I ran across this fact when reading aboatman (http://www.prairiethunderbaking.com/products.html)'s blog.

Prairie Thunder Baking Co. (http://www.prairiethunderbaking.com/)

is apparently now open. Anyone want to give a review?

http://www.prairiethunderbaking.com/PTBC/daily%20specials.jpg

We went there yesterday for lunch, although it was close to 2:00. They were empty but said that they had been busy all morning. Limited lunch menu (what is posted above really is all they serve for lunch), but very good quality. They have an oven that came from Austria and took a husband/wife team two weeks to assemble. The owner makes all of their breads and pastries every morning. Overall I would say to give the place a try, good food and a very friendly staff. However I would go early as they had run out of many pastry items; they only had oatmeal cranberry cookies left, although they were very good!

I would go early as they had run out of many pastry items; they only had oatmeal cranberry cookies left, although they were very good!

I kind of figured this, but was so anxious to try it out, I went after work around 5:30 (They close at 6pm). It was hard to judge their stock because it was almost all gone. I guess after a few weeks they will be able to better judge how much to make on a daily basis. Anyway they had a loaf of sunflower bread that we purchased - $6 I recall. We got it home and had it with goat cheese as an appetizer and with dinner. With a little help from one of our dogs who like to go counter surfing, it was entirely gone. Very good bread! I'm dying to try a baguette. Can't get a baguette worth a darn in this city.

They also have their own coffee blend created by OKC's own Prima Cafe (http://www.primacafe.com/) - the same that does Red Cup and others.

I think the bakery is going to do great in the city. The employees are great and I think the Plaza Court is a great place for them.

They also have their own coffee blend created by OKC's own Prima Cafe (http://www.primacafe.com/) - the same that does Red Cup and others.


Well, saying it is the same as Red Cup coffee isn't saying anything good. I can't remember the number of times I heard people say, Red Cup is the cool place to be, but skip the coffee.

Anyway, on first glance it didn't look like the Bakery was all that into coffee (at least at 5pm). I did notice an espresso machine however.

I'm dying to try their scones.

Does anyone know what time they open? It's not on their website, which is not very informative by the way.

I'm pretty sure it's 7am. And they close at 6pm.

I'm pretty sure it's 7am. And they close at 6pm.


Thanks for the info, mecarr. I might check them out tomorrow morning.

I can't remember the number of times I heard people say, Red Cup is the cool place to be, but skip the coffee.

Anyway, on first glance it didn't look like the Bakery was all that into coffee (at least at 5pm). I did notice an espresso machine however.

I'm dying to try their scones. I agree - actually. They went a long way, however, in getting private labeling and blends which is a good start I guess. They do have a Franke super automatic espresso machine but their employees don't know much about coffee it does not seem. I think it is more of a formality at this point for them.

I can say, however, that what they lack in great coffee it seems they more than make up for in baked goods.

Thus the old saying "stick with what you know"

Thus the old saying "stick with what you know"

But... "Philosophy bakes no bread".

In business you have to be willing to try new things, be on the edge, be willing to fail, be willing to try again. In the words of Guy Kawasaki, "Don't worry, be crappy".or Hubert Humphrey, "More progress results from the violent execution of an imperfect plan than the perfection of a plan to violently execute."

Where those on a Starbucks cup?:sofa:

Where those on a Starbucks cup?

:)

Not on their coffee cups, but almost certainly in their business plan. Over thirty years Starbucks has evolved significantly and succeeded in part because of their ability to fine tune their model along the way. If they hadn't evolved along the way, I don't think we would have ever gone from a two-shot espresso to a venti java chip frappuccino. It would have been hard to design such a (wildly successful) drink back in the early 80's when Starbucks launched.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/StarbucksVentiMintMochaChipFrappuccino.jpg/90px-StarbucksVentiMintMochaChipFrappuccino.jpg

I had a chance to go there for lunch today around 1:00 or so. Although it wasn't "packed" by any means, there were quite a few people in there. The place has a very good atmosphere to it, nice color arrangements. The staff was very courteous.

As far as the food selection goes, it is minimal. There were two salads with a choice of two different dressings, a quiche and three different basic deli sandwiches to choose from (turkey, roastbeef, or italian). I opted for the quiche and side-salad. That, with an ice tea, came to around $10.50. The food was good. Not tremendous, not bad, but it was pretty good. The portions were not that big, but big enough so you aren't hungry after you are done eating.

They did seem to have a good selection of pastries, although I did not try them.

Overall, I'd give it 3/4 stars. There was nothing bad about it, but nothing really spectacular either. If I tried their pastries maybe I'd have been more blown away. The one thing I'd advise is for them to have more of a selection, and to keep the place open beyond 6pm. Besides that, they are a great addition to the plaza court.

The place has a very good atmosphere to it, nice color arrangements. The staff was very courteous.


I'll second those comments.



The one thing I'd advise is for them ... to keep the place open beyond 6pm.

Curious, why? It seems they have two or three opportunities. One is to serve lunch to the crowd from the hospital. Irmas does a slam dunk lunch business so it seems PT can ride off of some of that success. The second is serve breakfast - pastries and coffee - to those on their way to work in the morning. The last is to get people to pick up bread to eat at home. Certainly, people who come for lunch and breakfast might take some home. Maybe some people will stop by on the way home for work, but daily bread purchasing is far from the norm in the US as compared to say, France. I think they would really have to work hard to build an after work customer base - it might not even be worth it to stay open and serve the few who would stop by. It would also seem to depend on if they insist on baking bread daily and serving only freshly baked bread. If so, judging the right amount of stock to last into the evening hours in combination with maintaining enough selection among the remaining breads, might prove difficult.

yes but it is not coffee, is it,me peoples?

