This was filmed at their Mustang location.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pts7KPJHKM

Del Rancho has really good food, but is not very well received by the urban or suburban minded. It is almost strictly marketed & intended for the rural minded, which still make up a decent amount of citizens in the OKC metro area.

I once sat in a Business class & the professor was interested in our opinion of it. I was the only person out of 40+ people who spoke positively about it, and most everybody else had not even tried it before or even knew what it was.

Also, the prep time is pretty bad. I've waited more than 20 minutes before just for one steak sandwich & its the main reason why I do not go more often.

Del Rancho used to be good, went to the one over on MacArthur (I believe) a coupla years ago, was disappointed. Chuck House makes better CFS, in mine and almost everybody I know's opinion...

Last time I was in town -- about a year and half ago -- I had a steak sandwich supreme at the location near 50th & MacArthur and it was pretty darn good.

I also love Chuck House.

Decent chicken fried steak and fried okra are the two things I can't find here in California. Probably just as well. :)

True that. I also avoid any steak named "country fried". If you know how to make it right, you would know it is "chicken fried"!

Also, the prep time is pretty bad. I've waited more than 20 minutes before just for one steak sandwich & its the main reason why I do not go more often.

It is slow compared to most fast food places and that's why they have signs with their phone number encouraging people to call ahead with their orders before they arrive.

True that. I also avoid any steak named "country fried". If you know how to make it right, you would know it is "chicken fried"!

I never could understand the term " chicken fried chicken". Seems redundant unless there is a difference between that and "fried chicken".

I never could understand the term " chicken fried chicken". Seems redundant unless there is a difference between that and "fried chicken".

Chicken fried chicken is chicken fried the way you would fry chicken.

Chicken fried chicken is chicken fried the way you would fry chicken.

Well then, what other ways are there to fry it? I never saw "steak fried chicken"

True that. I also avoid any steak named "country fried". If you know how to make it right, you would know it is "chicken fried"!

Different things, usually, subtle differences, but still....

Chicken-Fried Steak or Country-Fried Steak? (http://americanfood.about.com/od/resourcesadditionalinfo/a/Country-Fried-Steak-Versus-Chicken-Fried-Steak.htm)

I never could understand the term " chicken fried chicken". Seems redundant unless there is a difference between that and "fried chicken".

"Chicken Fried Chicken" is different from fried chicken, in that it is a boneless chicken breast treated in the same way you would prepare chicken fried steak.

In more simple terms: a southern version of chicken parmigiana!

Last time I was in town -- about a year and half ago -- I had a steak sandwich supreme at the location near 50th & MacArthur and it was pretty darn good.

I also love Chuck House.

Decent chicken fried steak and fried okra are the two things I can't find here in California. Probably just as well. :)
It is kind of hard to find here in Colorado, most local type places don't understand it awhat a good chicken fry is. Cheddar's (Texas based), Black-Eyed Pea (originally Texas based, the Colorado stores are now owned by a Colorado group) and Saltgrass (Landry's/Houston based) have decent ones. The best we have found recently is Brick House Tavern which is a concept of Joe's Crab Shack (Houston). We still go to Chuck House when we are back in town because none of the places here have a steak sandwich like that. Like low and slow smoked BBQ the process of chicken fried steak was to make less than tender or prime cuts of meat more edible. Country fried tends to be covered in brown gravy while chicken fry is white gravy.


Well then, what other ways are there to fry it? I never saw "steak fried chicken"
Chicken fried steak is breaded and (typically) pan fried but some places deep fry it. Chicken fried chicken is breaded chicken breast and (typically) pan fried but some places deep fry it as well. I suppose you could fry and unbreaded steak or chicken breast but most places just do that on a flat top griddle. To the uninitiated the whole process confuses them.

It is kind of hard to find here in Colorado, most local type places don't understand it what a good chicken fry is. Cheddar's (Texas based), Black-Eyed Pea (originally Texas based, the Colorado stores are now owned by a Colorado group) and Saltgrass (Landry's/Houston based) have decent ones. The best we have found recently is Brick House Tavern which is a concept of Joe's Crab Shack (Houston).

I believe, rather, I KNOW there was a Black-Eyed Pea Restaurant located in Central Maryland (Glen Burnie) during the late 80's - mid 90's. Great location and always crowded, so I only ate there once...sorry to interrupt. Resume party.

Brown gravy? Say it ain't so. I must have white gravy on my chicken fried steak. My years in the Texas panhandle won't let me have it any other way. Del Rancho on 59th and (S) Villa serves, or served, tater tots with gravy. Get me my car keys!

Ugh, every time this thread is bumped I get a huge craving for a Steak Sandwich Supreme!

Decent CFS is the one thing I can't find out here. I probably need to spend some time trying to make some myself. I already do that with fried okra for the same reason.

I believe, rather, I KNOW there was a Black-Eyed Pea Restaurant located in Central Maryland (Glen Burnie) during the late 80's - mid 90's. Great location and always crowded, so I only ate there once...sorry to interrupt. Resume party.
They were all over the country at one point and then the wheels came off. The OKC locations (and many others) closed in 2001 when one of their owners filed bankruptcy rather abruptly. The Colorado locations were bought by a group and has since separated from the corporate franchiser and are independent. There are still DFW/Houston locations that are operated in much the same way by another independent group. They were once owned by the British conglomerate that owned Casa Bonita and Taco Bueno. A group that bought BEP from Unigate in the 90's was the company that failed and caused the locations to close.

