# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Midwest City/Del City >  Lion's Choice coming to MWC

## usmbubba

Just noticed today that they are adding a Lion's Choice to the Valero at 15th and Douglas.  Much better than Arbys IMO

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## easternobserver

That is very, very cool.  I'm a huge fan.  Love the french dip with a little ice cream cone.

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## usmbubba

Noticed that they are finally open

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## mmonroe

If it were not for this forum, I would not have known about this place, I'm going to check it out on my lunch break tomorrow.

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## grandshoemaster

And now they are closed.

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## mmonroe

too bad...

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## bombermwc

i never saw anyone there.....

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## RadicalModerate

Wasn't "Lion's Choice" once a grocery store that once opened in the Midwest City Area?
Sorry . . . I just found out that the grocery store was "Lion King"..... Oops, I mean Food Lion . . .
I think it also closed.

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## mmonroe

There was a Food Lion at 44th and Sooner which is now Tinker Industrial Business Park South and there was also a Food Lion in Norman.

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## Soonerman

Wasn't there a Lions Choice off of I-44 and Penn?

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## RadicalModerate

So, if I have this straight . . . Then Lion's Choice (the arby's comp.) (not Food Lion or the Lion King . . . or even King Soopers) has decided to hitch their wagon to Valero: Hugo Chavez's (the Venezuelan Dictator's) way of sucking money out of the American Economy via the gas pump . . . ?

Frankly . . . I think that the Wendy's association with Love's is a much better business plan.
And by business--in this context--I mean eating at a gas station.

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## easternobserver

[QUOTE=RadicalModerate;487583]So, if I have this straight . . . Then Lion's Choice (the arby's comp.) (not Food Lion or the Lion King . . . or even King Soopers) has decided to hitch their wagon to Valero: Hugo Chavez's (the Venezuelan Dictator's) way of sucking money out of the American Economy via the gas pump . . . ?


Um...you are confusing Valero (an American refining and marketing company based in San Antonio) with Citgo, the US marketing arm of Petroleos de Venezuela, SA, the nationalized oil company owned by the Chavez regime.  The only foreign connections that Valero has are some refineries in the UK and a marketing license agreement with Total (a French big 6 oil and chemical company).  As for the association with the fast food restaurant, this was at the franchisee level, not the corporate level.

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## RadicalModerate

Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Or at least the not guilty.
Thanks for the news flash [in the culture war] from the eastern front. =)

I was previously misinformed.
I sit corrected.

So . . . What's better in your neck o' the woods?
Arby's . . . Or an authentic Filly Cheese Steak?
(I understand certain Government Food regulations have just been released)

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## easternobserver

I only know about Citgo because it bothers me to no end that the iconic Citgo sign outside of Fenway Park is now a constant reminder of that commie bastard Chavez....that and I worked on the TotalFinaElf merger when I was an intern at a DC law firm like 12 years ago...

My neck of the woods now is eastern oklahoma county, so.....

I hate Arbys except for the fries and the best Cheese Steak around is at Hobbys Hoagies in Edmond....although a Jersey Mikes will do in a pinch....

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## RadicalModerate

Ah . . . "Eastern" as in EOC . . .
I see . . . That's very different . . . =)

(I think half the regulars in here are posting from Washington (DC), Florida, and . . .
All Points in Between on the East Coast.)

Thankfully . . . Before the advent of this thread . . .
I was blissfully unaware of The Citgo Connection. =)

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## OKCDrummer77

> Wasn't there a Lions Choice off of I-44 and Penn?


Yes, there was.  It's been closed for a least a few weeks now.

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## Brett

RIP Lion's Choice.

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## bombermwc

Did anyone actually eat there while it was open?

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## OKCDrummer77

I ate at the I-44/Penn location a couple of times.  The seasoned fries were pretty good, but the roast beef sandwich was nothing special.  The meat was rather bland, so I had to coat it in sauce just to give it some flavor.

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## usmbubba

I ate there several times as well as the I44/Penn location.   What really hurt them was the lack of advertising, no coupons in the ad papers or even something on the back of the crest receipts would have helped.  having your specials taped to the front door doesn't draw folks inside

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## RadicalModerate

*"I ate at the I-44/Penn location a couple of times. The seasoned fries were pretty good, but the roast beef sandwich was nothing special. The meat was rather bland, so I had to coat it in sauce just to give it some flavor."* 

I had never even _heard_ of *Lion's Choice* until this thread came along.
I gather that it is a lot like *Arby's*.

I _have_ eaten at *Arby's* . . . Many times.
As far as I am concerned, the "roast beef" sandwich
is simply a platform for the Horsey Sauce. (yum).

(And that "Five Pepper" or whatever Sauce is no slouch either. =)

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## Drake

Ate there once. Nothing special.

They couldn't have been more invisible if they tried. Very little signage or advertising. 

Most MWC people had no idea they were there.

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## mmonroe

I ate there a couple of times on short lunches from work. 

The turkey and bbq beef weren't bad, but the roast beef did suck.

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## thebiscuit

Lion's Choice is a St. Louis based chain and the only resemblance to Arby's is that they both "market" a roast beef sandwich. What Arby's serves is a sliced "loaf" of mechanically separated beef formed into a slice-able shape. Lion's Choice is a genuine bone-removed whole rib roast sliced paper thin (usually rare to medium rare) and piled on a seasoned, butter-toasted bun. There are people who drive 5 to 8 hours several times a year to get to a Lion's Choice. The meat quality is second to none, but the draw comes from their secret blend of seasoning (they'll give you tiny cups of extra seasoning to put your sandwich in line with your own taste preferences. Most people I know ask for extra seasoning paks to take home. Many that have tried it won't eat a burger or make a steak or even meatloaf without it.

They don't sell the seasoning and it's a closely guarded secret. Go ahead - Google it.

The restaurant they opened here was a franchise store rather than a company restaurant and they were clearly cutting corners and not following the Lion's Choice guidelines. A true Lion's Choice Roast Beef sandwich would never be considered "so-so", "just okay", or heaven forbid "bland."

I used to live in St. Louis (met my husband there), and we have family scattered across the U.S. now... but we ALL get to Lion's Choice as soon as we return to StL. And by the way, the company stores there DO issue coupons, advertise in the weekly ad-mags, etc. It's a terrible shame MWC did not get a REAL Lion's Choice.  :Frown: 

Lora

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