried the chicken fried steak before and it's worth trying. Nic's version is a little unique in that he cooks it on the flat top where it fries in the burger and bacon drippings rather than deep frying it or pan frying it in oil.

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## mikeareese

I am ready. Will the burgers be the same as Nic's. The Myriad Gardens location is different. Anyways, when it opens. The CFS will be the first thing I order.

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## Roger S

> I am ready. Will the burgers be the same as Nic's. The Myriad Gardens location is different. Anyways, when it opens. The CFS will be the first thing I order.


I wouldn't count on it..... One, because Nic has said he will still be running the grill at Nic's Grill and that nothing will be changing there. Two, I've heard Nic refer to this location as an upscale diner.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the food here will be good but it's not going to be what you get at Nic's Grill.

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## Colbafone

From what I have been told, Justin has a partner that has been working with him for some years, something close to two decades, who will be running this location. He knows the ins and outs of his grill and knows how to make the burgers as close to Justin's and one can get. So it should be very very promising.

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## BoulderSooner

Justin has said the burgers at the new location will not be and not try to be a recreation of the original

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## soonerguru

> Justin has said the burgers at the new location will not be and not try to be a recreation of the original


Good. Wouldn't be possible anyway.

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## Roger S

New article about Nic's Diner and Lounge from Dave Cathey today...

Nic's at Night: Iconic Oklahoma City burger joint will expand come fall | News OK

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## BillyOcean

> Justin has said the burgers at the new location will not be and not try to be a recreation of the original


the writer of the article above seems to think differently:


When Nic’s Diner and Lounge in Midtown, 1116 N Robinson Ave., opens in the fall, he will serve the same burgers, pork chops, chicken-fried steak with transcendent cream gravy and add a few new items. The new place will offer full service and include an expansive basement bar. Back will be the breakfast service he had to abandon for health reasons two years ago, and dinner will, at long last, be served.

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## Roger S

> the writer of the article above seems to think differently:


Yep... There is definitely some contradiction there from what's written and words I've heard directly from Justin's mouth..... Of course he could have changed his mind since the last time I heard those words.

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## Pete

Anybody been by here lately and noticed how things are progressing?

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## Roger S

Drove by yesterday and the plywood is still up over the doors and their is some frame work up on the inside but doesn't appear to be moving very quickly.

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## Pete

Went by yesterday (yes, I'm in town!) and virtually no progress has been made since my last trip in May.

I'll try and find out what is going on.

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## AP

Does this mean we're having a get together soon?!

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## shawnw

Not if Nic's isn't done yet!   :-P

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## aboatman

I bumped into Nic on Sunday morning. He was heading over to work on the new place. He said it is coming along nicely and laid out the hours. Sounds like he is back in the breakfast business. He makes the best french toast in town.

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## YeahIKnow

There's a nice coat of white paint on this building now.  It's looking so sharp!  I didn't stop and get a picture, but maybe somebody will.

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## AP

Please tell me you're joking...

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## YeahIKnow

Nope.  It might just be primer to prepare the brick for another paint color, but I kinda like the white.

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## sooner88

I noticed new windows in yesterday, but didn't notice the paint... I'll take a look tonight. That would be pretty frustrating if they painted the brick.

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## catch22

I really hope they didn't paint the brick. I had thought we were finally realizing what a mistake that was.

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## Urbanized

Does design review go north of 10th? I was thinking it does. Paint would require design review and wouldn't pass if the building were unpainted. If so, and they painted it, someone's going to be in trouble...

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## sooner88

> Does design review go north of 10th? I was thinking it does. Paint would require design review and wouldn't pass if the building were unpainted. If so, and they painted it, someone's going to be in trouble...


It looks likes Downtown Business District goes just north of 10th to Park Place... which would include this building.

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## catch22

> Does design review go north of 10th? I was thinking it does. Paint would require design review and wouldn't pass if the building were unpainted. If so, and they painted it, someone's going to be in trouble...


Are you saying it would not pass design review if the design did not include paint? In other words, paint is required?

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## Urbanized

No I'm saying paint would usually be denied if proposed for a brick building with no previous paint.

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## Urbanized

Here is some light reading on the topic that explains why painting a previously unpainted brick exterior is strongly discouraged, both in general and especially for HP projects: Brick Structures - Oh What Damage We Do Inflict 

In a nutshell, it creates a longterm maintenance issue where one previously did not exist, and more importantly traps moisture, which can cause extreme damage to brick, such as spalling. Painting unpainted brick leads to massive unintended consequences in the future, and is very difficult and expensive (and treacherous) to undo at a later date.

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## SoonerDave

> Here is some light reading on the topic that explains why painting a previously unpainted brick exterior is strongly discouraged, both in general and especially for HP projects: Brick Structures - Oh What Damage We Do Inflict 
> 
> In a nutshell, it creates a longterm maintenance issue where one previously did not exist, and more importantly traps moisture, which can cause extreme damage to brick, such as spalling. Painting unpainted brick leads to massive unintended consequences in the future, and is very difficult and expensive (and treacherous) to undo at a later date.


This!!

I've *never* understood painting brick, even aesthetically. 

As a matter of detail, when you trap the moisture into the brick, and the moisture freezes, it expands, and causes the brick to shatter or crumble. Depending on how severe the damage, you may end up having to tear out the brick and replace it. Not a good idea. 

Some will treat brick with a glazing/priming compound, but even at that, it's not a good idea, as that typically just prepares the surface to receive paint. 

It's just not a good idea. Plum.

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## catch22

> No I'm saying paint would usually be denied if proposed for a brick building with no previous paint.


Thanks. I must have misread your post.

Thanks for the link, I'll read it this weekend.

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## OkiePoke

Got some bad news for you guys.

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## AP

Gd

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## catch22

So will they be fined? It seems we've had several instances recently where owners/developers have not built in accordance with their approved designs. I think it's time fines are issued to make the point that this is no longer the Wild West. We have review boards for a reason and they need to be taken seriously.

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## sooner88

https://www.okc.gov/planning/hp/dist...s/Downtown.pdf

Here's the link to the boundaries. Certainly looks like this falls within that.

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## CS_Mike

The building is north of Park Pl., so this appears to fall within Downtown Transitional District Limited -1 as opposed to the Downtown Business District.  Are the regulations for DTD-1 more relaxed than for DBD?

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## CS_Mike

I've only been able to find two items that came before the DDRC for this building, neither of which talk about painting the exterior.

https://www.okc.gov/AgendaPub/view.a...fileid=2412117
https://www.okc.gov/AgendaPub/view.a...fileid=2893734

Here's the hideous sign discussed in the second document:
https://www.okc.gov/AgendaPub/view.a...fileid=2893735

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## Teo9969

Was this brick painted in the past? It looks like it based on the side of the building where the brick is unpainted and red.

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## sooner88

> The building is north of Park Pl., so this appears to fall within Downtown Transitional District Limited -1 as opposed to the Downtown Business District.  Are the regulations for DTD-1 more relaxed than for DBD?


You're right, I didn't think that alley was an actual street until I looked closer.... Not sure the difference in the regulations between the two areas.

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## BoulderSooner

There is a revision to the certificate of approval from the ddrd. Nov 2014 (nov 17). (3rd google link if you search "1116 N. Robinson site:OKC.gov)

It changes the metal awning to fabric  and allowes a brick column installed 

However in the attachment scope of work of the revised ca it lists #6 "paint the entire building".  

It was clearly listed in the approved revised ca application.    But not listed on the revised ca.  So I'm not sure what the cities stance would be

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## catch22

Interesting, thanks for the research. ^

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## Urbanized

> Was this brick painted in the past? It looks like it based on the side of the building where the brick is unpainted and red.


No. The primary facade used a more expensive blonde brick, while the secondary and tertiary facades used a less expensive red brick. This was very common in older construction, as the primary facade faces the street and the others usually faced alleyways or had other buildings placed up against them. A modern equivalent of this would be where commercial construction has a more ornate primary facade and the other three walls were tilt-up concrete or some other less expensive material.

Anyway, it's a bummer and should not have been allowed. This is the type of thing that can cause long-term degradation of the building, jeopardize economic viability of the structure for future owners and inhibit future renovation. Painting over unpainted brick (and other similar renovations) during previous generations of ownership has caused long-term problems, condition backsliding and even demolitions of buildings decades after first application. It's rarely advisable.

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## 2Lanez

Wow.  This took a sharp turn in the wrong direction.  The proposed signage in CS_Mike's post #35 is atrocious.

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## sooner88

> Wow.  This took a sharp turn in the wrong direction.  The proposed signage in CS_Mike's post #35 is atrocious.


I thought the proposal was going to remove that old billboard when I first opened it....

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## 2Lanez

> I thought the proposal was going to remove that old billboard when I first opened it....


Bigger, cheaper sign if you don't.

Packard's, Garage, Frontline can't be happy about that.

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## catch22

> Gd


I'll send you an industrial grade pressure washer from work if you'll go out at night and operate it.

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## turnpup

Seeing the picture above makes me so sad.  It sure doesn't look like anything was wrong with that blonde brick.

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## sooner88

> Bigger, cheaper sign if you don't.
> 
> Packard's, Garage, Frontline can't be happy about that.


Really tacky. You would hope that the food he's serving there would be enough advertising for his original restaurant... not a giant billboard right next to your new place.

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## Teo9969

The dude doesn't need advertising for his original restaurant. Getting in there is harder than getting into any club in this city.

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## bchris02

Is that atrocious sign a certain thing?  How did that get past review?

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## Pete

The sign is still in review.

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## CS_Mike

> Is that atrocious sign a certain thing?  How did that get past review?


The DDRC voted against it, but Nic does have the option of applying for a variance with the Board of Adjustments.  It's probably unlikely that the BoA would approve a variance after the DDRC recommendation.  I didn't see it come up in the minutes of the latest BoA meeting, so maybe Nic just opted to drop it.

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## Urbanized

The paint, OTOH, is probably impossible to undo at this point. I think that the City inadvertently approved it, buried in the scope of work doc in the CA revision. Unfortunate if so..

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## Uptowner

Board of Adjusters has been very tough on signs in the last couple years, monuments, poles, billboards, I've only seen variances granted for historic reasons. Which is why when buildings like hemi's pizza go down, the grandfathered signs stay up.

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## onthestrip

> The paint, OTOH, is probably impossible to undo at this point. I think that the City inadvertently approved it, buried in the scope of work doc in the CA revision. Unfortunate if so..


Not impossible to undo. I know a few years back that the Circle K at 23rd and Western, when it was operated by a different brand, painted the entire outside (all brick) white. It obviously looked terrible and didnt pass whatever city/neighborhood codes that were in place and it had to be removed. Not sure if it was done by chemicals or sand blasting but it was done.

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## HangryHippo

My goodness, what the hell was the owner thinking?  Not only the reasons Urbanized has shared, but it looks really bad as well.

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## John Knight



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## Urbanized

> My goodness, what the hell was the owner thinking?  Not only the reasons Urbanized has shared, but it looks really bad as well.


I suspect that is only a primer coat we are seeing, and when done it will probably be a perfectly nice painted brick facade. The problem is that painted brick is entirely inappropriate as long as the unpainted original brick was intact and in such excellent condition.

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## HangryHippo

> I suspect that is only a primer coat we are seeing, and when done it will probably be a perfectly nice painted brick facade. The problem is that painted brick is entirely inappropriate as long as the unpainted original brick was intact and in such excellent condition.


Really think it should be stopped in its tracks.  How do you go about removing it?

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## Urbanized

> Not impossible to undo. I know a few years back that the Circle K at 23rd and Western, when it was operated by a different brand, painted the entire outside (all brick) white. It obviously looked terrible and didnt pass whatever city/neighborhood codes that were in place and it had to be removed. Not sure if it was done by chemicals or sand blasting but it was done.


You are right about the Circle K, but the difference between the two buildings is that historic brick and mortar (such as what is on Nic's) is usually much softer and more porous than modern brick, such as what is on the Circle K. Modern brick has a much harder-fired glaze. So, when you try to strip old brick you can much more easily damage it. Usually a chemical strip would be advisable. Sandblasting would have devastating consequences, as it would eat through the glaze and make the brick MUCH more vulnerable to moisture and eventual spalling. Even soda blasting is usually discouraged, in fact often so is blasting it ONLY with a pressure washer.




> Really think it should be stopped in its tracks.  How do you go about removing it?


Chemical strips are much more time consuming and expensive - and often less effective - but at least they generally don't damage the glazed surface of the brick. Once the glaze is off of brick it often becomes BETTER to paint, just to block moisture, but of course moisture is insidious and still finds a way in, so usually painting/removal is just the beginning of the end for the brick, and maybe someday even the structure itself. Some elaborate HP projects actually remove all of the brick and turn it around 180 degrees so that the remaining glazed side faces out, but you can only imagine how expensive THAT is. This makes future renovation potentially much more expensive and often too expensive to make sense economically.

Here is an example of spalling:

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## DoctorTaco

> You are right about the Circle K, but the difference between the two buildings is that historic brick and mortar (such as what is on Nic's) is usually much softer and more porous than modern brick, such as what is on the Circle K. Modern brick has a much harder-fired glaze. So, when you try to strip old brick you can much more easily damage it. Usually a chemical strip would be advisable. Sandblasting would have devastating consequences, as it would eat through the glaze and make the brick MUCH more vulnerable to moisture and eventual spalling. Even soda blasting is usually discouraged, in fact often so is blasting it ONLY with a pressure washer.
> 
> 
> 
> Chemical strips are much more time consuming and expensive - and often less effective - but at least they generally don't damage the glazed surface of the brick. Once the glaze is off of brick it often becomes BETTER to paint, just to block moisture, but of course moisture is insidious and still finds a way in, so usually painting/removal is just the beginning of the end for the brick, and maybe someday even the structure itself. Some elaborate HP projects actually remove all of the brick and turn it around 180 degrees so that the remaining glazed side faces out, but you can only imagine how expensive THAT is. This makes future renovation potentially much more expensive and often too expensive to make sense economically.
> 
> Here is an example of spalling:


Dear sir. A previous owner sandblasted the paint off my historic home. I've never thought much of it, but looking at it recently after reading this post it looks like nearly a dang quarter inch of brick was removed in some places. No visible spalling (that I can recognize, at least).

Is my house doomed? How much time do I have? What remedy do I have? Just paint the thing? God I would hate too because the brick is so beautiful.

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## Anonymous.

If they get to it before full cure, you could probably get most of it off with thinner, but I don't know how long it has been there, or what type of paint it is.

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## Urbanized

It's only primer at this point.

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## Urbanized

> Dear sir. A previous owner sandblasted the paint off my historic home. I've never thought much of it, but looking at it recently after reading this post it looks like nearly a dang quarter inch of brick was removed in some places. No visible spalling (that I can recognize, at least).
> 
> Is my house doomed? How much time do I have? What remedy do I have? Just paint the thing? God I would hate too because the brick is so beautiful.


