If you are interested in seeing Mama E's on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) it's on again this weekend:

Friday, Oct 16th -- 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct 17th -- 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, Oct 18th -- 2:30 p.m.

THANKS!

I missed it on the earlier mess around.

Drove passed Mama E's at 900 West Reno and noticed it was closed down.

Too bad, as I figured if any restaurant could make it in that lousy location it might be Mama E's.

Yeah, a few "big" name small restaurants have come and gone there. Something about having transients hanging out in the parking lot makes that spot less than ideal for a restaurant.

Not been there yet, but of recent invited.

Good MacnCheese? Other dishes, like their meatloaf, that take time?

This may give you an idea: http://www.eataroundokc.com/mama-es-food-from-the-soul-and-shady-restaurant-of-the-month/

My only complaint with Mama E's is that most items are heavily salted.

Looks like they're falling into some rough times. Just saw a Mama E's sign up around the OUHSC campus stating that Restaurant Impossible will be coming there to film in a few weeks.

Yep... I believe Dave Cathey said they will be there the 17th of this month.

Been there plenty of times and the food has always been good. Hope Irvine doesn't mess that up.... Biggest problem Mama E's has to overcome is location and the ignorance of the common diner as to what Soul Food really is.

What is really Soul Food, OK BBQ?

What is really Soul Food, OK BBQ?

At it's base it is food made with inex*****ve ingredients. For the most part it is what most of us would refer to as comfort food (fried chicken & catfish, mashed potatoes, dressing) but there are also some items that would make the average American palette a little uncomfortable like pigs feet or neck bones and collard greens.

I am not of African descent but for me personally it is food that takes me back to my youth when my family had little money and nothing went to waste.

Why the heck did the spam filter trigger on the word inexpensive?

Edit: After looking at the word. Perhaps I got the S & I switched and it thought I was referring to a part of the male anatomy...lol

^^^

Too funny!

My favorite is Friday's at A Family Affair! Buffet style with catfish and banana pudding..... Haven't been in awhile, but this thread has me thinking about it!

A Family Affair - Inner City Northside - Oklahoma City | Urbanspoon (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/46/500004/restaurant/Inner-City-Northside/A-Family-Affair-Oklahoma-City)

There's probably several folks who could find comfort in the thought of serving up an exs pensive to him.

A Family Affair is good stuff. Good, GOOD stuff.

I think in the long run Mama E's actually suffered from its appearance on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It got a huge jolt of business for a while, but I suspect the influx of new people drove away its core audience, and after the new folks moved on, the core didn't return.

A Family Affair is good stuff. Good, GOOD stuff.

I think in the long run Mama E's actually suffered from its appearance on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It got a huge jolt of business for a while, but I suspect the influx of new people drove away its core audience, and after the new folks moved on, the core didn't return.

To me, they started suffering when they expanded and added a second location. That's a tough trick to pull off for many restaurant owners.

Agree 100%. At the same time, I'm pretty sure the expansion was in response to the temporary wave of popularity that followed the appearance on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It would be interesting to see how such appearances have affected other small places who've been featured on that show. Glad that Nic's simply stayed the course. When the concept finally expanded (Ice House), it was on his terms, with someone else operating.

The biggest complaint I heard from people is that Mama E's was very expensive, which I tend to agree. After DDD's aired, I think the popularity went to their head a bit...Some items on their menu doubled in price.

For the most part Mama E's was good but wildly inconsistent. As someone who grew up in a black southern household, I'd like to think I know my way around soul food. One time it could be fantastic and the next it would be burnt, tough, etc. Just never knew what you were going to get. A Family Affair has probably siphoned off their Sunday post-church crowd as well.

My favorite is Friday's at A Family Affair! Buffet style with catfish and banana pudding..... Haven't been in awhile, but this thread has me thinking about it!

Tuesday (Sghetti) or Thursday (Porkchops & Meatloaf) are my two favorite days.... I'm not sure how I've managed to lose 20lbs in the last year because I eat at Family Affair way to often.

They offer banana pudding every day and Friday and Sunday they also offer Peach Cobbler.

I think Mama E's location is their biggest problem. Springlake Drive doesn't get anywhere near as much traffic as 23rd and Family Affair and Florence's are always busy for lunch.

I also find it interesting how often I see chefs from other restaurants eating at Family Affair and former Fire Chief Jon Hansen (Hanson) is a regular over there as well.

An interesting read regarding the "Fieri curse" from the Dallas Observer a few years ago sortof confirms my thoughts. Some operators handle it well, some REALLY succeed (franchising, etc.), some handle it terribly. The guy in the story who simply ignored the hubbub because he was already maxed out with lines out the door reminds me a bit of Nic's:

The Fieri Effect | Dallas Observer (http://www.dallasobserver.com/2012-05-10/restaurants/the-fieri-effect/)

Another article from '11 on the topic:

The Feeding Tube: How Much Are TV Appearances Worth for Restaurants? -- Grub Street (http://www.grubstreet.com/2011/10/restaurant-tv-appearance-impact.html)

I agree that other places like A Family Affair probably capitalized by taking over many of Mama E's regulars during the disruption.

FWIW, appearing on DDD did not affect the popularity of THE DINER in Norman at all. It still has long lines on the weekend and is busy on the weekdays. Of course the quality of food and service is consistent.