I work ten hour days lately and all i can think about is a quad shot americano short water at Coffee Slingers afterwards...I can't wait till they start roasting.

I'll second those comments.



Curious, why? It seems they have two or three opportunities. One is to serve lunch to the crowd from the hospital. Irmas does a slam dunk lunch business so it seems PT can ride off of some of that success. The second is serve breakfast - pastries and coffee - to those on their way to work in the morning. The last is to get people to pick up bread to eat at home. Certainly, people who come for lunch and breakfast might take some home. Maybe some people will stop by on the way home for work, but daily bread purchasing is far from the norm in the US as compared to say, France. I think they would really have to work hard to build an after work customer base - it might not even be worth it to stay open and serve the few who would stop by. It would also seem to depend on if they insist on baking bread daily and serving only freshly baked bread. If so, judging the right amount of stock to last into the evening hours in combination with maintaining enough selection among the remaining breads, might prove difficult.

You raised some great points. But basically I was saying that they should stay open past 6 so people can eat dinner there. I'm always frustrated by places that close right when the dinner hour begins. I think you should either stay open till 8 in the evening, or close at 2 in the afternoon. If they just stayed open a bit later it would enable people to go there for dinner.

mecarr, I was in there yesterday also around 1pm or slightly after. I suppose my experience was similar, yet different.

The atmosphere is nice, it was kind of quiet since few were in there. The owner was standing up front but didn't greet myself nor a few other patrons that came in around the same time. I personally found the staff rather rude (and I was in a suit, not sure if that means anything). No one greeted upon arrival, (including the owner doing nothing), he was standing behind the counter just staring at customers in line, while the other girl was taking orders very slowly.

As you mentioned, the selection/menu is very minimal and rather disappointing actually. As others have stated, they're usually picked over pretty good by this time. They had the two salads (one bread), quiche and sandwiches as you mentioned (although you forgot they have ham sandwich also). Almost all the desserts/pastries were gone, except for a few truffles, cherry danish, and one or two other things. Theyhad a few loafs of bread and baguettes left as well.

I ordered the ham sandwich with everything. It was $6 bucks on it's own. It's the equivalent of about a half a sandwich. It was pretty small. The bread was good (couldn't tell much difference than Big Sky or Panera), the ham was an excellent smoked ham, the leafy greens were very good and earthy (although I ended taking off because there was way too much), the "roma tomatoes" were disgusting and shouldn't have been put on there, they were wayyyy out of season. Overall, once I removed the veggies and put a little bit of light mayo on it, it was pretty good. I was very disappointed with the portion size. I asked if they had a lunch special or combo and she said that was it. You don't get chips or a small roll or apple. She offered to buy a bag of chips for $.99cents or drink and pastry. Personally, I think a combo should not cost $10 bucks for a sandwich and chips that are average and very small.

I suppose for my fresh sandwich lunch fix, I'll be sticking with Panera where you can get the 1/2 sandwich 1/2 salad or soup plus apple or chips and bread roll for $6. Panera's sandwiches are much bigger and tastier IMO.

I was highly looking forward to eating here and I suppose it didn't live up to the expectation. I will return just to try again, but more than likely, I'll ownly patronize for the occasional loaf of bread with a nice slow cooked dinner at home.

DECOR: 5 out of 5
STAFF: 2 out of 5
FOOD: 3 out of 5
VALUE: 2 out of 5
OVERALL: 3

Metro, if I were a restaurant owner just open for the first week, I'd lock the door on ya!
;)
Really, it's not too surprising when restaurants have quirks the first few weeks. It just seems to be the nature of the business. I'll be very interested in a follow-up review by you in a few weeks.
Now, all that having been said, what has been your best experience at a brand new restaurant?
-Steve

Metro, if I were a restaurant owner just open for the first week, I'd lock the door on ya!
;)
Really, it's not too surprising when restaurants have quirks the first few weeks. It just seems to be the nature of the business. I'll be very interested in a follow-up review by you in a few weeks.
Now, all that having been said, what has been your best experience at a brand new restaurant?
-Steve

Although I agree in principle, I think that first impressions really matter for a business. It is hard to win back the hearts of customers - especially in the upscale / gourmet market. When a customer pays a lot for something, it better be good the first time or else it becomes really easy for a customer to go back to their standby solution. This place had a long time to prepare for it's opening. It seems like I (and others) have been waiting 6 months for it to open. Many people have talked it up. Metro's review might be a bit due to the let down based on prior expectations.

mecarr, I was in there yesterday also around 1pm or slightly after. I suppose my experience was similar, yet different.

DECOR: 5 out of 5
STAFF: 2 out of 5
FOOD: 3 out of 5
VALUE: 2 out of 5
OVERALL: 3

Metro, when I was writing my review, I was trying to be as forgiving as possible. In reality, your review pretty much sums up my feelings. The portions were too small, the food selection was too minimal, the prices too high and the food was just pretty good. I really, really wanted this place to be great. It did disappoint.

I would be interested to know your take on the Beatnix Cafe. It's by far the best place of its kind I've found.

Steve, that's why they call food critics, critics. I'm not afraid to state my opinion either way as you already know. I give tons of restaurants on here praise, but I'll tell when their bad just as easily.

I understand the "opening quirks". I'm not so upset about the service and quality of food as much as the price/portion/offering.