The are some sealing methods that can be employed, but of course they are not completely permanent and must be maintained for the rest of life of the home (just as paint must be). Nothing is as good as the original glaze on the brick, which could last for centuries with only minimal maintenance (mortar re-pointing). I would suggest some online research and perhaps even a call to someone like Preservation Oklahoma or the architect at the Oklahoma Main Street Center (connected to the National Trust for Historic Preservation) for a recommendation of a local masonry contactor or supplier who is experienced with historic brick preservation and restoration techniques.

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## Pete

Took this today...  Looks like they plan to paint it gray:

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## Urbanized

Looks like he's trying to emulate the look of some of the buildings over by his original location. The difference is they were previously painted.

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## catch22

It looks like a "Zebra Cake" in its current state:

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## shawnw

So what came of what Steve learned? I thought they didn't actually have (proper) permission to paint?

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## Anonymous.

The primer makes it look like a white castle.

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## baralheia

According to Steve on Twitter:




> Planning Director Aubrey Hammontree said this was never approved by city planning or the Downtown Design Review Cmte


So yeah, the City never approved painting the brick apparently.

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## SoonerDave

> According to Steve on Twitter:
> 
> 
> 
> So yeah, the City never approved painting the brick apparently.


Good grief. For all the mundane things that seem to get attention these days, how this made it by is a little horrific. The process just failed on this one.

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## Pete

The City has to assume the owners/developers/contractors will abide by what was agreed upon.

Will be interesting to see what happens now that they've been made aware.

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## TheTravellers

> According to Steve on Twitter:
> 
> 
> 
> So yeah, the City never approved painting the brick apparently.


But are they going to do anything about it or just shrug?  I'm guessing just shrug - what good are they, then?

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## Paseofreak

A Cease and Desist order was issued late yesterday or this morning.

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## sooner88

> A Cease and Desist order was issued late yesterday or this morning.


They've already painted the entire front that dark grey color.

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## Pete

From what I understand, this is not completely cut and dried.

It seems the intention to paint the exterior was listed on the scope of work that was ultimately approved by the DDRC, although that part of the application was not obvious.

If the Nic's people wanted to push this, they would probably have decent legal standing.

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## kevinpate

> A Cease and Desist order was issued late yesterday or this morning.


In related news, Farmer John returned from town and locked up the barn.  The location of the horses remains unknown.

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## Bullbear

> From what I understand, this is not completely cut and dried.
> 
> It seems the intention to paint the exterior was listed on the scope of work that was ultimately approved by the DDRC, although that part of the application was not obvious.
> 
> If the Nic's people wanted to push this, they would probably have decent legal standing.


Yah I'd say if they listed the paint in the scope of work and DDRC missed it and approved it.. well whose fault is that? I'd say Nic could proceed with what was approved.

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## catch22

According to BoulderSooner, it was listed on the application but not listed in the certificate of approval?

So they applied for it but didn't receive approval, correct?

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## Roger S

It looks to me like they are going for the same look as Nic's Grill.... Grey, blue, and black are common colors that he has always used.

It's easy to look at what they have done so far and say "Oh that looks terrible! How could they commit this travesty upon this building?!?!" but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here and say that I think the finished product will not be the travesty most of you are making it out to be. Yes, it looks rough right now in it's current state, but considering that for a diner, Nic's Grill has been a diamond in a toilet of a neighborhood for a lot of years. I don't think Justin is going to do anything that is going to detract from the neighborhood he is joining now..... Especially when compared to what the building looked like under the former tenant.

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## catch22

> It looks to me like they are going for the same look as Nic's Grill.... Grey, blue, and black are common colors that he has always used.
> 
> It's easy to look at what they have done so far and say "Oh that looks terrible! How could they commit this travesty upon this building?!?!" but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here and say that I think the finished product will not be the travesty most of you are making it out to be. Yes, it looks rough right now in it's current state, but considering that for a diner, Nic's Grill has been a diamond in a toilet of a neighborhood for a lot of years. I don't think Justin is going to do anything that is going to detract from the neighborhood he is joining now..... Especially when compared to what the building looked like under the former tenant.


No, of course it will probably look okay as a finished product. But that finished product will potentially destroy this building from the outside, over time. And he's going in the opposite direction of downtown as a whole (removing paint and exposing brick facades).

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## CS_Mike

If you look at the approval, the DDRC listed the items that they were approving.  Painting the exterior was not in that list.  However, they did not specifically state in writing that the painting was disapproved either, so it's possible it was misinterpreted as a blanket approval for the entire scope of work.  Or perhaps that omission was seen as an opportunity to move forward anyways and blame it on a misunderstanding of the approval after-the-fact.

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## David

> It looks to me like they are going for the same look as Nic's Grill.... Grey, blue, and black are common colors that he has always used.
> 
> It's easy to look at what they have done so far and say "Oh that looks terrible! How could they commit this travesty upon this building?!?!" but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here and say that I think the finished product will not be the travesty most of you are making it out to be. Yes, it looks rough right now in it's current state, but considering that for a diner, Nic's Grill has been a diamond in a toilet of a neighborhood for a lot of years. I don't think Justin is going to do anything that is going to detract from the neighborhood he is joining now..... Especially when compared to what the building looked like under the former tenant.


The travesty is not necessarily the new look, the travesty is that they're doing something that is known to destroy brick building exteriors.

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## AP

Yeah, as has been said, I don't think that it's necessarily that it will look bad, though the brick was wonderful. More that he is ruining the brick in a process that is near irreversible.

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## Roger S

> But that finished product will potentially destroy this building from the outside, over time. And he's going in the opposite direction of downtown as a whole (removing paint and exposing brick facades).


Over how much time? 1 year? 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? ..... I understand the effects you have stated of painting over brick but I also understand that time itself will destroy anything... I feel the effects of time on myself every day.

Yes he is going against the trend but that's a personal choice of aestethics isn't it? I know personally I prefer diversity to cookie cutter but that's just my personal preference.

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## SoonerDave

> It looks to me like they are going for the same look as Nic's Grill.... Grey, blue, and black are common colors that he has always used.
> 
> It's easy to look at what they have done so far and say "Oh that looks terrible! How could they commit this travesty upon this building?!?!" but I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here and say that I think the finished product will not be the travesty most of you are making it out to be. Yes, it looks rough right now in it's current state, but considering that for a diner, Nic's Grill has been a diamond in a toilet of a neighborhood for a lot of years. I don't think Justin is going to do anything that is going to detract from the neighborhood he is joining now..... Especially when compared to what the building looked like under the former tenant.


Surely understand where you're coming from, BBQ, but this isn't about aesthetics so much as it is a needless treatment that will cause an issue for the existing structure. Mind you, I'm no huge champion of saving every building merely for the sake of saving it, and for an owner to do mostly what they wish with their own property. However, if you are overhauling a long-term building, and have a sound structure with a preservable brick facade, painting it just doesn't make sense in the context of a broader theme of preservation where practical/possible. The problem, though, is that the paint is on, and removing it at this point may cause more damage than it's worth. You can't unring the bell.

I think TPTB just have to be a *lot* more careful going forward.

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## Roger S

> ... but this isn't about aesthetics so much as it is a needless treatment that will cause an issue for the existing structure.


But from my perspective it is about aestethics... The proprietor is known for using a certain color scheme... To him it is aesthetically what he wants for his business.... Will it harm the building over time? I'm no expert on bricks but what others have said sounds logical to me. So, yes, I can accept their assessment that it will.... Is it worth throwing a torch and pitchfork party over? .... To me it isn't because I think it's still going to be a nice looking business upon completion.

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## Urbanized

^^^^^^^^^
Even so, that is not the spirit or intent of design and HP guidelines. Personal taste (in this case your opinion that it will be nice-looking) is 100% subjective. While many confuse HP guidelines for someone's taste, they are in fact completely OBjective; designed to protect the integrity of the building, its history and the fabric of the neighborhood at large.

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## Roger S

> Personal taste (in this case your opinion that it will be nice-looking) is 100% subjective. While many confuse HP guidelines for someone's taste, they are in fact completely OBjective; designed to protect the integrity of the building, its history and the fabric of the neighborhood at large.


Yep... I understand that and I'm not really trying to address that issue as much as the uproar by several posters that the building looks horrible... Of course it looks horrible right now... It's unfinished.

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## David

> Over how much time? 1 year? 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? ..... I understand the effects you have stated of painting over brick but I also understand that time itself will destroy anything... I feel the effects of time on myself every day.
> 
> Yes he is going against the trend but that's a personal choice of aestethics isn't it? I know personally I prefer diversity to cookie cutter but that's just my personal preference.


According to the county assessor the building in question was built in 1955, so it has already survived 60 years.

Also, it's not just the trend that he is going against. Did you see this?




> A Cease and Desist order was issued late yesterday or this morning.


If the city is really taking action to stop the work, it is not just a "trend".

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## Roger S

> According to the county assessor the building in question was built in 1955, so it has already survived 60 years.
> 
> Also, it's not just the trend that he is going against. Did you see this?
> If the city is really taking action to stop the work, it is not just a "trend".


Ok question. is... If it is 60 years old... What is it's remaining lifespan and how much will that lifespan be shortened by painting the building? 

Taken in context to the post I was responding to... Yes, it is the current trend.

----------


## David

> Ok question. is... If it is 60 years old... What is it's remaining lifespan and how much will that lifespan be shortened by painting the building? 
> 
> Taken in context to the post I was responding to... Yes, it is the current trend.


If you want to define the context of the problem so narrowly, sure. Anything is true once you add enough modifiers. 

But the thing is, you can't really discuss the trend in question without also looking at what the city is requiring. One informs the other.

----------


## Roger S

> If you want to define the context of the problem so narrowly, sure. Anything is true once you add enough modifiers. 
> 
> But the thing is, you can't really discuss the trend in question without also looking at what the city is requiring. One informs the other.


Is that not the problem you and I are discussing? I honestly want to know... How many years can be expected to be taken from this structures life span by adding paint? If no one knows that is fine but I see comments stating it will destroy the building... I won't dispute that. I understand all to well the power of water to destroy things... or create depending on how you look at it in other contexts because water did create the Grand Canyon.... But how much will it shorten the building life span? That certainly seems like the pertinent question to me.

Once again... In the context of the post I was responding to... Current trend is the correct term.

----------


## Teo9969

> Is that not the problem you and I are discussing? I honestly want to know... How many years can be expected to be taken from this structures life span by adding paint? If no one knows that is fine but I see comments stating it will destroy the building... I won't dispute that. I understand all to well the power of water to destroy things... or create depending on how you look at it in other contexts because water did create the Grand Canyon.... But how much will it shorten the building life span? That certainly seems like the pertinent question to me.
> 
> Once again... In the context of the post I was responding to... Current trend is the correct term.


Given enough resources, no building is unsalvageable. What this does however, is greatly increase the resources that will be necessary in 25 to 50 years to restore this building to its original state, which is the *most* desirable state of almost all buildings over the course of history.

It sucks, and it's silly, but the individual building "being ruined" is less worth getting worked up over than the process that led to the building "being ruined". At the end of the day, that building stands little chance to last another 25 years because there will be much higher and better use of that land even relatively soon, but for sure in a few decades. But the blip in the process is just one more example of the inability of Developers and the City to get on the same page and understand what we're working toward.

----------


## Roger S

> Given enough resources, no building is unsalvageable. What this does however, is greatly increase the resources that will be necessary in 25 to 50 years to restore this building to its original state, which is the *most* desirable state of almost all buildings over the course of history.
> 
> It sucks, and it's silly, but the individual building "being ruined" is less worth getting worked up over than the process that led to the building "being ruined". At the end of the day, that building stands little chance to last another 25 years because there will be much higher and better use of that land even relatively soon, but for sure in a few decades. But the blip in the process is just one more example of the inability of Developer's and the City to get on the same page and understand what we're working toward.


Thank you.... And I agree the chances of the buildings demise coming at the end of a wrecking ball is higher than it succumbing to paint.

----------


## Paseofreak

Notwithstanding all the fine information Urbanized has provided with regard to paint degrading brick veneers, the designer (whom we both know) contends that it's not an absolute and is a non-issue if the proper methods are used on an appropriate structure.  But, being within the design district, with certain codified standards, that would seem to be a moot point.  

Painting of the complete exterior was included in the scope of work of the application submitted and administratively approved by the Planning Department.  I. Don't know the process for passing applications around for concurrence, but the developer received approval that included citations of specific construction activities and did not exclude exterior paint (or any others that have been publicized).  Bottom line, the developer received an approval that the powers that be had no apparent authority to grant.

Seems that there is no shortage of directions to point fingers.  I'm making popcorn now.

----------


## soonerguru

> But are they going to do anything about it or just shrug?  I'm guessing just shrug - what good are they, then?


There will be a strongly written letter sent, with an appeal to do better next time.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> *There will be a strongly written letter sent*, with an appeal to do better next time.


Excellent.

----------


## TheTravellers

> There will be a strongly written letter sent, with an appeal to do better next time.


Gee, that'll show Nic!  Bad actions need to have consequences, otherwise they'll be repeated ad infinitum because everybody knows they can get away with it.  That's actually probably one of the major problems facing the nation right now in pretty much every field and profession - somebody does something bad and/or illegal and someone says "Bad person, don't do that next time!" and that's it, no consequences (tangible or otherwise), so why bother stop doing bad things...

And no, I have no idea what consequences Nic should face, but give me an hour or so and I can probably think of something...  Oh wait, how about removing the paint without harming the brick?  Yep, that'd work for me.

----------


## SoonerDave

> Gee, that'll show Nic!  Bad actions need to have consequences, otherwise they'll be repeated ad infinitum


Now, as someone who is on the side of the brick not being painted, if there's a reasonable basis on which to believe he made a good-faith disclosure about the paint, and the relevant committee OK'd it, then rag on the committee. Enforcing the relevant standards is why they exist. 

On the other hand, if we think the Nic group "kinda knew" about the paint rules, but buried it in a bigger application for the point of hiding it bureaucratically, and now claims ignorance or "it wasn't *excluded*", then that's a horse of a different color. 

How are those standards communicated to the developer? Is it plain? Eg, is there a document or something that a developer gets that says "Thou shalt" or "Thou shalt not"? 

The problem here is, to my naive ear, the process. If the rules are in place, and they didn't get enforced, the committee that enforces them has to take the hit. If the developer did what they were supposed to, you can't very well come back on them and say "oops..." and compel them to do something different to their own detriment. 

Improve the process. Bottom line.