Nice that the Diner continues to do so well, despite some truly significant personnel losses that would most likely have doomed many places.
Being a large fella, I tend to only go when I know I can nab a seat at the counter. Me and booths, we haven't been real friendly for a spell.

FWIW, appearing on DDD did not affect the popularity of THE DINER in Norman at all. It still has long lines on the weekend and is busy on the weekdays. Of course the quality of food and service is consistent.

If you read that Dallas Observer article, that's kind of the point. Places that are already slammed don't have a hard time adapting because it doesn't look much different. Places that weren't traditionally slammed sometimes have a difficult time adapting to the new reality. And my point is that even if they do, the show buzz is fleeting, and if they ramped up to match it, they might stretch too much and have a hard time adjusting back to normal business levels.

Flew in tonight and on my plane were several crew members from Restaurant Impossible including Tom Bury. (Not as tall as he appears on TV) No Robert Irvine. Spoke to them briefly and they are here to do a show featuring Mama E's. How does one go from being on Diners, Drive ins, and Dives (which features great food products) to a show that turns around failing restaurants?

One other thing...Tom and crew were super nice and spoke highly of their last visit to OKC (Urban Roots).

It's all in the timing.

nm

To me, they started suffering when they expanded and added a second location. That's a tough trick to pull off for many restaurant owners.

Not to mention they picked a HORRIBLE 2nd location, just like many mom and pops that expand too quickly, and give virtually ZERO thought into the old saying, "location, location, location". For crying out loud they picked a transient gas station almost under at what was the time the "old I-40" at Classen, just across from many of the homeless shelters. Before the highway move, virtually no business people travelled that way. It's was and still is mostly industrial or transient/homeless area, although it is changing some. What bugs me is all the cheap yard signs Mama E's puts all over the roadways around town.

Had lunch at A Family Affair and really loved it. Thanks OKCTalkers for the heads up!

The Restaurant Impossible show featuring Mama E's was on last night. One of the few, if not only, episode of RI I have seen where Robert Irvine liked the food and didn't really make any changes to it. The place was definitely run down and gross. They did a great job cleaning it up.

One of the few, if not only, episode of RI I have seen where Robert Irvine liked the food and didn't really make any changes to it.

Glad to hear he didn't jack with the food.... Guess I need to see if they will be replaying it since I didn't know it was on last night.

It felt more like a signing audition and low budget Dr. Phil moment. Hopefully it rejuvenates their business. Like the place and have eaten there many times. Prefer Family Affair though.

Enjoyed the show but haven't set foot on the ground since the days of Dogs 'n Suds!

Will it re-air?

Yikes! No idea if the roach in the food is factual, but the response from the owner is mind boggling. No wonder this place has had problems. As one of their 80% customer base (a Whitey), I doubt I'll patronize them again. To be honest, A Family Affair is much more to my liking.

This was posted very recently by a black customer of Mama E's....

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This was the public response from Mama E's black owner....

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Like presidents, some business owners should not be allowed direct access to social media without proper training.

Yikes! No idea if the roach in the food is factual, but the response from the owner is mind boggling. No wonder this place has had problems. As one of their 80% customer base (a Whitey), I doubt I'll patronize them again. To be honest, A Family Affair is much more to my liking.

This was posted very recently by a black customer of Mama E's....

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This was the public response from Mama E's black owner....

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Like presidents, some business owners should not be allowed direct access to social media without proper training.

Man, this seems like one of those fake Facebook posts. May not be, and probably isn't, but just seems eerily like that.

Man, this seems like one of those fake Facebook posts. May not be, and probably isn't, but just seems eerily like that.

It's 100% real and it's going a little viral. You can see the owner's updated response on her personal page (she's changed and deleted it a couple of times).

Yeah I have no idea if the roach was legit, but does seem like a lot of effort for someone to stage that. At the same time, you can never underestimate people with an agenda. But nonetheless, the owner’s response was pretty sh*tty. I personally never been there to eat l, but have been wanting to try it. It’s sad but this incident does dissuade me from giving it a shot now.

lulz

Oof. I get anxiety when I see missteps on business social media because I think “there but for the grace of god...”

Handled poorly all around.

Not for me to assume whether the roach was planted there or not, but honestly I think customers should take it up with management before they run to social media for attention. That's the age we live in I guess.

I'm sure the response was triggered from emotion, and she should have thought twice before firing back like that. Its gonna cost her.

Handled poorly all around.

Not for me to assume whether the roach was planted there or not, but honestly I think customers should take it up with management before they run to social media for attention. That's the age we live in I guess.

I'm sure the response was triggered from emotion, and she should have thought twice before firing back like that. Its gonna cost her.

"but honestly I think customers should take it up with management before they run to social media for attention."

If you look at the original post by the person, it looks like they did go and talk to someone and they were not treated well. And, if you look at the response, it looks like the ownership was fully aware that they complained and just didn't handle it properly.

"but honestly I think customers should take it up with management before they run to social media for attention."

If you look at the original post by the person, it looks like they did go and talk to someone and they were not treated well. And, if you look at the response, it looks like the ownership was fully aware that they complained and just didn't handle it properly.

I believe she edited her first post.

If you look at the very first comments on the post she indicates she hasn't even talked to them yet.


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You can also look at the "edit history" on the post.

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I believe she edited her first post.

If you look at the very first comments on the post she indicates she hasn't even talked to them yet.

Ah, didn't see that one, good catch.

Seems like a mess all the way around on that one.