I understand service will get better. I do not see them increasing portions or lowering prices. Hopefully they'll learn soon that there is a respectable lunch crowd in the area with more than enough to keep them busy and expand their lunch menu and have some sort of meal instead of a la carte. For food on par with panera, and portions smaller, I don't expect to pay $10+ for a sandwich lunch. As mecarr stated, he paid $10.50. I can understand it for a sit down restaurant type of lunch, but a half sandwich and chips? Sorry, but it's no Tavern on the Green.

First week experience? Irma's was good, Red Prime, Chipotle was good (chain I know), Trattoria Il Centro. Those are just a few that come to mind.

mecarr, I have yet to eat at Beatnix, if not today, sometime soon. Stay tuned!!

I hear you, Metro. I'd also lock out the food critics as well. It's pretty interesting to see all the things that can go wrong, and are out of a restaurant owner's control (or maybe not), during the first weeks they are open.
On the other hand, I too have seen restaurants, one in particular, that I visited when it first opened and I knew it was a disaster in the making.
Actually, all of this discussion has inspired yet another story to be added to my list....

Steve, just how many articles have I "inspired"?

First impressions are everything in my opinion, when trying to open your doors to a new business (especially when you have Irma's next door). In the article that was posted on "Roadtrips" restaurants it also mentioned Hamburger & BBQ spots. Leo's was mentioned as 1 of 4 places in OK for excellent BBQ. But the one thing that popped out to me was how the owner, Charles, greets everyone he can and makes his presence known in the place. The reviewers and patrons notice that, let me tell you.

mecarr, I was in there yesterday also around 1pm or slightly after. I suppose my experience was similar, yet different.

The atmosphere is nice, it was kind of quiet since few were in there. The owner was standing up front but didn't greet myself nor a few other patrons that came in around the same time. I personally found the staff rather rude (and I was in a suit, not sure if that means anything). No one greeted upon arrival, (including the owner doing nothing), he was standing behind the counter just staring at customers in line, while the other girl was taking orders very slowly.

As you mentioned, the selection/menu is very minimal and rather disappointing actually. As others have stated, they're usually picked over pretty good by this time. They had the two salads (one bread), quiche and sandwiches as you mentioned (although you forgot they have ham sandwich also). Almost all the desserts/pastries were gone, except for a few truffles, cherry danish, and one or two other things. Theyhad a few loafs of bread and baguettes left as well.

I ordered the ham sandwich with everything. It was $6 bucks on it's own. It's the equivalent of about a half a sandwich. It was pretty small. The bread was good (couldn't tell much difference than Big Sky or Panera), the ham was an excellent smoked ham, the leafy greens were very good and earthy (although I ended taking off because there was way too much), the "roma tomatoes" were disgusting and shouldn't have been put on there, they were wayyyy out of season. Overall, once I removed the veggies and put a little bit of light mayo on it, it was pretty good. I was very disappointed with the portion size. I asked if they had a lunch special or combo and she said that was it. You don't get chips or a small roll or apple. She offered to buy a bag of chips for $.99cents or drink and pastry. Personally, I think a combo should not cost $10 bucks for a sandwich and chips that are average and very small.

I suppose for my fresh sandwich lunch fix, I'll be sticking with Panera where you can get the 1/2 sandwich 1/2 salad or soup plus apple or chips and bread roll for $6. Panera's sandwiches are much bigger and tastier IMO.

I was highly looking forward to eating here and I suppose it didn't live up to the expectation. I will return just to try again, but more than likely, I'll ownly patronize for the occasional loaf of bread with a nice slow cooked dinner at home.

DECOR: 5 out of 5
STAFF: 2 out of 5
FOOD: 3 out of 5
VALUE: 2 out of 5
OVERALL: 3


Metro, your evaluation of PTBC is right on. I totally agree with you. I was there at 10:30 this morning and was surprised to see how picked over they were already. I asked the cashier why there was so little to offer in the display case. She said that they were busier than they expected and sold out most of their pastries this morning. Either they were swamped with tons of customers or they didn't plan very well. Not counting me, there were only two other customers when I was there. After four days in business, you would think that they would have had a better handle on the amount of pastries to prepare--in my opinion.

For breakfast, they only had two blueberry scones left (I bought both of them). I asked if they made other flavored scones, and she said they also made cranberry orange scones as well (sold out). The blueberry scones are some of the best I've eaten. I highly recommend them if you are into scones. (Off topic, but I hope Coffee Slingers buys them and sells them in their cafe. The scones they sell now taste like they're made with bisquick)

They also had cinnamon buns (as they call them) in their display case. There was only two left and I bought the last two they had. They are rather small and lacking in uniformity. They were very dry tasting and the dough was not very sweet or flavorful and I could hardly taste the cinnamon. There was some kind of glaze on it that was used sparingly. It helped improve the flavor of the rolls, but not much. Unless they come up with a better recipe, I think they are not doing themselves a favor by selling them. You expect more from a place like this.

They had quite a few cookies left on the counter, but only offered two kinds--chocolate chip and oatmeal with raisins (and cranberries I think). The cookies are very good--firm, yet chewy. I doubt there will be any left for people who get there at 1:00 and on.

I also purchased (forgot the name of it) a cone shaped cookie that is made of sliced almonds. I took only one bite of it just so I could share here how they tasted. Ma Ma Mia! These things (whatever they're called) are absolutely delish! Sorry I don't remember the name of it, but it looks like a little ice cream cone thats been dipped in chocolate (the top), and then filled with some kind of a creamy chocolate. Out of this world!