----------


## HOT ROD

good grief, this city allows way more hiddious and illegal practices to take place with regard to developers. From ridiculous setbacks being allowed in the downtown core to demolition of otherwise productive, semi-heritage buildings for a supersized parking garage district - OKC has given far more variances and back door deals that this one should be moot. I mean, we have a local business expanding into downtown and providing adoptive reuse in a heritage retail district. Sure they violated the DDRC approval process and should be fined but that should be the extent of it - PROCEED!

----------


## BoulderSooner

It wasn't a big application.  It only listed 6 things.  See google 1116 N Robinson site:Okc.gov it is one of the top 3 listings

----------


## BoulderSooner

It wasn't a big application.  It only listed 6 things.  See google 1116 N Robinson site:Okc.gov it is one of the top 3 listings

----------


## Tundra

Don't care how bad it looks or doesn't, cause pretty soon you'll be able to get Nics breakfast whenever you want it.

----------


## Pete

Rushed picture I took yesterday but it looks like the paint job is relatively complete.

----------


## turnpup

Bleck.

Saw it driving by and it's depressing.  Hey, let's paint the church next door and put vinyl replacement windows in there in place of the stained glass!

----------


## AP

That really makes me sad to see considering the blonde brick was in perfect condition and looked wonderful.

----------


## Anonymous.

Wow, this looks bad. What a disconnect some property owners have with their surroundings...

----------


## baralheia

I had heard that the City issued a cease and desist order... Did they finish painting anyway despite the order? Or was a C&D never issued? Does the City have any legal recourse here?

----------


## Pete

The original brick did look to be in pretty good shape once they removed that hideous blue facade.

Not sure what they were thinking here.

----------


## AP

I looks like it could have easily been cleaned up a bit to look even better.

----------


## Roger S

> Not sure what they were thinking here.


As I pointed out above... It's the same color scheme as Nic's Grill...... Grey building, black window frame & dressing, and I bet some blue signage is on the agenda..... That's what they are thinking.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4808...2!8i6656?hl=en

----------


## Eddie1

Depressing indeed ^

----------


## kevinpate

Yeah, I can see the idea of color scheme tie in.  I wish it had been the same lighter gray if that was the plan.  But, not my bricks, not my pigments.

----------


## catch22

So they continued painting it after and despite of the cease and desist order?

----------


## Tundra

Whisky chicks, bricktown brewery, banjo museum , spaghetti wharehouse, all have painted brick, I don't see the problem with him wanting to make this building have the same scheme as the original, least he didn't implode or bull doze it and building something new. I just wished he would hurry up and finish , I've been missing his breakfast ever since he hit the big time.

----------


## Uptowner

I don't think that's the point. Once brick it painted it will always have to be painted. The issue is not to paint it in the first place. All the buildings you mentioned in brick town were painted in the 80's & 90's. The ones that didn't get painted were the empty ones before the design overlay was placed.

----------


## Urbanized

> Whisky chicks, bricktown brewery, banjo museum , spaghetti wharehouse, all have painted brick, I don't see the problem with him wanting to make this building have the same scheme as the original, least he didn't implode or bull doze it and building something new. I just wished he would hurry up and finish , I've been missing his breakfast ever since he hit the big time.


All of those buildings were painted before a design ordinance was enacted, in part to protect the character and integrity of the remaining buildings. Once a building is painted it's not wrong to paint it again; in fact doing so every few years will now become a maintenance requirement for the rest of the life of a painted building.

----------


## Tundra

> All of those buildings were painted before a design ordinance was enacted, in part to protect the character and integrity of the remaining buildings. Once a building is painted it's not wrong to paint it again; in fact doing so every few years will now become a maintenance requirement for the rest of the life of a painted building.


The Marion was painted at one point, it can be removed if the next guy feels like he needs to....

----------


## Urbanized

The Marion is a pretty bad example to bring up if trying to extol the harmless nature of paint on brick.

----------


## catch22

> The Marion is a pretty bad example to bring up if trying to extol the harmless nature of paint on brick.


Yes. Was to the point of nearly collapsing on itself and had to be dismantled and completely rebuilt brick by brick. 

Totally harmless....

Edit: And the restoration was a costly labor of love, and will likely not be a profitable restoration for many, many years. It made no direct business sense to restore Marion, but was very important to Midtown's character to be worth the trouble.

----------


## Tundra

> Yes. Was to the point of nearly collapsing on itself and had to be dismantled and completely rebuilt brick by brick. 
> 
> Totally harmless....
> 
> Edit: And the restoration was a costly labor of love, and will likely not be a profitable restoration for many, many years. It made no direct business sense to restore Marion, but was very important to Midtown's character to be worth the trouble.


So you're saying that the paint on the brick caused the Marion to dang near collapse, it wasn't the fact that it didn't have a roof for thirty or forty years? There are building all over America and Europe that have had painted brick for hundreds of years that are in great condition.

----------


## catch22

> So you're saying that the paint on the brick caused the Marion to dang near collapse, it wasn't the fact that it didn't have a roof for thirty or forty years? There are building all over America and Europe that have had painted brick for hundreds of years that are in great condition.


Because those buildings are repainted frequently. This building was never painted and should have remained that way.

----------


## Tundra

As a business owner when you have multiple locations , you have to have consistency with decor , plates, forks, menus, signage, food, it's what people recognize and it triggers something in your brain. The Grey paint is only darker because it hasn't faded yet, Nics original was painted and replaced Windows and doors around 10 years ago, I would almost bet breakfast that he used the exact same paint code from back then.

----------


## catch22

> As a business owner when you have multiple locations , you have to have consistency with decor , plates, forks, menus, signage, food, it's what people recognize and it triggers something in your brain. The Grey paint is only darker because it hasn't faded yet, Nics original was painted and replaced Windows and doors around 10 years ago, I would almost bet breakfast that he used the exact same paint code from back then.


Nic's food speaks for itself. If it weren't for this thread I'd have no knowledge or memory of what his other building looks like, or what color the plates are. He makes a mean hamburger, and that's all I, and most everyone who eats there, knows. Seeing a grey building does not remind me of a Nic's burger. He's not the next In-N-Out Burger, requiring a corporate theme across 200 restaurants. He has two locations. And no one knows what color his store is, and if they do it's bar trivia at best.

----------


## Uptowner

Agreed. That's a lame argument to decree an eternal paint scheme slathered on a downtown structure on behalf of a crap little building in the ten Penn. I don't care how good the breakfast used to be.

----------


## Pete

The fact they continue to paint and finish the exterior of this building tells me that whatever the design issues were, they clearly aren't holding up the progress.

They are moving pretty fast now.

----------


## Tundra

> The fact they continue to paint and finish the exterior of this building tells me that whatever the design issues were, they clearly aren't holding up the progress.
> 
> They are moving pretty fast now.


Breakfast is getting closer!

----------


## Pete

A new filing to the DDRC explains the situation with the paint in detail:

----------


## 2Lanez

> As a business owner when you have multiple locations , you have to have consistency with decor , plates, forks, menus, signage, food, it's what people recognize and it triggers something in your brain.


I think we all understand the value of a brand. But in this context this argument is asinine. There are tons of restaurants, even in this market, even within the burger/grill-centric category, that have significantly different exterior architectural features at different locations. I'm thinking of S&B and Tucker's specifically. For those two it's a positive attribute that they've designed to fit their neighborhoods, versus slapping a generic corporate exterior wherever they invest a location. 

This seems like a typical second wave in urban investment. The first wave is a small group passionate about urban living and historic preservation. The second wave sees the opportunity for investment created by the first wave, but doesn't understand the passion for urbanism and historic integrity. The question is how the city (this part has been answered) and the consumer (to be determined) stand for it.

----------


## Tundra

> I think we all understand the value of a brand. But in this context this argument is asinine. There are tons of restaurants, even in this market, even within the burger/grill-centric category, that have significantly different exterior architectural features at different locations. I'm thinking of S&B and Tucker's specifically. For those two it's a positive attribute that they've designed to fit their neighborhoods, versus slapping a generic corporate exterior wherever they invest a location. 
> 
> This seems like a typical second wave in urban investment. The first wave is a small group passionate about urban living and historic preservation. The second wave sees the opportunity for investment created by the first wave, but doesn't understand the passion for urbanism and historic integrity. The question is how the city (this part has been answered) and the consumer (to be determined) stand for it.


Well seeing how Nic's been operating in the 10 penn district before it was cool, That might make him a trendsetter. Regardless just ready for some breakfast  :Big Grin:

----------


## Paseofreak

Application including paint approved (reapproved?) by DDRC.  Note that although the color matches pretty closely, the brick above the windows (previously behind the removed awning) had been painted for years.  Also, prior paperwork and staff advice supported prior approval.

----------


## 2Lanez

Article from Steve:  City Planning Staff Screwed Up? | News OK

----------


## Pete

^

Article doesn't mention:  1) Part of the original brick had already been painted; 2) They had to add a brick column and could not find matching bricks;  3) Pickering did reapply to the DDRC to gain specific approval for the exterior painting and the City planning staff recommended approval; and 4) the DDRC voted in favor in today's meeting.

----------


## Bullbear

> ^
> 
> Article doesn't mention:  1) Part of the original brick had already been painted; 2) They had to add a brick column and could not find matching bricks;  3) Pickering did reapply to the DDRC to gain specific approval for the exterior painting and the City planning staff recommended approval; and 4) the DDRC voted in favor in today's meeting.


But But But... FACTS aren't that much fun

----------


## ctchandler

> But But But... FACTS aren't that much fun


Bullbear,
No, but as many folks have said (after the original quote by John Adams) "Facts are stubborn things".
C. T.

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

John Adams

----------


## Paseofreak

Lackmeyer is really starting to lose a lot of ground with me.  His handling of this issue and the Elliot Nelson/Sisters issue have led me to believe ego is coming into play and fair play is a lesser concern. When you have the bullhorn, there is an implied responsibility to not just question and then imply fault or culpability, but to speak to fact and respect when parties can't speak because of on-going negotiations or desire to not reveal plans for other valid reasons.  I've been told the Tower/OKC Community Church deal exemplifies this as well.

----------


## Pete

Took this today from a south window looking north.

Will only be about 40 seats in the main dining room plus another 16 in the a private dining area and then of course the basement bar.

----------


## OkiePoke

I haven't seen much going on at this site.

----------


## Urbanized

Project manager is trying to wrap Cultivar.

----------


## dankrutka

From Saturday.

----------


## zookeeper

> From Saturday.


Thanks for all these photo updates, Dan. It's good to see these things come along as they are discussed. Some are further along than I thought and others are behind what I thought, but it's helpful to see it all. You covered a lot this weekend - thanks again!

----------


## OkiePoke

I walk by this pretty regularly. I think they have been cooking some mornings, testing the kitchen/recipes. I may be mistaken though. But I don't know where the smell of breakfast could come from otherwise.

----------


## Pete

Peaked inside last night...

The interior looks much like the last photo I posted above, but all the wood has been stained dark brown.

I'm sure when Larry Pickering (designer) more or less wraps up Cultivar, he'll then turn his attention to this project and I bet it will move fast from that point.

----------


## Pete

Learned last night that all the kitchen equipment is in and they've been doing their menu testing.

The basement bar will feature a lot of blue velvet and be intimate.

Hope to be open within 30-60 days.

----------


## Head

> Learned last night that all the kitchen equipment is in and they've been doing their menu testing.
> 
> The basement bar will feature a lot of blue velvet and be intimate.
> 
> Hope to be open within 30-60 days.


GREAT! This has been bugging me for a long time. Can't wait to get in there!

----------


## OkiePoke

I took this on Friday.

----------


## Head

Still crickets. Did they grow special trees for lumber on this remodel? Oh well, it'll just make it that much better!

----------


## Pete

Things are still moving forward, just slowly.

They should be open in about a month.

----------


## OkiePoke

They took the blue awnings off of the exterior.

----------


## HangryHippo

That interior picture looks awesome.

----------


## soonerguru

WTF is happening with this? (just using contemporary lingo)

----------


## Pete

Moving along, just very slowly.

Should be open in about a month.

----------


## Teo9969

> Moving along, just very slowly.
> 
> Should be open in about a month.


I feel like Sunnyside was announced like 6 months ago and opened this week, and Hatch and Nic's announced 2 years ago and are still outstanding.

----------


## catcherinthewry

> WTF is happening with this? (just using contemporary lingo)


In the parlance of our times.

----------


## Head

> WTF is happening with this? (just using contemporary lingo)


Thanks, soonerguru. I've been been biting my lip, to keep from sounding like a whiner. 
Or, maybe it's because I'm hungry...

----------


## jackirons

I went to Nic's last Friday.  I asked how long it would be until they opened the midtown location and he said 2 to 3 months.

----------


## OkiePoke

They have a sign up indicating they are hiring positions. 

It said the hours were mon-fri 5-7pm. I guess they are taking walk ins?

I will get a picture later.

----------


## Uptowner

I think you have to appreciate that Nic's got a steady income already and if I'm not mistaken, still mans the griddle daily. If there's no ball busting GC on the job it can take a long time to whip crack the sub contractors and work the schedule.

----------


## OkiePoke



----------


## Uptowner

Every time I see that paint job. And the awnings now covering the paint that held the previous awnings that convinced the city to let Larry paint. Grrr!

----------


## 2Lanez

> Every time I see that paint job. And the awnings now covering the paint that held the previous awnings that convinced the city to let Larry paint. Grrr!


Was the city convinced to let him paint?  I was still under the impression it was done outside of city approval.

----------


## Head

> Was the city convinced to let him paint?  I was still under the impression it was done outside of city approval.


If this was Eureka Springs, or Marthas's Vineyard, this would be an issue. Nobody gives a rat's petooty about a one story building that's ALMOST in the trendy part of a midwestern city. If we're gonna stick with originality, kick out the tenants of those lofts on Automobile Alley, and make the building's owners sell cars. The ends certainly outweigh the means. So glad that there's a "concern" with antiquity, but it's not always the best policy.

----------


## ljbab728

> If this was Eureka Springs, or Marthas's Vineyard, this would be an issue. Nobody gives a rat's petooty about a one story building that's ALMOST in the trendy part of a midwestern city. If we're gonna stick with originality, kick out the tenants of those lofts on Automobile Alley, and make the building's owners sell cars. The ends certainly outweigh the means. So glad that there's a "concern" with antiquity, but it's not always the best policy.


Obviously you're wrong about nobody caring.  The rest of your statement about Automobile Alley is apples and oranges.  Nobody here is complaining about the use of the building.  Buildings are repurposed for new uses all of the time.  That doesn't  have to involve unacceptable remodeling.

----------


## Teo9969

> If this was Eureka Springs, or Marthas's Vineyard, this would be an issue. Nobody gives a rat's petooty about a one story building that's ALMOST in the trendy part of a midwestern city. If we're gonna stick with originality, kick out the tenants of those lofts on Automobile Alley, and make the building's owners sell cars. The ends certainly outweigh the means. So glad that there's a "concern" with antiquity, but it's not always the best policy.