The only other breakfast "pastry" they offered at 10:30 this morning was croissants. They looked pretty good, but I didn't buy any, so I can't comment on the taste. They had some quiches in the case that looked alright. They offered one with cheese and vegetables and one with bacon, cheese and vegetables. I might order one next time and bring it home and have it for lunch or something.

I too saw the owner of the place and he did not greet me either. He looked at me, and I nodded to him, but he just moved on and went back into the kitchen. The staff seemed to be a little uptight and not very friendly. I would suggest they loosen up a little bit and not be so uptight. Also, I think they'd be better off preparing too much, than not making enough. There'd be a lot less disgruntled customers this way. If they have a lot left over at the end of the day, they could either donate the left overs to a food bank, or sell it for half price, the next day, as some bakeries do. Being sold out of almost all of their pastries, and not offering friendly service, doesn't leave a very good first impression. I know it's all new for them, and they're still learning the ropes, but first impressions are important.

I'll go back and try it again, but, if these folks don't get a handle on things within the next few weeks, I'm afraid they aren't going to be around long. That would be ashamed because they have a lot of potential. I hope the owner, or someone in the cafe, is reading this thread. I think it would help them see things from a customer's perspective so that they could make improvements where they're needed.

By the way, for two cookies, one almond cone cookie, two blueberry scones and two cinnamon buns, the total cost for these seven items was $15.88. That comes to about $2.25 per item. I don't know what each individual item cost me because the receipt does not itemize what I purchased. It simply gives the grand total with tax. I should have payed more attention to that. I don't think the prices were too bad actually, but the cinnamon buns weren't worth 2 cents in my opinion.

I look forward to hearing from others who have gone there and hear what your experience was like.

First impressions are everything in my opinion, when trying to open your doors to a new business... The reviewers and patrons notice that, let me tell you.

They DO indeed!

Every single positive Randy Hogan story I've done has been at your suggestion.
;)

Steve, just how many articles have I "inspired"?

^well played. -M

http://members.cox.net/magnvs/pics/Iapplaudyousir.gif

PTBC... closed on Saturdays... Arg........

Yep, strike two against the place, my wife and I tried to go for a morning brunch/breakfast on Saturday only to find they are closed on weekends. I'm sure Browns Bakery and Cafe Do Brasil are appreciating that fact.

I wonder what the track record is for downtown shops staying open Saturdays ... hey, Metro, that's another story! Back to an earlier part of this thread. In all seriousness, yes, I see Metro a lot downtown and he has been a great source of story ideas, and I noted so at my blog in my very first posting:

"The advent of new media also brought down traditional walls between information providers and consumers. Now it’s a two-way street, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge I’ve chased after story ideas and tips published on web sites.

A news item from Minneapolis posted on dustbury.com (http://www.dustbury.com) by Charles Hill inspired me to make a few phone calls of my own and write a story about Sonic building a drive-in in a town slightly colder than Oklahoma City. ”Metro” and ”Patrick,” posters at www.okctalk.com, have been consistent sources of story ideas and frequent reminders that I’m far from running out of stories to write about on this beat."

steve, that would be a good story, to see who is open downtown on the weekends.

wow. i also tried visiting on saturday, only to find the place closed. i would've thought that a place like prairie thunder would make a decent amount of money on a saturday.

-M

Just curious, what kind of credentials does everyone have?
<br>
Personally i would much rather go to a bakery that bakes everything freash daily as oppossed to a bakery that sell an item days after its been made. Shorter shelf life means shorter time in my body, ever stop to think about what most bakeries put in thier products to make them last so long???? Ever think about what that does to your body?

Just curious, what kind of credentials does everyone have?
<br>
Personally i would much rather go to a bakery that bakes everything freash daily as oppossed to a bakery that sell an item days after its been made. Shorter shelf life means shorter time in my body, ever stop to think about what most bakeries put in thier products to make them last so long???? Ever think about what that does to your body?

Are you the owner or affiliated with this place?

I went today at about one, and there were plenty of baguettes. I got one and it was delicious, with a perfect crust and flavor. The owner was chatting with someone, and I heard him mention something about working on being open Saturday. I also brought a Napoleon home for my husband and tried a bite. It too was delicious, and definitely homemade.

It seems like after 1pm, about all they have left is baguettes. Why stay open until 6pm if that's all you have left.

disclaimer. . . do not have any association with this business. I think/hope that this is a beautiful "work in progress"!! Stopped in today around 3 pm. . .took home a ciabatta that is excellent! (me/myself/I so I still have a lot left). Several other breads available, including baguettes that were absolutely beautiful. Some delicious looking pastries. . .I will definitely be back-many times!! It is so exciting that we have something like this in the midtown area and I hope people will support their efforts. I do not live in midtown, but am in the area frequently and will definitely go the "extra mile" to purchase their baked goods as long as they maintain the quality they have shown so far.

Delicious chocolate chip cookies, I forgot to add. A friend highly recommended the cherry and cheese danishes, but I haven't tried them.

It seems like after 1pm, about all they have left is baguettes. Why stay open until 6pm if that's all you have left.

More importantly, if you aren't going to have bread available to sell until 11am (like today), why be open from 7-11? I'm guessing that the stars must be misaligned for me and the PTBC. I've been there four times and successfully come away with bread only once. I've been seriously let down by this place after having such high hopes and expectations.

Moral of the story: If you want to go to PTBC and not be disappointed, go from 11am-1pm M-F.

Give them time to work out the kinks.

This isn't a franchise or chain and aren't most of us always complaining about those non-local places? Comparing it to Panera at this point is a bit unfair IMO.

Give it a couple of months. I know first impressions are very important but hopefully they will be there for the long haul.

More importantly, if you aren't going to have bread available to sell until 11am (like today), why be open from 7-11? I'm guessing that the stars must be misaligned for me and the PTBC. I've been there four times and successfully come away with bread only once. I've been seriously let down by this place after having such high hopes and expectations.

Moral of the story: If you want to go to PTBC and not be disappointed, go from 11am-1pm M-F.


I've gone in there three times since they've opened, between ten to noon, and each time they were out of most of their breakfast danishes. Apparently people have been complaining about it too. Last week when I went in, they had a sign on the counter saying that if you want something in the morning call ahead and order it because they run out early. Well, that's just fine if you know what you want, but often times I order something based on what appeals to me in the display case. They got some quirks to work out for sure, but I'm not sure that they see it that way. If they don't think they have a problem, they're not gonna fix it. Their baked items are pretty good, if they could just figure out how to get a handle on making enough of it, and getting it in the case early enough, they should do well. I really hope they make it.

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

After spending 30 years as an oil and gas geologist, John McBryde was tired of the 9 to 5. So he ditched his downtown office, pursued his dream, and jokes he is now working "5 to 9” operating MidTown's newest addition: the Prairie Thunder Baking Co., 1114 Classen Drive.

"This place came to me in a vision three years ago,” McBryde said. "What I wanted was to create a neighborhood bakery that was an partisan bakery that would serve a market not currently being served in Oklahoma City.”

His idea? "Fresh, made from scratch, baked goods, from the best ingredients, using old school methods.”

But it wouldn't be easy. Starting three years ago, McBryde, a Heritage Hills resident, began discussing his idea with Greg Banta just as the developer was beginning to buy properties in nearby MidTown. Banta didn't yet own MidTown's Plaza Court building at NW 10 and Walker Avenue, but both agreed the property would be the perfect spot.

By 2006, Banta had added the Plaza Court to his expansive MidTown holdings, and McBryde's Prairie Thunder Baking Co. was one of the first announced tenants. Banta declared the bakery would be one of his leading anchor tenants.

Hobby becomes career
Baking had always been a hobby for McBryde. He started baking breads as a boy, and continued to dabble with recipes in college that he would keep handy at his home. But pursuing the dream of an artisan breads and pastry bakery wouldn't come cheap — he spent $100,000 for a big gas-fired oven, $25,000 for the pastry oven, and $30,000 for two large mixers.

The entire cost of getting the bakery up and running would total $600,000.

McBryde designed the restaurant to match the Art Deco era of the Plaza Court building, and did the detailed wood work and light fixtures himself.

By mid-2007, one could see what looked like a finished bakery ready to open. But the wait continued. Oklahoma City residents Bill and Jane Garthoeffner were among many a passerby who would visit to see if the bakery had opened yet. Bill Garthoeffner was born at St. Anthony Hospital and recalled buying 28-cent quarts of ice cream across the street at Kaiser's.

"It's good to see the area coming back,” Garthoeffner said. "And we've needed a bakery like this for a long time — artisan bread that is lovingly made.”

But the delays continued, and weeks turned into months. The very nature of the equipment McBryde needed made predicting an opening virtually impossible.

"We have an Italian pastry oven, a large deck oven that came from France,” McBryde said. "It took more than 18 months to get the large oven here, and then six weeks to get it built and calibrated.”

The oven weighs 18,000 pounds and can heat up to 430 degrees inside.

An installer from Salzburg, Austria, spent three weeks working 12-hour days just to install the breads oven. The oven, with steam tubes and a masonry base, may be the only one in Oklahoma, McBryde said.

"A lot of people wonder if the decks slide in and out,” McBryde said. "They don't. They stay in, and they are heated from below and above from super heated steam.”

The bakery, which opened three weeks ago, has seen a steady rise in business despite no advertising or promotions. Future customers like the Garthoeffners who walked up to the bakery in March were treated to taste some of McBryde's recipes, and he doesn't rule out the possibility that created some good word of mouth.

McBryde admits his shop is "not yet breaking a sweat,” and is only producing 100 loaves of bread when it has the capacity 1,000 per shift. McBryde said he also is not competing with the legendary Browns Bakery across the street, which specializes in cakes and doughnuts.

"I don't do doughnuts and all, and the cakes I do are very limited,” McBryde said.

Prairie Thunder Baking Company is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, though McBryde expects he will eventually open for a shorter shift on Saturdays. He likes the neighborhood emerging in MidTown, which includes Irma's Burgers, 1492 New World Latin Cuisine and Cafe do' Brasil.

He does not want to compete with those restaurants, however, for dinner business.

"We want to have a breakfast crowd, we want to have lunch, and we also want to sell breads and pastries until the afternoon drive is over,” McBryde said. "We're not aiming for dinner — we believe there are plenty of opportunities for dinner downtown, and we think our niche will be mornings and lunches.”

I've been in several times in the afternoon and they've been out of bread. I'm hoping they either have underestimated demand or they're figuring out how to increase production. I would think you only know you're making enough bread when you've got some loaves left over at the end of the day.

As far as pastries go, I would assume the same. It's not a good thing to be out of merchandise before the store closes, and their goal should be to have to give or throw away a little bit so that they can accomodate demand.

... I wanted was to create a neighborhood bakery that was an partisan bakery ...
There you have it.