This seems a *bit* irreverant, but honestly completely reasonable. I think I agree.

Let's be real, if Midtown is going to be what we want it to be, this building won't be standing in 20 years...

----------


## Head

> Obviously you're wrong about nobody caring.  The rest of your statement about Automobile Alley is apples and oranges.  Nobody here is complaining about the use of the building.  Buildings are repurposed for new uses all of the time.  That doesn't  have to involve unacceptable remodeling.


True. The Auto Alley analogy is a reach. But this place is hardly an example of "unacceptable remodeling". It looks fabulous, in the photos that I've seen. Look at the top of that "Loft". Is that congruous with Bricktown architecture? Is the Devon tower a complement to the Colcord?

----------


## Uptowner

I'm the last person who would argue that every single structure needs to be saved or "historically correct." But this was a step in the wrong direction.

There was paint under the old awnings. Probably signage at some point. They were permitted to paint the red brick on the sides. Not the blond brick facia. The builder went ahead and painted the whole thing citing the paint on the front behind the old awnings. It's injury to insult now because they just put awnings where the paint was in the first place.

There's been a few discussions about paint removal from brick. But it can be done. The tower theater is a great example.

I'm not crying for anyone to be made an example of or punished here. But if planning says you can paint the sided but not the front. Then you do WTF you want. The city should cite them until they remove the paint.

----------


## dankrutka

Sign is up... https://twitter.com/DowntownOKC/stat...94772040708096

----------


## wsucougz

The sign is a nice touch, I will admit.

----------


## AP

The building looks good, I just wish they would have left the blonde brick.  :Frown:

----------


## PhiAlpha

> The building looks good, I just wish they would have left the blonde brick.


From a preservation perspective, I agree, but I don't think the paint scheme looks bad either.

----------


## Urbanized

As one of the first people here to grumble about the painting of the brick, I agree that it looks great; and in fact I ALWAYS thought it would probably LOOK fine. If the building had been previously painted and this was an overpainting I would be an unqualified fan. People still get stuck on the idea that discouraging paint on raw brick is a taste or design thing. That has nothing to do with it. The reason it is discouraged in HP is because it creates new long-term maintenance issues that never existed before, and because freeze/thaw can damage the underlying brick.

In the case of this building the blonde brick was in great shape after what...80 years?

Again, it looks great. The question is what it will look like 5, 10 or 25 years from now. Will it be maintained? The answer is almost certainly yes, as long as Nic owns it. What happens to the building in the future is now much more murky. The simple act of painting raw brick - which, left unmolested, is capable of lasting hundreds of years with only occasional, minimal maintenance - has inadvertently destroyed many a historic facade or even building over the long term. Rule of unintended consequences.

Beyond that, careless REMOVAL of the paint in the future can also cause damage if sandblasting is used. It degrades the baked-on glaze finish and exposes the softer clay underneath. It's just a set of future problems that didn't NEED to happen.

That said, what is done is done, the building indeed looks sharp, and I can't wait for the place to open. A little paint won't prevent me from being an enthusiastic customer.

----------


## AP

^+1

----------


## Pete

We're getting close!

All the waiting has just made me want it more.

----------


## sooner88

Based on the sign, it'll be called Nic's Place?

I live across the street, this could be dangerous.

----------


## OkiePoke

> Based on the sign, it'll be called Nic's Place?
> 
> I live across the street, this could be dangerous.


I work across the street. May become my breakfast place.

----------


## dankrutka

Did we ever figure out whether (a) they actually did violate existing regulations with the paint and, if yes, whether their were consequences for doing so? Obviously this is important going forward...

But, I agree with everyone else, I'm certainly looking forward to trying it out.

----------


## Pete

There were no violations.

There was much confusion, where the DDRC authorized the changes then claimed they didn't understand the intent was to paint the entire building.

----------


## Head

Crickets. I mean, serious freakin' crickets. I'll probably die of cheeseburger starvation. I hope your happy Nic.
(JK, Yeah, cheese and everything!)

----------


## shawnw

I saw signage up and lit when I drove by on Sunday....

----------


## sooner88

> I saw signage up and lit when I drove by on Sunday....


Sign's been up for about a month now. There are people there everyday, they've got to be getting close.

----------


## Pete

They just had their first inspection, so getting closer.

----------


## Head

I must be a freak. I got ALL EXCITED when I saw that there was activity in this thread! I haven't had a cheeseburger for weeks...MONTHS!, waiting for this. I'm gonna go back to heroin if it doesn't open soon.

----------


## OkiePoke

delete

----------


## OkiePoke

> Learned last night that all the kitchen equipment is in and they've been doing their menu testing.
> 
> The basement bar will feature a lot of blue velvet and be intimate.
> 
> Hope to be open within 30-60 days.


This post is from mid-March. I guess they aren't in any hurry at all.

I believe they have been delayed a year as they were expecting to open last September/October.

----------


## Pete

Yeah, they could have opened several months ago but for some reason have decided to wait.

----------


## PhiAlpha

> Yeah, they could have opened several months ago but for some reason have decided to wait.


Maybe they want the anticipation to build  :Stick Out Tongue:

----------


## Bigrayok

Nic once told me March 2015. 

Bigray in Ok

----------


## Roger S

Was at Nic's Grill for lunch today and got the following info on the Diner & Lounge.... CO2 is going in today. Passed all inspections so far with one more to go and it is scheduled for early next week. He was inviting people to the soft opening but I didn't catch the date.

Won't be long now.

----------


## OkiePoke

> Won't be long now.


I won't believe it until I see it...

----------


## Head

**crickets**

----------


## shawnw

There's a help wanted sign up in the window

----------


## Colbafone

> There's a help wanted sign up in the window


Oh great! Based on his track record, only 8 months of training and this place should be open!

----------


## OkiePoke

The 'Help Wanted' sign has been up since July 5th, probably longer.

I took a picture of it and posted it on the previous page. 

I hope this place will be open by spring.

----------


## Pete

They are going through their final inspections.

There has been progress!

----------


## SSEiYah

> They are going through their final inspections.
> There has been progress!


So maybe open in early/mid-October?  I sure hope so.  

Nic/Justin can cook one heck of a good breakfast though its been a couple years since I had one.

----------


## OkiePoke

They removed the paper covering the front doors and removed the 'Now Hiring' sign. I looked through the doors and it looks like all work is complete. The place looks really nice on the inside, seems intimate from what I could see.

Hopefully that means they will be opening soon!

----------


## Head

> They removed the paper covering the front doors and removed the 'Now Hiring' sign. I looked through the doors and it looks like all work is complete. The place looks really nice on the inside, seems intimate from what I could see.
> 
> Hopefully that means they will be opening soon!


Yeah! Right! ;(

----------


## sooner88

The place is absolutely packed tonight, I'm assuming a soft.opening. It looks great from the outside and smells even better. Really excited, got to be any time now.

----------


## jccouger

I hope it is open for my birthday! 10/20. Does anybody have any details on when it will be open to the public? There should be some kind of announcement right?

----------


## Pete

I'm going to a soft opening tonight and will report back.

----------


## Pete

Went to a soft opening last night but they were only offering burgers and a couple of sandwiches off the menu.

First of all, the space is beautiful.  Way nicer than expected with lots of dark millwork and etched glass.  Wait staff wears white shirts and ties; cloth napkins on the table. 

It's also bigger than it looks.  As you walk in, there is a semi-private dining area straight ahead through etched glass, with another room to the left.  To the right is the main dining area with booths along the perimeter and high top marble tables in the middle.  They spent a lot of money on the interior.

I ordered the Nic's Original to compare to what is served at Nic's Grill on Penn.  It seemed to be almost exactly the same but served on a big plate with a steak knife, which was welcome in order to tackle that beast.  It was fantastic.

My dining companions tried some of the other burgers along with the pork cutlet sandwich.  All reports were highly favorable.

You'll see the dinner menu below.  There will be a separate menu for breakfast / lunch.  They hope to open on Tuesday.

You can see they have some high-priced items on the menu, such as a couple of steaks.  Whereas a Nic's burger with cheese, fries and drink costs $9.92 at Nic's Grill, here it is $11.25 w/o a drink.

Nic was working the grill and seemed really happy with everything, as he should be.  Absolutely gorgeous place and I can't wait to try their breakfast items.

The downstairs bar is kind of amazing.  Absolutely beautiful and bigger than I would have thought.  They will have all types of beer, signature prohibition theme cocktails and several wines on tap.  This is going to be a great spot and there was no burger/grill smell to be detected in the least.

----------


## ChaseDweller

Hey that's me (far left edge, talking to the blonde woman) in the last pic!  I agree with everything Pete said. Beautiful space, amazing burgers.

----------


## Thomas Vu

This looks much better than the one on Penn.

----------


## Head

Tears in my eyes from happiness! (For Nic, not carnivorism, but for that TOO!) I'm finishing a big job in Ada, and should be able to get to this lair in a couple o days. I'm going to bring all my vegan friends  I can think of.

----------


## Head

Is "carnivorism" a word? I'd sure be embarrassed if I were thought of as someone with an 8th grade education.

----------


## turnpup

^^^^^

If it isn't, it should be!

----------


## Pete



----------


## kevinpate

Looks quite nice inside.
Are opening day and regular operating hours established yet?

----------


## BBatesokc

So, a burger and drink for lunch is going to run $14, plus a tip = $17. Isn't that double the prices at the original Nic's?

*Just saw there will be a separate menu for lunch. Any idea what those burger prices will be?

----------


## sooner88

> So, a burger and drink for lunch is going to run $14, plus a tip = $17. Isn't that double the prices at the original Nic's?
> 
> *Just saw there will be a separate menu for lunch. Any idea what those burger prices will be?


From looking at the menus posted it seems like the burger menu will be for lunch too. A cheeseburger, fries and drink at Nic's is ~$11 so I could see a ~$3 price increase being reasonable for the setting.

----------


## warreng88

Does anyone know if they will take cards or is it just cash still?

----------


## SoonerDave

> So, a burger and drink for lunch is going to run $14, plus a tip = $17. Isn't that double the prices at the original Nic's?
> 
> *Just saw there will be a separate menu for lunch. Any idea what those burger prices will be?


Yeah that concerns me a little, too...I was thinking he was just opening a downtown instance of what he already had, not a different concept place with similar food. A lot of people are drawn to Nic's because of the simplicity of the setup. Not saying there's anything *wrong* with building a nicer place in the new location, but it just may not match up what people are *expecting* when they think of Nic's Diner.

----------


## Teo9969

> Yeah that concerns me a little, too...*I was thinking he was just opening a downtown instance of what he already had*, not a different concept place with similar food. A lot of people are drawn to Nic's because of the simplicity of the setup. Not saying there's anything *wrong* with building a nicer place in the new location, but it just may not match up what people are *expecting* when they think of Nic's Diner.


I never got that impression. I'm pretty sure he would never go for a "2nd location" of the original, for a variety of reasons, chief among them being that he will want to continue to man the grill at 12th and Penn and he will have more control over that. This wasn't his project only, and with other people involved, you lose control...that his name is on it is surprising enough to me.

----------


## SoonerDave

> I never got that impression. I'm pretty sure he would never go for a "2nd location" of the original, for a variety of reasons, chief among them being that he will want to continue to man the grill at 12th and Penn and he will have more control over that. This wasn't his project only, and with other people involved, you lose control...that his name is on it is surprising enough to me.


Well, maybe that was just my expectation. I know it's what I thought when I first heard "Hey Nic's is opening up a location downtown!" my first thought was that it was going to be a concept substantially similar to what was already so popular. 

Just have to see how it goes.

----------


## HangryHippo

> Well, maybe that was just my expectation. I know it's what I thought when I first heard "Hey Nic's is opening up a location downtown!" my first thought was that it was going to be a concept substantially similar to what was already so popular. 
> 
> Just have to see how it goes.


I'm with Teo on this one.  I never expected this new establishment to be substantially similar in any way to what he already had.

----------


## jccouger

For some reason the 555-5555 phone # isn't working for me. 


 :Wink:

----------


## BBatesokc

> From looking at the menus posted it seems like the burger menu will be for lunch too. A cheeseburger, fries and drink at Nic's is ~$11 so I could see a ~$3 price increase being reasonable for the setting.


Thanks. i was thinking the combo cheeseburger was $7.

----------


## jccouger

This was posted 5 days ago:

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/fbh/5826127497.html

Hopefully they open this week

----------


## sooner88

This article said they'd be opening today as long as the soft openings went well. 

http://newsok.com/three-new-restaura...rticle/5522555

----------


## jccouger

Can anybody confirm they are open today or anyway to ask them myself?

----------


## Pete

> Can anybody confirm they are open today or anyway to ask them myself?


They are open today.

----------


## jackirons

went for dinner today.  the burger was just as good as the original location.

----------


## sooner88

I will agree that if you compare it to the original location, it is expensive. But if you look at the finishes and base it off something more comparable, republic maybe, it's right in line. I think that even though the main draw is burgers, there will be little competition with the Garage... Think it's comparing apples to oranges. This place is going to kill it.

----------


## OKCisOK4me

The Garage is casual (shorts/t-shirt minimal) while this place looks more trendy. I wouldn't wear anything less than nice jeans and a polo or button-up shirt with nice dress shoes to this place...which means I'm much more likely to go to The Garage if I'm down that way.

----------


## warreng88

Again, I assume credit/debit cards are accepted?

----------


## Pete

> Again, I assume credit/debit cards are accepted?


I'm sure they are.

This is a sit-down, nice place.

----------


## OkiePoke

Are they open now? What are their hours?

----------


## Pete

> Are they open now? What are their hours?


Yes, they are open.

Open at 10:30AM and stay open until around 10PM.

Bar is not open yet.

----------


## Urbanized

> Again, I assume credit/debit cards are accepted?


Yes. Also, I am still in a food coma after eating a JoJo burger yesterday. And the bar is straight sick. Probably the nicest bar in OKC and I'm not exaggerating. Bar won't open until next week though.

----------


## Pete

I stopped by last night and the word is starting to get out because when I left at 7:30 there were people waiting for tables.

They are still only serving burgers at this point and I had the Nic's Original, which was great as always.

But instead of fries I had their haystack onion rings which were fantastic.  Highly recommend.

----------


## OkiePoke

> I stopped by last night and the word is starting to get out because when I left at 7:30 there were people waiting for tables.
> 
> They are still only serving burgers at this point and I had the Nic's Original, which was great as always.
> 
> But instead of fries I had their haystack onion rings which were fantastic.  Highly recommend.


I think I may be going there for lunch today. I will try to get the some pictures.