Here's an article in today's JR. I think McBryde is a little dis-illusioned on how most posters/reviewers on this forum and people I've talked to in person. Everyone seems to agree about not having enough bread/selection, high prices of lunch items, and not being open on Saturdays/Sundays. I really want the place to do well and had high expectations, but unless this guy cranks out more bread/pastries, I won't be returning or recommending.

Baker pleased with response in Midtown
Journal Record
May 20, 2008 OKLAHOMA CITY – Five weeks after opening the Prairie Thunder Baking Co. in Oklahoma City’s Midtown, owner John McBryde is literally running in circles, but doing something he loves.

McBryde spent years in the oil industry, and was transferred to Oklahoma City from Houston in 1990, but found that for a second career he would look to a hobby that dated back to his youth.“I’ve been an amateur baker since my teenage years,” he said. “I always enjoyed doing it but it was not an overriding passion, it was just something I enjoyed doing.”

About three years ago McBryde decided to look into leaving the oil business behind and consider opening a bakery. The first step was to determine the viability of an artisan bakery in Midtown, and how much bread McBryde would have to make to be profitable.“You’ve got to sell a lot of bread to pay rent,” McBryde said with a laugh.

The decision to move to Plaza Court was also a risk when McBryde signed a lease with The Banta Cos. in August 2006. Developer Greg Banta had purchased the 1927 Plaza Court and renovated the building after it sat mostly vacant for several years.

When McBryde first considered the building, renovations were under way and tenants were few. Banta now reports 24,000 square feet of the building is leased with only 3,800 square feet of retail and 3,400 square feet of office space available.

Prairie Thunder is joined by neighbors like Irma’s Burger Shack II, Subway, and the YMCA Midtown branch on the building’s second floor. McBryde said he was drawn to Plaza Court because of the proximity to his home, and for the chance to be a part of the building’s return as a thriving center of retail activity.“I always thought the Plaza Court was a stunning building,” he said.

McBryde said his bread is unique in that it is almost entirely made by hand, a process that takes much longer and is more labor-intensive than the method used at many commercial bakeries. From start to finish the bread takes about 36 hours to make. He said the perfect bread has a crusty outside but is soft and chewy inside.

Several countries in Europe are represented by equipment in the kitchen, including an oven from France, mixers from Germany and a rotating double-rack pastry oven from Italy. Those fit well for McBryde’s product, which he calls old world-style bread. The bakery also offers breakfast and lunch items, coffee and pastries.

With a crew of 10, including McBryde, he is staying busy running nearly every aspect of the bakery, which begins with baking bread at 5 a.m. On Monday afternoon, McBryde was ringing up customers one minute, answering the phone the next, then without missing a beat moved to the kitchen to begin lumping dough on trays by hand to begin the baking process. And already the bakery has had several recent days where demand was so great they sold out of bread.“I vowed that that wasn’t going to happen this week,” he said.

McBryde said he is planning accordingly, and gauging the amount of bread sold, to get to a point where at the end of the day most, if not all of the product is sold, without running out. Another reason McBryde does not want leftovers is that he does not intend to sell day-old bread.“I want it to be fresh,” he said. “And I don’t want to compete with myself.”

http://www.journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labskc-prairie&#37;20thunder%201%20-%20jp.jpg Owner John McBryde of the newly opened Prairie Thunder Baking Co. in Plaza Court works with 5-grain levain bread dough Monday in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)

I think McBryde is a little dis-illusioned on how most posters/reviewers on this forumCan't imagine why.

It's a partisan thing.
;)

finally made it to prairie thunder this afternoon... just after 3pm to be precise.

they were sold out of most everything... so business must be very good!

i purchased a cheese danish and a loaf of roasted garlic levain. both were outstanding. the danish was both crisp and tender at the same time... amazing! the cream cheese was perfectly sweetened and had a touch of lemon. the bread was of perfect taste and texture... just the right amount of crustiness on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside.

i'll be going back.

-M

I went this morning at 7AM (which I think is kinda late for a bakery to open) to make sure they weren't sold out. They had almost nothing! Granted, by the time I left at 715, they'd put a few more items out, but I have to say that this has been the biggest food disappointment I've had here in OKC. Chocolate croissant was great, admittedly, but I'm 0/3 in terms of overall experience. I've wanted this place to be good for such a long time, I really hope they turn it around and open on the weekends.

I went in yesterday evening around 4:45 and got a loaf of the country white to make some garlic toast with. John McBryde was there, and was very chipper. I was greeted as soon as I walked in the door, and then I noticed the empty shelves. Although, the place was pristine, so I'll give them that. John announced as soon as I walked in that there were 4 loaves of bread left, and that was it. I said that was exactly what I was looking for.

He gave me a free sample and got the bread for me, then disappeared in the back with someone who came in after me. The manager answered my questions politely, even listened to my pitch about buying advertising from my school newspaper (jab, jab).

The bread was superb. Crusty, chewy outside, and soft and fresh on the inside. It was pricey, over $5, but it was worth it. I bet it will make excellent french toast. It got so crunchy in the toaster oven.

Overall, impressed with the bread. I'll stick to Brown's for the donuts, although that is a rare treat, but Prairie's bread wins hands-down. I just hope they make it--I'd like to see the competition.

Greetings, OKCTalk. Prepare yourselves for a lengthy response. :)

My name is Patrick McBryde, and I’m the webmaster/general-tech-guy/kitchen help/general handyman for Prairie Thunder Baking Company (I also occasionally moonlight as John McBryde’s son). On behalf of my father and the staff of PTBC, I’d like to thank you all for all of your comments and feedback about our bakery. We do our best every day to serve the Oklahoma City community, and we always welcome and value the community’s opinions. With that said, please allow me to respond to some of the comments and criticisms, and to give some insight into what goes on at PTBC. If you have any additional questions for me or for my father please post them here, and I’ll do my best to get them answered.