----------


## jccouger

> I stopped by last night and the word is starting to get out because when I left at 7:30 there were people waiting for tables.
> 
> They are still only serving burgers at this point and I had the Nic's Original, which was great as always.
> 
> But instead of fries I had their haystack onion rings which were fantastic.  Highly recommend.


I was there last night too celebrating my birthday. Not sure if our time overlapped we probably left around 6:30ish. I was there with my infant son who was causing a ruckus trying to talk to everybody in the entire place. 

The place is put together with incredibly high quality material, and some really great design. I wish I could have seen the bar. The food was delicious as expected. It did start to get pretty packed when we were leaving.

I do got to say though, its a weird mixed concept with feeling so high class but having to stuff such a messy burger down my gullet. I'm sure it will work but I get why he told Steve in his latest article why he was worried about the pairing.

----------


## Pete

The menu they have been using is only their lunch menu.  The dinner menu will be different with higher-end items like steaks.

And then of course there will be a breakfast menu too.

They are wise to work out the kinks slowly but surely.  The burgers are clearly a big enough draw to get them started.

----------


## BoomerThunder1

Tried to go for lunch today.....line was about 25 deep.  I'll try again

----------


## Roger S

> Tried to go for lunch today.....line was about 25 deep.  I'll try again


Sounds like the line followed him from Penn to Robinson since he has the grill temporarily closed.

----------


## Pete

Went by around 2:30 and it looked like the place was full but no line outside.

----------


## SSEiYah

I'm probably going to request for "well done" next time, this was "medium well", a little to pink for me.

----------


## Dustin

Yeah that looks medium rare...  And what happened to that bottom bun?  Lol

----------


## Dustin

Wait... Is Nic actually cooking at this place?

----------


## SSEiYah

> Wait... Is Nic actually cooking at this place?


Yes, Justin (Nic) personally brought out a new burger when we brought up the done-ness. Amazing Bar Downstairs and the the burgers are just as good as the location on 10th street except a lot more topping options. I had one with Gouda Cheese and Green Chiles, mine was cooked much closer to medium-well. 

They are not serving food downstairs yet but they plan too soon.

----------


## Urbanized

First customers in the bar tonight. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.

----------


## Pete

> First customers in the bar tonight. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.


Tell me about the good beers on tap.

----------


## Thomas Vu

> Yeah that looks medium rare...  And what happened to that bottom bun?  Lol


That bottom bun is more what I"m used to when I eat there.

----------


## soonerguru

> The Garage is casual (shorts/t-shirt minimal) while this place looks more trendy. I wouldn't wear anything less than nice jeans and a polo or button-up shirt with nice dress shoes to this place...which means I'm much more likely to go to The Garage if I'm down that way.


Why? Wear what you want. It's not fine dining. It's hard to imagine a place whose specialty is 3/4-pound onion burgers and chicken fried steak is somehow "trendy."

----------


## OKCisOK4me

> Why? Wear what you want. It's not fine dining. It's hard to imagine a place whose specialty is 3/4-pound onion burgers and chicken fried steak is somehow "trendy."


What I mean is...the decor from what I've seen is a hair more top notch than the one seater joint on May. It just looks prettier..which isn't my cup of tea, but suffice it to say, I have all kinds of clothes in my closet.

I'll get down there one day.

----------


## turnpup

> What I mean is...the decor from what I've seen is a hair more top notch than the one seater joint on May. It just looks prettier..which isn't my cup of tea, but suffice it to say, I have all kinds of clothes in my closet.
> 
> I'll get down there one day.


Eh, I guess in our family we're past the point where we care if we're dressed appropriately for the local establishments. We usually ride our bicycles when we go to these places and are always in our "grubby" comfort clothes. Not a single time has an eyebrow been raised at our appearance. The guys at the Ambassador even volunteered to valet park our cycles for us when we went up to the O Bar awhile back on a nice evening.

 I think people are starting to understand better the pedestrian/cyclist culture and are more accepting of a "come as you are" appearance.  Even last night at the ballet there were people dressed super-casual--mixing right in with those who were not. If you like to dress up for stuff, that's great. However, it's nice that things aren't so strict any more. And this is coming from someone who used to be a snob about being dressed appropriately for whatever occasion. I've changed.

----------


## OSUMom

> Sounds like the line followed him from Penn to Robinson since he has the grill temporarily closed.


It's great advertisement for the new place.  Shut down the old temporarily with a sign saying why.

----------


## OSUMom

I was in the bar last night.  Very nice.  Good personnel working for him.  Place is fantastic.  Would like a tiny bit more light so I can see all that gorgeous wood in the place.

----------


## Urbanized

FWIW I've been wearing shorts and sneakers every time I've been in now (once for lunch and twice to the bar) and almost everyone else has been in shorts, jeans, sweatshirts, whatever. It is most assuredly NOT a stuffed-shirt place. I'd feel comfortable in a jacket too - and I think it would be a great place for coat and tie business lunches in fact - but staying away because you're not dressed up is completely unneccessary and your own loss.

----------


## catch22

I can't wait to try this!

----------


## Pete

> I can't wait to try this!


Everything about this place is pretty special and unique...

I absolutely love that bar and I can't wait to try their breakfast and other items like chicken fried steak.


To be honest, I am not a fan of Nic's on Penn.  Yes the burger is great but I hate the crowd and waiting and jostling once inside then not getting a table and the only time I went they messed up my order.   I know it's a unique experience but one I dread so much I haven't been back.

I've already been to the new Nic's twice.

BTW, the two high marble tables in the middle of the main dining room are communal, so it's super easy to go alone and just have them seat you there and then interact with the other patrons.  That's close enough for me for the original location experience.

----------


## catch22

I think it will be on my list for my November trip!

----------


## TheTravellers

> Eh, I guess in our family we're past the point where we care if we're dressed appropriately for the local establishments. We usually ride our bicycles when we go to these places and are always in our "grubby" comfort clothes. Not a single time has an eyebrow been raised at our appearance. The guys at the Ambassador even volunteered to valet park our cycles for us when we went up to the O Bar awhile back on a nice evening.
> 
>  I think people are starting to understand better the pedestrian/cyclist culture and are more accepting of a "come as you are" appearance.  Even last night at the ballet there were people dressed super-casual--mixing right in with those who were not. If you like to dress up for stuff, that's great. However, it's nice that things aren't so strict any more. And this is coming from someone who used to be a snob about being dressed appropriately for whatever occasion. I've changed.


Wasn't going to post, and apologies for doing a thread hijack, but I just had to - it's kind of sad that you don't care enough to get dressed up for places (and maybe you do sometimes, and just didn't mention it), but that's part of the fun of going out for us is to dress up in something besides our ordinary daily clothes and just doing something special.  Most of the time, I don't care too much if someone isn't "dressed appropriately" for the venue/restaurant, but it shows some respect for the place, the staff, and the other diners/patrons if you don't show up in shorts and flip-flops at someplace that isn't a fast-food/casual dining place.  If I'm eating a $100 meal, I absolutely do *not* want to see anybody's armpit hair (men *or* women) or sweatpants or torn-up jeans and underwear underneath, etc. (and yes, we've had meals that expensive that have had people clothed like that show up.  

Sorry, went to the ballet today and Cultivar afterwards and read this tonight and had to say something, off my high horse now...

----------


## turnpup

> Wasn't going to post, and apologies for doing a thread hijack, but I just had to - it's kind of sad that you don't care enough to get dressed up for places (and maybe you do sometimes, and just didn't mention it), but that's part of the fun of going out for us is to dress up in something besides our ordinary daily clothes and just doing something special.  Most of the time, I don't care too much if someone isn't "dressed appropriately" for the venue/restaurant, but it shows some respect for the place, the staff, and the other diners/patrons if you don't show up in shorts and flip-flops at someplace that isn't a fast-food/casual dining place.  If I'm eating a $100 meal, I absolutely do *not* want to see anybody's armpit hair (men *or* women) or sweatpants or torn-up jeans and underwear underneath, etc. (and yes, we've had meals that expensive that have had people clothed like that show up.  
> 
> Sorry, went to the ballet today and Cultivar afterwards and read this tonight and had to say something, off my high horse now...


Wow, Travellers, I think you missed my point entirely. There's nothing "sad" about us, or our lifestyle. Trust me, if you knew us or how we live, you wouldn't be passing judgment on our ability to be appropriate in whatever circumstance we're in. t'm not a controversial poster on here, and always try to emphasize the positive, but I feel a need to call you out on this. Your response was a bit over the top, snotty and offensive, in my opinion. 

What I was *trying* to convey was that, for places right in Midtown, such as the new Nic's, it's nice to see a culture where people have the choice to either dress more nicely, or to ride up on their bicycles from HH, Mesta or other close-in neighborhoods and be comfortable being casual and not having to have gotten the car out of the garage. We pay a very high premium for living right here, and it's *our* neighborhood. If we can bicycle to places of interest, and keep our dollars local, then great.

For the ballet--which we did in fact attend on Friday for the premiere, and were part of the group that was fortunate enough to go behind the scenes at both intermissions for food, drink and special conversations with those who made the wonderful event happen--we did dress up. We did not ride our bicycles and did not therefore have a need to be casual. At no time that I can recall have we ever showed our armpit hair, underwear or worn tattered clothing in *any* establishment.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> Wasn't going to post, and apologies for doing a thread hijack, but I just had to - it's kind of sad that you don't care enough to get dressed up for places (and maybe you do sometimes, and just didn't mention it), but that's part of the fun of going out for us is to dress up in something besides our ordinary daily clothes and just doing something special.  Most of the time, I don't care too much if someone isn't "dressed appropriately" for the venue/restaurant, but it shows some respect for the place, the staff, and the other diners/patrons if you don't show up in shorts and flip-flops at someplace that isn't a fast-food/casual dining place.  If I'm eating a $100 meal, I absolutely do *not* want to see anybody's armpit hair (men *or* women) or sweatpants or torn-up jeans and underwear underneath, etc. (and yes, we've had meals that expensive that have had people clothed like that show up.  
> 
> Sorry, went to the ballet today and Cultivar afterwards and read this tonight and had to say something, off my high horse now...


I have noticed in OKC people don't care enough to dress up much although that does seem to be changing. I always dress like I normally do, and I spend about an hour and a half each day, I spend a fair amount of money on clothes, and make sure I'm always looking good. Very rarely will I go out in something plain. I blend in, in Dallas and Los Angeles, but I go to Oklahoma City, and people usually look at me or compliment me which is nice, but somewhat depressing to the fact like, wow dude, there is nothing fancy about what I'm wearing. It's just people being trashy. I guess it is cool to wear t shirts paying homage to Oklahoma and OU t shirts, but it would be nice if OKC became more fashionable.

----------


## Uptowner

lol this thread has gotten very juvenile. Is this the part where I name drop my tailored Hans Herman in the lunch counter line? Or transversely how I might like to eat pizza at gusto in my cycle gear after the Monday night ride and that's a good thing? I've done opening night swan lake in jeans an a short sleeve, tattoos out, just because I wasn't feeling black tie after a long week. I don't care. Trashy all you want. Yes, I have a pink flamingo in my yard. 

Also. Cultivar, despite being expensive, is as casual as can be. If they hand you a pager to retrieve you food = casual. Arm pit hair is welcome!!!

----------


## Martin

ugh.  tried to go today but found out they're not open on mondays.  -M

/either that or they saw that i wasn't sufficiently dressed up and locked the door.

----------


## Roger S

> /either that or they saw that i wasn't sufficiently dressed up and locked the door.


I tipped them off that you were coming undressed.... Don't ask me how I knew.  :Wink:

----------


## jccouger

All of the decoration & decor, alone with the staff dress code screams that it is a high quality establishment that demands respect through high fashion.

However, TVs in every corner while playing billboard top 100 music over the speakers at a moderate volume, offering communal seating (which Pete already brought up), having viewing areas in to the kitchen and offering behemoth sized burgers that implode as soon as you poke them screams this is a casual affair. 

Its a unique experience, and I think the atmosphere they are trying to build is one that everybody is welcome no matter who you are or how you are dressed. Just expect to eat good, drink plenty & have an excellent time.

----------


## FighttheGoodFight

99% of Oklahoma restaurants are casual. Sometimes I wish for restaurants with an enforced dress code.

Serving burgers and have the name Diner in the name makes me think it is casual but the inside looks awesome. Can't wait to try.

----------


## TheTravellers

> Wow, Travellers, I think you missed my point entirely. There's nothing "sad" about us, or our lifestyle. Trust me, if you knew us or how we live, you wouldn't be passing judgment on our ability to be appropriate in whatever circumstance we're in. t'm not a controversial poster on here, and always try to emphasize the positive, but I feel a need to call you out on this. Your response was a bit over the top, snotty and offensive, in my opinion. 
> 
> What I was *trying* to convey was that, for places right in Midtown, such as the new Nic's, it's nice to see a culture where people have the choice to either dress more nicely, or to ride up on their bicycles from HH, Mesta or other close-in neighborhoods and be comfortable being casual and not having to have gotten the car out of the garage. We pay a very high premium for living right here, and it's *our* neighborhood. If we can bicycle to places of interest, and keep our dollars local, then great.
> 
> For the ballet--which we did in fact attend on Friday for the premiere, and were part of the group that was fortunate enough to go behind the scenes at both intermissions for food, drink and special conversations with those who made the wonderful event happen--we did dress up. We did not ride our bicycles and did not therefore have a need to be casual. At no time that I can recall have we ever showed our armpit hair, underwear or worn tattered clothing in *any* establishment.


No, I didn't miss the point, and I did say that you may dress up when you go out, you just didn't say so in your post.

None of it (except the part where I said that it's sad that you're "past the point where we care if we're dressed appropriately for the local establishments.", and you'll notice I didn't say your lifestyle was sad, just that it's sad that you don't care - there's a difference) was directed specifically at you, just at OKCitians in general.  And I'm glad you did dress up at the ballet, too often I see people that show up for Lyric and OKC Ballet shows that aren't, and I am just basically lamenting an apparently-soon-to-be-lost era of dressing nicely for things.

And yeah, we knew Cultivar was casual, unfortunately their food wasn't that great (just not enough different flavors, despite all the different ingredients, they just blended together on all 6 tacos we got (except my wife's mushroom taco, which she really liked), but the chips/queso was really good), so we probably won't be going back, so I won't have to worry about armpit hair there, at least.  :Smile:

----------


## Pete

^

People in OKC are more careful about what they wear in restaurants and public in general than California, I assure you.

----------


## Uptowner

Second that. And the Pacific Northwest or mountain zone where people just look like they could go spelunking between the intermezzo. Nalgene on their belt loops and backpacks at the table.

----------


## TheTravellers

^^^  Have to third that, having lived in Seattle-ish for a coupla years, they are definitely worse dressers than OKCitians. Guess OKC ain't that bad.  :Wink:

----------


## Anonymous.

Edited to remove first question.

Also anyone have inside sales info with The Garage across the street? Wondering what kind of burger poaching is going to be happening here.

----------


## Urbanized

I've talked with Garage staff about it and they agree if anything so far it has INCREASED business due to spillover. Honestly I don't think they compete much at all.

----------


## Martin

> I've talked with Garage staff about it and they agree if anything so far it has INCREASED business due to spillover. Honestly I don't think they compete much at all.


completely anecdotal but that's exactly where we ended up on monday after finding out that nic's wasn't open.  wouldn't surprise me that others are doing the same when they can't get in.

i do wonder if there's going to be an issue with parking... despite the signs, i don't doubt that more than a few people are using the garage's lot to get to nic's.

----------


## RealJimbo

Good grief.  When did the snoot police take this website over?

----------


## turnpup

> completely anecdotal but that's exactly where we ended up on monday after finding out that nic's wasn't open.  wouldn't surprise me that others are doing the same when they can't get in.
> 
> i do wonder if there's going to be an issue with parking... despite the signs, i don't doubt that more than a few people are using the garage's lot to get to nic's.


I think we may have crossed your path that evening. We were parking our bicycles outside Garage and heard a couple of guys talking about something along the lines of "crap, we're screwed if Nic's is closed" or something along those lines. Yes, it was surprising to us as well that it wasn't open on Mondays.

----------


## aDark

Any recent pictures of the bar downstairs? What have wait times been like for dinner? Wait times for lunch?

----------


## sooner88

> Any recent pictures of the bar downstairs? What have wait times been like for dinner? Wait times for lunch?


I went on Tuesday for the first time at lunch. We got there a little before 11:30 and it was a 40 minute wait for 2 (we only waited 20-25). If you're on a time crunch during the work week it would pretty difficult to get in and out of here in an hour with the current crowds. 

As has been mentioned, the place is extremely nice. I was really impressed with the finishes. We walked downstairs after lunch and I can't wait to come back and try this out as well.

----------


## Pete

Really anxious for them to add some more items to the menu, such as CFS.

Love the burgers but would like to see what they do with some of the other comfort food standards.

----------


## warreng88

Went yesterday for lunch, got there at 11:00 and there were people standing outside by 11:30am. I am not sure how this will do because the place suffers from an identity crisis. The interior, waiters, glassware, everything about it, except the food screams that it is a fancy restaurant where you would get a good steak, seafood, nice salad. It looks like the dcor would work well as a restaurant in the Skirvin or Colcord. Then you get a monster burger with fries. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the food and I loved the dcor, I just don't think the two work well together. I would think it would be less out of place if it had more of a pub feel than fine dining.

----------


## Roger S

Maybe it will feel less out of place when the menu expands.

Or maybe just embrace Justin's attempt to blur the lines between low brow and high class..... I know it's tough because I struggle mightily when BBQ places try to do it... But it can be done.  :Wink:

----------


## Pete

Their full menu will feature several salads and steaks as well as other items.

I love the decor but wish they would lose the TV's scattered around that always seems to be playing the Price is Right.  Doesn't fit at all.

----------


## warreng88

> Their full menu will feature several salads and steaks as well as other items.
> 
> I love the decor but wish they would lose the TV's scattered around that always seems to be playing the Price is Right.  Doesn't fit at all.


So, Pete is there from 10-11...

----------


## warreng88

> Maybe it will feel less out of place when the menu expands.
> 
> Or maybe just embrace Justin's attempt to blur the lines between low brow and high class..... I know it's tough because I struggle mightily when BBQ places try to do it... But it can be done.


My thoughts as well. Adding a steak, CFS and maybe a fish would be good, but the most popular item will always be the burger. I sat across from a guy eating a burger with a fork. Not sure if they would have allowed that at the old Nic's...

----------


## Roger S

> I sat across from a guy eating a burger with a fork. Not sure if they would have allowed that at the old Nic's...


HAHA.... Well he does usually hide a fork somewhere under the curly fries.... Since I usually douse my fries in Tony Chachere, Tabasco, and Ketchup..... I use said greasy fork to eat said greasy fries.  :Wink: 

Now the burger gets eaten using my hands!

----------


## Pete

> So, Pete is there from 10-11...


Or Wheel of Fortune or some other lame TV show.

----------


## turnpup

> Or Wheel of Fortune or some other lame TV show.


That really seems incongruent as well with the decor and atmosphere that's been described.

----------


## Thomas Vu

> My thoughts as well. Adding a steak, CFS and maybe a fish would be good, but the most popular item will always be the burger. I sat across from a guy eating a burger with a fork. Not sure if they would have allowed that at the old Nic's...


I did it at the old Nic's.  Bottom bun is always too soggy to handle from the grease.

----------


## LocoAko

This is probably a ridiculous question, but does anyone know if they'll have any sort of veggie burger available?

----------


## Roger S

> This is probably a ridiculous question, but does anyone know if they'll have any sort of veggie burger available?


Yes.... They will hold the beef and load up your bun with all the veggies they offer. Pickle's lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos.  :Wink: 

I wouldn't hold out any hope of Nic's ever offering any vegetarian options beyond that one.

----------


## loveOKC

I went today for lunch, was great as always. The bottom bun held up really well as they toasted it a little more than usual. We arrived at 11 and were seated immediately.  But after 20 minutes the line formed and the wait was 40 minutes as we were walking out at about 12:30. I did feel a little awkward walking in with my attire because me and my brother just finished working in the field, but when we sat down I could tell it was the same old Nics crowd. Mixture of business attire and jeans and dirty work clothes. My thought is that's the atmosphere he is going for. Also walked downstairs to the bar and was very impressed!!! Can't wait to go after 5, have a few drinks and hang out!

----------


## Pete

Wait now at 8pm.  Love the bar!

----------


## Diesel54

> HAHA.... Well he does usually hide a fork somewhere under the curly fries.... Since I usually douse my fries in Tony Chachere, Tabasco, and Ketchup..... I use said greasy fork to eat said greasy fries. 
> 
> Now the burger gets eaten using my hands!


 I was disappointed there was no Tony's on the table when I went. Did you happen to ask for it? I went on their second day so I figured I wouldn't ask and bother them.

----------


## Roger S

> I was disappointed there was no Tony's on the table when I went. Did you happen to ask for it? I went on their second day so I figured I wouldn't ask and bother them.


Have not been to the new location yet.... Waiting for them to start serving breakfast on weekdays there. I'll probably stick with the Penn location for burgers. The wait over there should be a lot more bearable with the Diner & Lounge open now.

----------


## Urbanized

^^^^^^^^
Wouldn't be so sure about that. Nic will be running the grill on Penn. hardcore devotees will probably still go over there and stand on line.

----------


## Roger S

> ^^^^^^^^
> Wouldn't be so sure about that. Nic will be running the grill on Penn. hardcore devotees will probably still go over there and stand on line.


Which is another reason I'll still be going to the Penn location. I enjoy watching Justin and Javon work that place...... I also just can't imagine eating a Nic's burger without hearing "Cheese and everything?"..... Even though he doesn't ask me that question anymore since I always eat my burger the same way.

----------


## shawnw

> hardcore devotees will probably still go over there and stand on line.


and the folks that hate downtown and haven't been there in years and still think it's crap and not worth visiting even though they have no idea

----------


## Rover

> and the folks that hate downtown and haven't been there in years and still think it's crap and not worth visiting even though they have no idea


Who are you talking about?  Stop with the "everyone hates downtown" stuff.  Most OKCitians are proud of downtown whether or not they live there or hang out on this board.  This isn't 20 years ago when downtown really was crap and everyone knew it.  Got to get over the inferiority complex and welcome the idea that downtown belongs to everyone.

----------


## shawnw

I'm talking about actual people that I know, and I suspect it's worse than you think. I did not say "everyone hates downtown". But there are people out there that do. Just attending the recent GO bond meeting I was surprised about the level of downtown ignorance with the people I talked to. Those of us that follow this board are the passionate ones. Yes there's a large swath of folks that are not as passionate but plenty proud. Your saying "most... are proud" is no different that me saying "some hate it", it's just the other side of that equation and that's all I'm saying. No intention of propagating any new issues that don't already exist.

And OF COURSE downtown belongs to everyone. I live there. I evangelize this constantly.

----------


## baralheia

I know people in my neighborhood that generally still have a rather negative view of downtown. Granted, many of my neighbors are older, but the sentiment is, unfortunately, still not uncommon.

----------


## rizzo

Is this new location Ca$h only also?

----------


## loveOKC

> Is this new location Ca$h only also?


No, they take cards

----------


## Rover

> I know people in my neighborhood that generally still have a rather negative view of downtown. Granted, many of my neighbors are older, but the sentiment is, unfortunately, still not uncommon.


That's probably true, just like I know a number of downtowners on this board are fairly ignorant about other neighborhoods in this city...you know, the young ones.

----------


## John Knight

Went here last night to meet a friend for a drink. We didn't eat, but we had some drinks downstairs while watching some football. The place is absolutely stunning! They did a great job with the space!

----------


## turnpup

We went Thursday night and got right in with no wait just before 6:00. Our burgers and fries were delicious. I asked for ranch dressing to dip the fries in, but they didn't have any (due to their limited menu offerings for the time being). That situation was quickly remedied by my husband going across the street to Garage and buying some. The little one was quite happy with her grilled cheese sandwich. Price point, as others have mentioned, was slightly higher than similar restaurants. However, in reality it wasn't because there was so much food we took the leftovers home and had another meal the next day. 

Overall really good experience. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. As others have said, the decor is beautiful, so much so that you don't feel like you're in a "diner" at all.

----------


## Pete

Went last night at 8PM and there was a good wait for tables, so we had drinks downstairs.

The downstairs bar was completely full but I think that was due to people watching the Thunder game and also a party of some sort. After the game it thinned out pretty well.

Took us about an hour to get a table and the food was awesome as always.  Had the vanilla shake and it was pretty fantastic and then split a burger and fries, which was plenty for 2 people.

Also, you can order alcohol upstairs, which I didn't realize.

----------


## John Knight

> Went last night at 8PM and there was a good wait for tables, so we had drinks downstairs.
> 
> The downstairs bar was completely full but I think that was due to people watching the Thunder game and also a party of some sort. After the game it thinned out pretty well.
> 
> Took us about an hour to get a table and the food was awesome as always.  Had the vanilla shake and it was pretty fantastic and then split a burger and fries, which was plenty for 2 people.
> 
> Also, you can order alcohol upstairs, which I didn't realize.


You must have been there at the same time we were  :Smile:

----------


## Pete

Had breakfast there this afternoon.

I was darn hard to skip the burger but I had heard so many things about breakfast from when they used to serve it at the Penn location, I just had to try it.

I wanted to order the CFS but they were out.  So, went with a western omelet with jalapenos.

It was okay.  The omelet actually had cheese on the outside like it had been baked at the end; almost like a burrito just with eggs as the wrap rather than a tortilla.

The hashbrowns were more like a pressed potato cake.  Again, okay but nothing like their onion rings or fries.

With just this, water, tax and tip, that was a $19 meal.

----------


## Jeepnokc

Throw in  $2.50 coffee or a small juice and looking at $23 for breakfast for a pretty basic meal you could get anywhere.  Not sure will make my breakfast rotation for omelettes.  The pancakes. waffle or french toast with a side of bacon and a coffee gets you out the door for about $11.50 plus tip which isn't bad at all.  These are also items where you can really shine as far as being different.  (Lot easier to change up a batter but an egg is an egg)  Of course, I am a true southern boy so nothing beats Waffle House for some hash browns smothered, covered, chunked and peppered with some eggs over easy and country ham.  (The same omelette with hash browns runs about $6.00)

----------


## SSEiYah

I ate breakfast at Nic's yesterday a well. I wanted to try out Hatch but they had a 90 minute wait at about 9:30AM (on a Sunday), did not feel like waiting.

Nic's had no wait at all, only a few tables occupied. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak however was told they were out. I went with the Bratwurst instead. I also ordered a single Pancake on the side and a coffee. The Brat was pretty good, eggs were overcooked (asked for overeasy). The pancake was sweeter than a typical pancake. Service was good, coffee never went empty. My fiance had the Belgium Waffle with a side of Bacon and Hash Browns, and a large orange juice. Total out the door was just under $38 bucks.

----------


## sooner88

We stopped in to check out the lounge this weekend, and we all agreed that it is one of the nicest in the cities. We went before dinner, so it wasn't crowded but the staff was very friendly. Our only complaint was they didn't have a beer list, so we each picked something off the tap wall. My friend ordered a Blanche de Bruxelles (16 oz.), and after he ordered the 3rd, she warned him it was $15/glass. In comparison, it is $7 per 1/2 liter at Fassler. I know that they are kind of hard to compare, but that large of a jump was surprising, and he wouldn't have ordered that had he known up front. We will be sure to ask beforehand next time.

----------


## Pete

A pint of Anthem Golden One is $9.  Pretty steep.

----------


## BBatesokc

At $20 for just an okay omelette, I'd go to any of several local brunch spots and get all I can eat for less, the same or slightly more.

----------


## jrod

Pint of Golden One for $9!?! Hahaha!! No.

----------


## soonerguru

> Had breakfast there this afternoon.
> 
> I was darn hard to skip the burger but I had heard so many things about breakfast from when they used to serve it at the Penn location, I just had to try it.
> 
> I wanted to order the CFS but they were out.  So, went with a western omelet with jalapenos.
> 
> It was okay.  The omelet actually had cheese on the outside like it had been baked at the end; almost like a burrito just with eggs as the wrap rather than a tortilla.
> 
> The hashbrowns were more like a pressed potato cake.  Again, okay but nothing like their onion rings or fries.
> ...


Ouch.

----------


## Chadanth

Finally made it here for dinner. It wasn't terribly busy, so we were seated right away. He decor is great, feels a little fancier than a burger joint needs to be, but whatever. 
The good: decor, service, it's clean, refills on drinks are timely. 
The bad: basically everything else. My burger was mediocre at best. It was a sloppy mess, and the toppings all slid off. My wife and I split the original, which was supposed to be pretty large, but we were left hungry after eating whatever didn't slide off the greasy mess that was our dinner. The fries are thick cut steak fries, and they're pretty good, the onion rings are greasy and flavorless. I ended up ordering another burger with less toppings because we were still hungry, and another grease bomb showed up. The beer list is extremely limited. The food is blah. I can see why the Garage across the street was packed, but the local icon was half empty. 

Tldr, I was disappointed.