First, let me address the topic of our website. Our site was developed and is updated entirely by me (and my brother, at times), and not by a professional web designer, so it is sadly at the whim of a full-time student’s schedule. With that in mind, I’d like to apologize for the lack of content previously and inform you all that there is now significantly more there, with more being added every night. During the school year I was very pressed for time and couldn’t get around to much more than the graphics, but now that the summer is here I can spend my nights updating. If you haven’t seen it in the last month or so please check back as my brother and I have both put a lot of thought and time into it.

Now, on to the main concerns that have been voiced here…

First, as to the timing and availability of our goods, we are doing our best to keep up with the absolutely amazing desire for our products and, at times, have grossly underestimated the demand for our products. Since we’ve opened, and especially in the weeks following the articles in the Oklahoman, Gazette, Journal Record and others, we’ve increased production by nearly an order of magnitude in an attempt to estimate demand. However, the demand has been overwhelming at times, exhausting our supplies much earlier than anticipated. Allow me now to give some insight into the processes that go into our bread baking and how that helps to explain the previous, and hopefully not-to-be-repeated, shortages in bread.

Due to the nature of our product and to our dedication to quality, we need to purchase our supplies about a week out. At that time we have to attempt to guess the demand that we will face the next week, frequently before the publishing of any articles or anything else that could influence that demand. Once our supplies are in stock, it takes between 6 and 24 hours to turn our ingredients into dough ready to be baked, depending on the bread, and we take this time every day and with every loaf. Therefore, once that process has begun our stock for the day is decided, as none can be added later without the full time to pre-ferment, proof (raise), weigh, shape and bake. As many have noted (some angrily so), many of our breads come out of the oven at 10-11am, and that is due to this timing. Though much of the dough’s time is spent sitting, with various chemical processes happening that give our breads the textures and flavors that we’ve worked so hard for, the last 5 or 6 hours are the time of weighing, shaping, rising and baking, which require a baker to be there with it. Our kitchen staff gets in at 5am every morning and so, with this pre-decided timetable, our breads come out of the oven at ~10am at the earliest. Though we would much, much prefer that all of our breads be available at 7am when we open, this would require beginning the process between 12 and 1am which is just not logistically possible at this point in time. Our goal is to eventually have staff in the bakery working 24/7 with bread always available (especially for our commercial customers), but that is a future goal.

All is not lost, though, as we’ve developed a system through which one of our more popular breads, the 5-Grain Levain, can have much of this work done the day before, allowing it to be ready to go at 7am or very soon after, which it has been for the past few weeks and will continue to be. Though we have consistently increased our bread output every day, there were a few weeks when the demand would raise much more than we had planned on, leaving us short-stocked in the afternoons. We have a much firmer handle on it now and, for the past couple of weeks, we have consistently had multiple types of bread in stock until we close at 6pm. You can never guess the days when a tour bus comes unannounced and each person wants a loaf of bread (which has happened before), but we’re doing our best. I make no excuses for our lack of stock in the past, but I only hope that I’ve helped to shed some light onto the reasons behind it from our end, that we rarely have stock problems with our bread anymore, and that you realize the time and effort that goes into each loaf.

As to the availability of the pastries, a similar situation is present. The daily output for many of our pastries has to be decided and prepared at least 24 hours in advance, so when we surpass that supply we can only hope to increase production enough to match the demand the next day. Pastries come out of the oven around 6:30 or 7am, and the cases are filled from 7am to 8am. Some of them can be periodically refreshed throughout the day (these are the “simpler” ones that are typically available later in the day), but many of them require large amounts of preparation. With those we can only hope to adjust over the following days and meet demand then. In the afternoons, our stock is limited by our staff’s business day going from 5am to 2 or 3pm. Once our pastry chefs leave we can’t restock, and we have to plan accordingly. Like the bread we’ve worked into a system where there are consistently multiple types of pastries left at the end of the day, but we’re still working on it and hope to find a balance between maintaining a healthy stock throughout the day without being too wasteful (or overworking and killing our staff).

Our two person pastry team does every part of the ritual themselves, from the preparation to the shaping, the baking, the cleaning and the stocking, which can get pretty hectic to keep up with. They do an excellent job, but they can’t push too much harder or we might have to hire robots. :) Now, if there is a certain pastry that you’re just dying to try, come and talk to us when we’re not too busy and we’ll try and save one for you, or call and we’ll hold some in back. If you’d simply like to try them all (or if you like to see before you buy), I can only say that, at this point, try to get there between 8am and 2pm to see our full selection. (Someone mentioned our sign by the register, also, and seems to have misread it. It asks that large orders that would significantly diminish our stock, namely a dozen or more of any single pastry, be placed at least 24 hours in advance. This gives our pastry team enough time to prepare and, more importantly, is simply a courtesy to other customers to not have one person take all of one thing).