----------


## soonerguru

> Finally made it here for dinner. It wasn't terribly busy, so we were seated right away. He decor is great, feels a little fancier than a burger joint needs to be, but whatever. 
> The good: decor, service, it's clean, refills on drinks are timely. 
> The bad: basically everything else. My burger was mediocre at best. It was a sloppy mess, and the toppings all slid off. My wife and I split the original, which was supposed to be pretty large, but we were left hungry after eating whatever didn't slide off the greasy mess that was our dinner. The fries are thick cut steak fries, and they're pretty good, the onion rings are greasy and flavorless. I ended up ordering another burger with less toppings because we were still hungry, and another grease bomb showed up. The beer list is extremely limited. The food is blah. I can see why the Garage across the street was packed, but the local icon was half empty. 
> 
> Tldr, I was disappointed.


I've hesitated to say anything, but I will never return there after the last time I dined there with my wife. My burger was served cold after a long wait (which I did not mind waiting on a Saturday night). I mentioned it to the server but was told, "You'll have to wait quite a while if we recook your burger. You will go to the back of the line." It was a bizarre and unexpected reaction. I had already waited 30 minutes for the poorly cooked burger and cold onion rings. 

He then offered, "Would you like to talk to Nic?" I said, "not really, I would rather just have a quality burger, which I expect coming to Nic's." He said, "I can recook your burger but you will be behind all of the other orders." So I said, "No. I'll just eat this cold burger but please have Nic come to my table."

Several minutes later the server returned and said, "Nic told me to tell you he's too busy to come to your table." At first I thought he was joking, so I asked, "Is he cooking?" And the server said no he wasn't cooking he was in the office doing paperwork. WTF?

So then we finished our burgers and I received my tab. There was no adjustment at all to the tab. I mentioned to the server that there was no adjustment to the bill and he said, "We offered you the chance to have your burger remade." And, again, I feel like I'm in a Seinfeld episode because the whole thing was so ridiculous. 

I said, "I cannot believe Nic was too busy to even come visit me at the table." And then the server said, "He's very stubborn. This happens all the time." I'm not sh-tting you, he said that, to which I just had to laugh and consider how utterly unprofessional and buffoonish and unnecessary the whole situation was. 

I told him, "Out of principle, I will never do business here again." It was sad for me to acknowledge, because I love the Nic's on Penn and have always been a fan so it's hard to admit, but it's true. 

The service was slow and laughably bad, but I didn't mind that because it's not fine dining. But being pretty much screwed over by the owner himself is where I draw the line. 

It's hard to imagine this place lasting much longer unless they are able to hire a serious GM who knows how to run a restaurant larger than a burger counter.

----------


## king183

I've gone here three times since it opened. Every single time the service was awful and it took an extraordinarily long time to get our food (~35 minutes), though there were only a few people in the restaurant. The service is unbelievably bad. The waiters and the manager spent a good portion of their time chatting with each other and looking at their phones while we waited to have our drink orders taken.

It's been a really disappointing experience each time, especially since it looks like a lot of thought and effort went into creating the place. I've never thought about going back. It probably won't last very long unless changes are made.

----------


## bucktalk

I don't mean to jump on any bandwagon to spread bad word BUT I have to agree with the past couple of posts regarding Nic's. I've only eaten at Nic's downtown location one time and one time was enough. While I thought the building, inside and out, was very well done the food and service was very sub par.  I can't figure out why such a cool location, facility could possibly fall apart because of the lack of attention given to the food served there.  From what I experienced it was almost like the name and service almost assume allegiance just because of Nic's on Penn.  I can (and have) overlooked inferior food if the wait staff/owner indicate they care for customer satisfaction.  But I simply refuse to be a return customer if neither the wait staff nor manager show zero interest in striving for customer satisfaction.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

I'd recommend people put their reviews on Google Maps as well as Yelp. Maybe the owners will see it and do something about it. The reviews seems to indicate the place is good as most of them are positive.

----------


## soonerguru

> I'd recommend people put their reviews on Google Maps as well as Yelp. Maybe the owners will see it and do something about it. The reviews seems to indicate the place is good as most of them are positive.


Nope. The server was telling us the truth. "Nic is very stubborn." I've also been told he has issues with his temper. It's one thing to run a restaurant where you do all the cooking for 20 people at a time versus running a full-service restaurant with several wait staff. This is a different ballgame but Nic doesn't seem willing to listen to restaurant professionals.

If the server is right, and I have no reason to doubt him, this is the restaurant Nic wants and he's running it the way he wants. Period. After all, he's a very "stubborn" man, according to the staff. 

The restaurant will probably close and Nic will not fare well in the end. Seriously, though, if he won't listen to patrons who are actually DINING IN HIS RESTAURANT, why do you believe he would he listen to reviews on Yelp?

----------


## Teo9969

It's sad to see a local icon struggle.

The reality is that not all restaurants are created equal and you have to understand the market segment you're in if you're going to have a successful business.

I'm just not sure that Nic's concept can translate to full service dining. You pay more for what is almost guaranteed to be a product of lower quality than its 12th/Penn counterpart. Why not just go to 12th and Penn?

----------


## Thomas Vu

> I'd recommend people put their reviews on Google Maps as well as Yelp. Maybe the owners will see it and do something about it. The reviews seems to indicate the place is good as most of them are positive.


I often entertain doing something like that, and I go back and think "I only want to leave a review when it's a negative experience".

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> Nope. The server was telling us the truth. "Nic is very stubborn." I've also been told he has issues with his temper. It's one thing to run a restaurant where you do all the cooking for 20 people at a time versus running a full-service restaurant with several wait staff. This is a different ballgame but Nic doesn't seem willing to listen to restaurant professionals.
> 
> If the server is right, and I have no reason to doubt him, this is the restaurant Nic wants and he's running it the way he wants. Period. After all, he's a very "stubborn" man, according to the staff. 
> 
> The restaurant will probably close and Nic will not fare well in the end. Seriously, though, if he won't listen to patrons who are actually DINING IN HIS RESTAURANT, why do you believe he would he listen to reviews on Yelp?


Well let me start off by saying I'm on your side. I see no reason to believe anyone here is lying and I'm upset that they aren't trying. It makes me want to see the place fail so someone else can come in and use this space to do something good.

The reason I say Yelp and Google is to let others know before trying this place that it is not recommended. Online reviews do make an impact on businesses. 

OKCTalk is a great resource and I'm sure many people in OKC have viewed these posts and might even factor it into whether or not they decide to eat here. That being said this website doesn't hold a candle to amount of traffic Yelp or Google has and by posting on either, or better yet, both of those(if it were me, I'd even post on Apple Maps and Facebook reviews--just copy and paste and rate 1 star) it might effect the business. If Nick sees a decline in customers he might make changes. If he or someone he knows sees the bad reviews he might think he had better do something fast.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> I often entertain doing something like that, and I go back and think "I only want to leave a review when it's a negative experience".


Yes sadly many people only do which is understandable to an extent. Whenever a business goes out of their way to do something really great then I'll go out of my way to leave positive reviews for them.

----------


## stile99

If you don't want to leave a Google/Yelp review because you feel the owner won't bother reading it, then look at it from another angle.  You're not posting it so the owner will read it and act on it, you're posting it so OTHERS will read it and act on it.

----------


## Colbafone

I have met Justin several times and have talked to him to quite an extent about his main location and this one. I have also met with the owner of this building and talked to him several times about this location. I've only eaten at this location twice and never had an issue. I have never ever received a bad vibe from Justin about this location, though he might just be trying to sweep it under the rug. By all accounts Justin is putting all of his efforts into making this very successful. 

But if it really has been this bad, I have half a mind to just call his investor and tell him what's up.

----------


## soonerguru

I would like to add that I don't want his business to struggle. That's why I waited more than two months to post my review. I feel conflicted. And I didn't go to Yelp to blow it up everywhere because I don't want to harm his business, I would just hope he would get the message in a less public way that he needs to make some changes.

----------


## tuck

> I would like to add that I don't want his business to struggle. That's why I waited more than two months to post my review. I feel conflicted. And I didn't go to Yelp to blow it up everywhere because I don't want to harm his business, I would just hope he would get the message in a less public way that he needs to make some changes.


My suggestion for those of you who want to help these business owners by giving them honest feedback so they can hopefully improve their operations and provide a better guest experience is to contact the business owner directly instead of going straight to a review site.  Call, email, text, social media PM, etc...  If a guest contacts me with a complaint, I drop whatever I'm doing to address the issue whether I agree with them or not.  I'm not saying to spend several weeks trying to reach them, just make an effort to make contact directly.  

BTW, we also try to make contact with those who have left bad reviews.  Most don't respond to our emails.

----------


## stile99

I understand what you are saying tuck, but that's basically the exact polar opposite of what SoonerGuru is saying.  You say you drop everything to address a complaint, and that's a good reaction, thank you for that.  But that didn't happen in this case.  Assuming the waitstaff was telling the truth (and is not the actual source of the problem), the official response apparently was "you aren't worth my time".  This is why I said if one is hesitant to post a review because they don't think the owner cares, post it anyway so others can read it and form their own opinion.  I can speak only for myself, but I have no intention of ever setting foot in a place that serves a cold burger and then basically tells you right to your face it's not worth their time to make it correctly.  That is why I would find this type of review helpful.

There is a HUGE difference between this type of review and the screaming, self-entitled nitwit who is bashing a place because they didn't receive table service at a place that blatantly posts signs at every table "place order at the counter".  There is a HUGE difference between this type of review and the delusional maniac who cries about how the place wouldn't make macaroni and cheese for their precious snowflake, even though it is not on the menu, and no pasta dish at all is on the menu (indicating they probably don't even have the ingredients/equipment needed to fill the request).  Both examples being reviews I have actually seen on Yelp OKC, BTW.

----------


## zefferoni

I've eaten there 5 or 6 times, the last time being last month, and the food has come out perfect every time.  The wait was always reasonable for the number of people.  Service wasn't great but was never terrible.  It's surprising to me to read that so many people had bad/cold food.  I'll have to try them again and see how it comes out.

----------


## soonerguru

> My suggestion for those of you who want to help these business owners by giving them honest feedback so they can hopefully improve their operations and provide a better guest experience is to contact the business owner directly instead of going straight to a review site.  Call, email, text, social media PM, etc...  If a guest contacts me with a complaint, I drop whatever I'm doing to address the issue whether I agree with them or not.  I'm not saying to spend several weeks trying to reach them, just make an effort to make contact directly.  
> 
> BTW, we also try to make contact with those who have left bad reviews.  Most don't respond to our emails.


I'm not sure if you are referring to my post, but I tried to speak with the owner directly and was refused. Some people don't have a service mindset.

----------


## bradh

Ate here for the second time tonight.  Both times have been downstairs.  Food was excellent again (had the original burger tonight, last time had the street tacos).  Service was a little iffy (slow) but at least friendly and cordial.

----------


## Pete

> Ate here for the second time tonight.  Both times have been downstairs.  Food was excellent again (had the original burger tonight, last time had the street tacos).  Service was a little iffy (slow) but at least friendly and cordial.


I've had generally good experiences but the bill total always kills me.

----------


## Midtowner

I've been there twice now. I want this place to succeed because it is an absolutely beautiful venue with everything I want in a venue--quiet and with an amazing downstairs area.  Seriously, if you haven't been downstairs, you need to see what they did down there. Unreal. 

My problem isn't that the food doesn't taste good... it has been fine. It's that when you sit down to a business/professional meeting and they bring you your plate, there needs to be some room to manuever. The burger and sides take up the entire plate. It's unruly. The burgers while delicious, are far too tall for consumption as designed. I had to resort to fork and knife both times, as with the juices and all, the burger would disintegrate in my hands, which again was a problem because once chunks start falling off the burger onto that crowded plate, you're presented with a bit of a situation in finding a place to put your burger down. This isn't ideal when you're having an important meeting. Perhaps I should avoid the burgers there as I apparently lack whatever skill is necessary to navigate those things--especially in a suit.

I don't think they're a great replica of Nic's burger from his 10 Penn store either. I have no problem handling that.  

I really want this place to make it and I really want to make it part of my lunch rotation, but I'm having a hard time doing that so far.

----------


## sooner88

I went on Sunday around noon, and after driving by Hatch with a giant line and Frontline letting out I expected this place to be slammed as well. We were one of 2-3 tables the entire time. I had the burger and fries, and they had changed the fries from the last time I went and the onions seemed different than normal. I left very unimpressed, especially since they charge a premium vs. other burger spots in the area.

----------


## DickTracy

I don't honestly think the new location will make it through the new year, it's sad because they have put so much into the place, but let's face it the food stinks, nowhere near as good as the diner...

----------


## BoulderSooner

Had dinner at nics last night. Upstairs had 1 party of about 15 plus 2 tables. We chose to eat at the bar in the basement 

The entire bar top was full plus 2 of the booths.  And everyone was eating.    We split the cheese crurds and both had burgers   Everything was very good.     I liked the Fries but they are very different than the fries at the original location

----------


## Uptowner

> I don't honestly think the new location will make it through the new year, it's sad because they have put so much into the place, but let's face it the food stinks, nowhere near as good as the diner...


I always thought it would have been amazingly suited as a bistro with a mid-refined menu. I've been for lunch once and my impression was "omg that was a $50 cheeseburger lunch" and I've been for dinner once and my impression was "omg this place is soo sexy...why would I want to order another cheeseburger (off the blatantly advertised lunch menu), loaded potato boats, and deep fried cheese curds"

I just wish this place could do a refined dinner menu that fits the decor and already insane price-point, it could even have a burger on it.

----------


## TheirTheir

Agreed that this place has a serious identity problem. Menu should match the interior with the original Nic's burger being the ONLY burger on the menu. 

Like others, my experiences eating there have been less than expected: slow staff, out of different menu items, expensive drinks, long wait times and cold food. I enjoy the bar area quite a bit, however the ladies tending bar make me feel as though I am at a Henry Hudson's. Poor staff comes from the top, unfortunately. If Nic thought he could expect the same work ethic out of his young staff that he and the other gentleman at the original location adhere to, without solid management, he really screwed the pooch.

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## John Knight

The food has never been amazing, but it was never bad.  My issue with the Midtown location are the prices.  With an increasingly competitive OKC core, they might have priced themselves out of the market.  You cannot expect your customers to pay $9 for a COOP F5.

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## Pete

> The food has never been amazing, but it was never bad.  My issue with the Midtown location are the prices.  With an increasingly competitive OKC core, they might have priced themselves out of the market.  You cannot expect your customers to pay $9 for a COOP F5.


Yep.

I went several times at the beginning then just felt like I was being taken advantage of.

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## bradh

> The food has never been amazing, but it was never bad.  My issue with the Midtown location are the prices.  With an increasingly competitive OKC core, they might have priced themselves out of the market.  You cannot expect your customers to pay $9 for a COOP F5.


I've never paid attention to prices because each time I've been with a vendor, but holy crap that's ridiculous.

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## Thomas Vu

> I've never paid attention to prices because each time I've been with a vendor, but holy crap that's ridiculous.


I'll make note that it's an expensive place for vendor lunches.

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## riflesforwatie

> The food has never been amazing, but it was never bad.  My issue with the Midtown location are the prices.  With an increasingly competitive OKC core, they might have priced themselves out of the market.  You cannot expect your customers to pay $9 for a COOP F5.


Wow. I'm pretty sure that's $2 more than I've paid for F5 anywhere else.

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## Pete

If I'm not mistaken, those $9 beers do not include tax.

It's just crazy expensive.

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## TheTravellers

> If I'm not mistaken, those $9 beers do not include tax.
> 
> It's just crazy expensive.


That's insane, can't you get a whole 4-pack of F5 pint cans for $9 at a liquor store?

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## John Knight

> If I'm not mistaken, those $9 beers do not include tax.
> 
> It's just crazy expensive.


Correct, no tax included.  I am rooting for them to succeed, but people will not pay that when you can walk two blocks east or west and get one for $2-3 cheaper.

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## Pete

> Correct, no tax included.  I am rooting for them to succeed, but people will not pay that when you can walk two blocks east or west and get one for $2-3 cheaper.


There are bunch of places that sell for $5-$6 including tax.

I'd say Nic's is more than double than some and near double for many.

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## luke911

I've been downstairs a handful of times and the service just doesn't feel smooth, similar to upstairs. Once Nic's mother downstairs was tending bar because the only other bartender had four tables that showed up at once and they wanted food. She was a sweet woman but knew nothing past mixing a crown and coke, not even pricing. That was my last time at Nic's and unless i'm with a group that wants to go this is off my list.

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## sooner88

Yep, when I went last weekend a bloody mary was $12. Around $30 for a burger/fries and one bloody mary will not encourage me to come back anytime soon. I'd also choose Tucker's every time over what they offer.

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## TheTravellers

> I've been downstairs a handful of times and the service just doesn't feel smooth, similar to upstairs. Once Nic's mother downstairs was tending bar because the only other bartender had four tables that showed up at once and they wanted food. She was a sweet woman but knew nothing past mixing a crown and coke, not even pricing. That was my last time at Nic's and unless i'm with a group that wants to go this is off my list.


Wow, that is so totally unprofessional, it's stunning.  May have been able to get away with that a decade ago here, but in today's environment, that's really bad.  I probably would've just left, after telling someone in charge why, no reason to deal with that when there are plenty of other places around that don't half-ass things like that.

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## Uptowner

The times I've been for lunch I've sat facing the window. And come time to pay the bill, I look over at the garage and think about the $10/each lunch that could have been. I'm not a fan of the garage. I think they go cheap on everything from the pre-form to the thin bacon. But they get it done and my best friend is a vegetarian, and he says their bean burger is great. I refuse to taste it: on principle. 

When I consider all the work to jiggle off the 1,500 calories though, I still treat myself to Tucker's. S&B had a great thing going when they were only two stores. But their recipes and oversight have gone pretty corporate.

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## Richard at Remax

My wife went the other day and was very disappointed. She said the burger was way too big, soggy, and the place lacked any kind of vibe. I personally have never ate there, but I have always had a good time at the bar below. Hope they get their act together.

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## Bits_Of_Real_Panther

https://www.sweetdealscumulus.com/de...y/nics-place-3

I haven't been to the new place, looking to try it with one of these discounts.

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## BBatesokc

> https://www.sweetdealscumulus.com/de...y/nics-place-3
> 
> I haven't been to the new place, looking to try it with one of these discounts.


I’m gonna buy one. That said, IMO it’s not good that with the name recognition that place has that he has to resort to 50% off coupons.

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## dankrutka

On the most recent episode of the OKC Dream Team podcast, Fred Katz told a long story about the failings of Nic's Place. In short, he said they cooked him and his friend's burgers wrong twice and in hour they had nothing to eat. They told the waiter so Nic came out, sat in their booth, and rudely said, "what's the problem?" When they explained the burger wasn't cooked as they ordered it, Nic asked them to leave and never come back. 

I've heard quite a few stories about this place being subpar, overpriced, but more than anything, it sounds like Nic isn't cut out to run a restaurant. I have't been there, but I've heard this from a number of people I trust. It's disappointing because I only heard positive things about his original place.

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## benjico

They keep saying it's the same burger...but it's not the same burger. Maybe it's because of the atmosphere or something else, but I would much rather have it at the cramped, cash only, lunch only location.

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## TheirTheir

The few times that I have eaten at midtown Nic's I have had a problem. Went the first week it was opened and was disappointed that the burger was not even close to the same as the burger at the original location. Second time, the burgers came out overcooked. Waitress suggested we just eat them because it would take a long time for new burgers to come out. Third time we tried the breakfast (first weekend they offered it) and they were already "out" of several items--at 9am. 

One instance, Nic came by to thank us for trying the breakfast and was really nice. I asked about the lounge downstairs which he said would be opening very soon. I let him know that I was looking for a place to host my upcoming birthday party and he said he would put it in the calendar to have a booth reserved that night. Needless to say, it was never put in his calendar and there was no booth saved.

I haven't been to the lounge in a long time, but the bar staff always seemed have an attitude as well, as if they were used to working in smokey bars and had to "hold their own" again the drunk patrons. 

Every aspect of this place has felt like a square peg in a round hole. Shame, because the location and build out is great.

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## PaddyShack

My wife and I tried this for the first time about a week and a half ago... or maybe two weeks now. Anyways, our experience wasn't the greatest, even before we walked into the restaurant. We saw two cars park in their little lot and walk over to the Garage even though the lot is exclusive for Nic's, so we parked on the street and walked, no big deal. As we were walking along the sidewalk some guy in a red Mercedes sports car, the one with goldwing doors, comes zipping through and parks on the sidewalk right in front of us as we were walking to Nic's. I kindly commented on how nice it must be to be rich enough to park where ever and the guy cusses me out as he walks into Nic's and heads downstairs. I simply call the cops and report his illegally parked vehicle. My wife and I enter the restaurant, which wasn't at all busy, a few tables occupied upstairs and no open tables downstairs. The host eventually runs over and helps us to a table, it took a little longer than expected with just how empty it was upstairs, but I was forgiving and didn't mind. Now their A/C must have been having some issues or just the fact of sharing the same floor with the kitchen made it hot and muggy in the upstairs but nice and cool downstairs. The waiter towards the end of our meal, since we were the last guests upstairs, gave us a little explanation as to what was wrong with the A/C and that they were hoping to have it looked at soon. After we were seated it took our waiter quite some time to come by and take our drink orders, once again the wife and I were just enjoying a leisurely supper and in no hurry, so not the biggest of deals. As we were waiting, we got to listening to the other tables around us. One group, there for a birthday, had clearly been there for some time and where fairly vocal in their discomfort. The whole table gets up and walks out, one gentleman walks over to the waiter and speaks with him. Shortly after the table got outside, all of their food comes and the group comes back in to eat. not entirely sure what all the fuss was, but we had overheard someone saying that the table had been there for an hour and a half before getting their food. At this time our server returns with our drinks and says he will be right back to take our food orders. I will fast forward to when we eventually get our food, mind you it was about 45 minutes after we ordered that our food came out. We order the original Nic's burgers, nothing special. Now no new tables came in after us, everybody that came in after us went downstairs. Besides the long times in between ordering and when our drinks/food came, the food was very delicious. The burgers and fries were both hot and fresh. Neither one of us has had the burgers from the place on Penn Ave, so we couldn't compare, but as for burgers in OKC I would rank what we had among the top. Granted my top choices are La Baguette and Lip Smackers. By the time we were eating we were the last people upstairs. We witnessed some people come up and try to talk with Nic, which maybe be the reason for our order being late, we saw a few angry patrons come up to complain about there not being a reserved booth downstairs and how the service was slow, and some other things. Overall, my wife and I were hoping for a good experience and it was lackluster. The burgers were good, but the service and atmosphere were so poor we probably will go elsewhere. We hoped this was a fluke night, but reading through some of the other posts on here makes me think there are some blaring issues with the management.

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## Bullbear

They were on the Cumulus deal thing last month where you could order 50.00 worth of certificates for 25.00.  that makes the prices more in line with what they should be.  I love the look of the place and the basement lounge is fantastic, however it needs a new menu to match the identity.

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## shawnw

the basement lounge is the redeeming quality of this establishment. cool place to take visitors that would otherwise have no idea it was there.

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## Uptowner

The basement is a very nice space. But the last time we went down there for drinks our obviously drunk and slightly confused bartender asked us to tab out for the one round we’d had because his shift was ending. He tagged out with an even MORE drunk and confused bartender. We just laughed and left. It’s so badly mismanaged. I’m really, REALLY not rooting for it to fail. But I wish something cataclysmic would happen to turn the ship around.

Edit: I just want to add how peeved I get asked to pay in the middle of a meal / drinking session so the server can collect a tip. And I get to start over again and swipe my card twice. I now make it a practice of saying no.

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## soonerguru

> My wife and I tried this for the first time about a week and a half ago... or maybe two weeks now. Anyways, our experience wasn't the greatest, even before we walked into the restaurant. We saw two cars park in their little lot and walk over to the Garage even though the lot is exclusive for Nic's, so we parked on the street and walked, no big deal. As we were walking along the sidewalk some guy in a red Mercedes sports car, the one with goldwing doors, comes zipping through and parks on the sidewalk right in front of us as we were walking to Nic's. I kindly commented on how nice it must be to be rich enough to park where ever and the guy cusses me out as he walks into Nic's and heads downstairs. I simply call the cops and report his illegally parked vehicle. My wife and I enter the restaurant, which wasn't at all busy, a few tables occupied upstairs and no open tables downstairs. The host eventually runs over and helps us to a table, it took a little longer than expected with just how empty it was upstairs, but I was forgiving and didn't mind. Now their A/C must have been having some issues or just the fact of sharing the same floor with the kitchen made it hot and muggy in the upstairs but nice and cool downstairs. The waiter towards the end of our meal, since we were the last guests upstairs, gave us a little explanation as to what was wrong with the A/C and that they were hoping to have it looked at soon. After we were seated it took our waiter quite some time to come by and take our drink orders, once again the wife and I were just enjoying a leisurely supper and in no hurry, so not the biggest of deals. As we were waiting, we got to listening to the other tables around us. One group, there for a birthday, had clearly been there for some time and where fairly vocal in their discomfort. The whole table gets up and walks out, one gentleman walks over to the waiter and speaks with him. Shortly after the table got outside, all of their food comes and the group comes back in to eat. not entirely sure what all the fuss was, but we had overheard someone saying that the table had been there for an hour and a half before getting their food. At this time our server returns with our drinks and says he will be right back to take our food orders. I will fast forward to when we eventually get our food, mind you it was about 45 minutes after we ordered that our food came out. We order the original Nic's burgers, nothing special. Now no new tables came in after us, everybody that came in after us went downstairs. Besides the long times in between ordering and when our drinks/food came, the food was very delicious. The burgers and fries were both hot and fresh. Neither one of us has had the burgers from the place on Penn Ave, so we couldn't compare, but as for burgers in OKC I would rank what we had among the top. Granted my top choices are La Baguette and Lip Smackers. By the time we were eating we were the last people upstairs. We witnessed some people come up and try to talk with Nic, which maybe be the reason for our order being late, we saw a few angry patrons come up to complain about there not being a reserved booth downstairs and how the service was slow, and some other things. Overall, my wife and I were hoping for a good experience and it was lackluster. The burgers were good, but the service and atmosphere were so poor we probably will go elsewhere. We hoped this was a fluke night, but reading through some of the other posts on here makes me think there are some blaring issues with the management.


This review seems status quo from my last experience, with the exception that Mr. Nicholas was unwilling to speak to us about our miserable experience. The investors behind this must have deep pockets, because it should be closed at this point. I don't wish them ill will but it seems Nic is a stubborn guy who will go down with the ship instead of making some changes.

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## Buffalo Bill

> Im gonna buy one. That said, IMO its not good that with the name recognition that place has that he has to resort to 50% off coupons.


FWIW.  Good call, though:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/blog/ame...burger-joints/

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## Bullbear

Off topic I know but was here again sunday for lunch.  I know its somewhere on here but I can't find it. what is going in across the street just north of Garage where that parking lot was.  feel free to move this .. thanks!

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## David

That's the Monarch.

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44161

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## Bullbear

Thank you!.. couldn't place it for the life of me!

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## jccouger

New food truck

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## Pete

I've come back around on this place.

First of all, the downstairs bar area is one of the nicest in town.  And either their beer prices have gone down a bit or I've stopped being shocked because now it seems worth the charge.  And always a good selection with some nice rotating taps.

On my last of several recent visits, I had the original Nic's burger which was pretty darn good but also their onion rings were fantastic.  Don't know if they are a new item, prepared differently now or I was just missing out before, but maybe the best I've had in town.  (I've just been ordering while downstairs and they seem to have the full menu.)

It's not inexpensive but then again it's a very nice place with very good food.  And I have to say I just don't want to go stand outside at the other place then be crammed into that tiny spot.


It's back in my regular rotation.

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## okatty

I've noticed they are running some new radio spots just in the last week or so which says to me they are  re-focused.  We have not been in a long time, so I want to give it another try with an open mind and see how it goes.   In those ads they are pushing the rings too!

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## TheirTheir

Enjoyed the bar a few weeks back and forgot to comment about it. I'll give the food another whirl--thanks for the update.

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## BBatesokc

FYI - at 8:20am THIS MORNING - The Sweet Deal is a $50 gift certificate for Nic's Place for only $25. These pop up from time to time and make a visit extremely affordable.....

Just sharing....

https://www.sweetdealscumulus.com/de...y/nics-place-5

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## Filthy

The downstairs bar has been a regular in my rotation of lunch spots. I've always been a fan of the food and the service, and was honestly surprised to see so many negative reviews/comments here on OKCTalk. (I think, that If I would have read this post, before eating there...I probably never would have stepped foot in the place.) But just wanted to post up, that they just changed their menu this week, and there are quite a few new offerings. (Some VERY tastey pizzas I might add.)

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## Pete

I love this place and need to get back there soon.

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## Anonymous.

I have noticed this week, a strong social media push for this place. Honestly I forgot about it until I saw the ads scrolling through FB.

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## Bullbear

I am in the basement either Saturday or sunday each week.  its my favorite weekend breakfast spot.  This week got there too early on sunday for the basement and ate upstairs.   the past month my only issue has been they evidently ( according to staff ) lost the lid to the basement Coffee Carafe so getting refills of coffee takes a while because they have to run upstairs.  I have seriously considered having a Coffee carafe amazoned to them because I need my coffee and love this place.

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## GoldFire

I've eaten here a number of times but never made it downstairs. I finally had lunch down there and now I can see where all the hype is coming from. It is amazing down there!

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