As to our service, it is our joy to talk to the customers, and if you see one of us please don’t hesitate to come and talk. However, you must realize that every person behind that counter and in the kitchen is working at 110% all day and, sadly, we don’t always have enough time to stop and chat. I apologize for any specific incidents that have occurred, but let me assure you that they aren’t the norm and we’re actually a pretty friendly bunch. The day that my dad can talk for hours to every person walking in the door and show them around his new kitchen is the day he can die a happy man, because trust me, he would love nothing more. However, that time is sadly not upon us quite yet, and he is still the man in charge of all of the bread operations, as well as supervising, logistics, planning, and all of the financial and business aspects, from 5am to 7 or 8pm every day. So please, don’t hesitate to talk to our staff about any aspect of our shop because we’d love to hear from you, but understand if we aren't able to. If you’d like to learn something about our operation, please come up and ask us, and if we’re not too busy, I’m sure you could find your way into a behind the scenes tour. When there are 50 hungry people in line or if the kitchen is really busy it probably isn’t the best time, but if we get a free minute we’d love to hear from you. We truly value each and every one of our customers, and I would like to thank you all for your support and patronage.

As to our prices, they are accurate reflections of the quality of ingredients and craftsmanship that go into all of our foods. Due to the belief in freshness and my father’s principle of making everything that we serve from scratch, every day, and his dedication to quality, we use only the best ingredients available, and our prices reflect that.

As to our current hours, our current schedule (7-6, M-F) is one that allows for the most time for us to be open with our current staff and timing. Allow me to clarify, however, that we are not, have never claimed to be and have no wish to become a dinner establishment. Though we COULD close earlier (and if you’ve been up since 4am that sounds pretty good, let me tell you), we have the demand and the staff to stay until 6, so we do. By staying open later than 6pm, however, we slip into the dinner hours which, as was said previously, were never a part of our business plan. Let me say this one big: We are also trying DESPERATELY to open on Saturdays, and we hope to be open then very, very soon, so keep checking on the shop and the website for updated information on that. We’re working on hiring and training new staff to help with this goal, and it shouldn’t be too long now. At the moment everyone’s normal workweek is 50 or 60 hours, so once we have a few more people join the team we should be ready.

Hopefully that will address some of your concerns and comments, and help to give you a little bit of a peek behind what goes on at PTBC.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to come in the shop, especially during the calmer hours, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any question you have. I also strongly encourage you to post questions here and I’ll do my best to answer. I don’t want to promise that I’ll respond to every question and be barraged with a hundred, but I’ll do my best to address all concerns.

Thanks for your support and comments, and I hope to speak to you soon,
Patrick McBryde, and all of us at PTBC

PLEASE . . .just keep on keepin' on. . .your product is great!! "We" sometimes tend to be so besotten with the "drive thru" mentality that we forget that this is an "artisian" product not produced on "our" schedule. I fully recognize that a business needs to cater to it's clientele. . .but the clientele must also appreciate what it takes to produce a truly special product. . .otherwise. . .get thee to the grocery store for Woner Bread. . . .

Mr. McBryde, many businesses pay good money to get this sort of feedback! Great to see you're taking full advantage and listening to the public. Best of luck.

For what it's worth, my wife brought home a loaf of your bread the other day and I'm a convert. Your product is what bread *should* be, but seldom is.

Thanks for all the detailed information, Patrick.

I think all of us are pulling for Prairie Thunder and I'm impressed by your openness to the feedback, as it can be difficult not to become a little defensive in these situations.

I still think this business is going to be a smash success and I can't begin to imagine the complexities of something so new. Most of us say we want more local businesses and less chains but we also have to remember that when you start out independently you often learn the hard way.

I'll be in OKC next week and will make it a point to stop in then. I'll also be sure to refer my friends... I wish you guys every success!

Most of us say we want more local businesses and less chains but we also have to remember that when you start out independently you often learn the hard way. !

AMEN!!!!

I stopped by yesterday and John (owner) was just finishing his lunch around 2PM. I meant just to introduce myself and buy a few things but he ended up spending about a half hour of his time talking about the business and showing me around.

My first impression is that OKC is darn lucky to have such a business. It's the type of place we don't often get and everything looks super sharp and impressive. It was busy even at 2PM which is a great sign that others appreciate it as well.

You simply would not believe all the massive equipment behind the scenes. I hope John doesn't mind me sharing this but he said he's invested over $600,000 in that place and I believe it.

I sampled the whole grain sourdough bread and it was fantastic. John explained that they take the trouble to prepare the dough batches the night before so they get extra fermentation of the yeast, which is what yields that great taste and aroma. It absolutely shows in the end product.

That European bread oven is something to behold! And I can only imagine trying to master that thing. Looks like John & Co. have it down, though.

John also explained the complexities of trying to plan quantities. Basically, it all has be planned well in advance and they have frequently been overwhelmed. Then you run the risk of having way too much extra and trashing it, which is equally tragic.

I just want to say that we need places like Prairie Thunder to succeed and I have no doubt this place is going to be a smash hit. Seems like it already is and they are just starting to reach out to restaurants and caterers. And John really does want to be open later and on Saturdays, but the poor guy is there every morning at 5AM and on his feet all day in front of those hot ovens... He's got great help but they are all still trying to figure out lots of things around the schedules and demand.

BTW, when I was there in the middle of the afternoon, they seemed to have plenty of everything. In addition to some bread, I bought some pastries which were outstanding. The lunch menu looked simple, but great.

I would encourage all of you to try or give them another shot. John is almost always there himself and he's a wonderful, friendly guy that is working his tail off with a huge personal investment and I hope everyone will do the best to support exactly the type of business we all want for our town.

Basically, it all has be planned well in advance and they have frequently been overwhelmed. Then you run the risk of having way too much extra and trashing it, which is equally tragic.

As other posters stated before, why not sell it at half price the next day or donate it to the food pantries and homeless shelters like all the other local bakeries and restaurants? No need to trash perfectly good bread and other food.