NewsOK.com - Chain shuts 6 restaurants in Oklahoma Black-Eyed Pea closes without warning workers (http://newsok.com/chain-shuts-6-restaurants-in-oklahoma-black-eyed-pea-closes-without-warning-workers/article/2759766)

We moved to Washington state for eight years, then decided to move home. When people asked why we'd want to come back to Oklahoma, we showed them a big picture of the Del Rancho steak sandwich.

There used to be another place that had a pretty decent CFSS named (I think) the onion barrel around se 44th and Bryant/Sunnylane area. I don't think it's there any longer.

The last few times I went to the 50th/Mac location the sandwich seemed kinda dry. I don't remember them being like that back in the day.

There used to be another place that had a pretty decent CFSS named (I think) the onion barrel around se 44th and Bryant/Sunnylane area. I don't think it's there any longer.

The last few times I went to the 50th/Mac location the sandwich seemed kinda dry. I don't remember them being like that back in the day.

I have always asked for extra mayo when I order. They never have enough for me.

The Del Rancho on SW 29th has closed its doors for good.

i'm trying to picture where they were located on 29th. -M

Just west of Penn.

The Del Rancho on SW 29th has closed its doors for good.

I guess maybe their sign (with an unfortunate lack of an apostrophe) I photographed back in 2011 was foreshadowing.....

11819

Apparently, the famous Del Rancho in Moore has elected to drop their Del Rancho Franchise and go with some trendy name. . . Needless to say, I'll not bother driving down to Moore any more (pun intended) to eat.

On the good side, 59th and Sante Fe is still open and has a small dining room. Right across the street from the depressing empty lot that used to be the Riveria drive-in theatre. . . Thanks Sammy Caporal.

I tried the Dining Room (formerly Del Rancho) yesterday and thought the steak sandwich was quite good. The breading featured noticeably pepper, but I found it better than the old recipe. I didn't try any of the sides, however. I never cared for the onions rings there so I hope that they will improve on them as well.

The Del Rancho at 9411 Northeast 10th is still open.
C. T.

The Del Rancho at 9411 Northeast 10th is still open.
C. T.

As is the store at 16 SW 59th St, just west of Santa Fe Ave.

Here's what Del Rancho themselves has to say about the closing:

To our valued Del Rancho customers in the Moore area:

The location at 301 W. Main St. in Moore will no longer be operating as a Del Rancho after Friday March 31st, and will no longer be a franchisee of Del Rancho USA, Inc. They will not be using our trademarked menu offerings or recipes, including items made with our delicious breading mix.

Del Rancho has long been committed to the Moore community. J.R. Holt, our founder, opened Del Rancho #5 in the Moore market in 1972, built the business, and operated it for a period. Mr. Holt later passed it on to his daughter and son-in-law, Rosamond and Kelly Jones, who successfully operated it for several years before selling to a new franchisee. The current franchise operator has chosen not to renew the franchise agreement and to become an independent business.

We are actively searching for new locations in the Moore area… stay tuned.

In the meantime, please visit these nearest locations to continue enjoying our famous Steak Sandwich Supreme, Chicken Fried Steak Dinner Supreme and your other favorite menu items:

Del Rancho #2
16 SW 59th St. Oklahoma City, OK
405-634-6082

Del Rancho #12
2300 W. Lindsay St. Norman, OK
405-364-0627

Each location is an independently owned franchise. Please contact the individual store Manager for inquiries and to provide feedback.

assuming that the numbers are sequential... if 16 sw 59th is del rancho #2, i wonder where #1 was?

assuming that the numbers are sequential... if 16 sw 59th is del rancho #2, i wonder where #1 was?
https://www.google.com/amp/m.newsok.com/article/2893858/amp

Their first restaurant...
That first restaurant, at 3300 S Western, was originally the Ranch House.

The first Del Rancho...
The second restaurant, in Del City, became Del Rancho. From there, the couple opened two more restaurants and started to sell franchises.

huh... did not know that south western was where they got their start... thanks!

huh... did not know that south western was where they got their start... thanks!

Martin,
When I was young, I used to eat at the Ranch House fairly often. The lady that managed it told me her husband opened it to give her something to do. It was successful and at this point I don't know the whole story but they started the Del Rancho stores.
C. T.

Went to The Dining Room (formerly Del Rancho) in Moore the other day with a friend. We would eat there when it was a Del Rancho about once a month or so and considered it the best Del Rancho around by far.

We wanted to give the new branding a try....

Place pretty much still looks the same with some updating of paint and basic decor. Surprisingly the phones at the table are still present. I guess I always figured they were leased as part of the Del Rancho branding concept.

I have to say, the steak sandwich was as good or better than under the Del Rancho recipe. Steak itself was huge and dwarfed the bun. The breading was a bit thinner (my preference) but noticeably more 'peppery' (as in black pepper). The meat itself was very tender and juicy.

I did the onion rings - pretty the same as previously - but, still my favorite. Very crunchy with lots of flavor in the breading.

My friend had the fries. They were a bit different than before (as good or better) and cooked well done - my preference.

The owner came up to our table and talked to us both before we ordered and after we had eaten - really nice lady with a unique look. Gave us the short version of the decision to drop the Del Rancho branding.

Personally, I think it was a positive move and we will keep this place on our rotation.

*A note on the 'peppery' breading. The owner said several people had mentioned this and either loved it (as my friend did) or were not a huge fan. I didn't mind it. She said she is still tweeking the recipe and has used less pepper each time and is about where she wants it.

I've always been surprised Del Rancho didn't get bigger than what it is... I guess maybe that wasn't their management's goal? I've always liked their food better than the other big drive-in chain.

I've always been surprised Del Rancho didn't get bigger than what it is... I guess maybe that wasn't their management's goal? I've always liked their food better than the other big drive-in chain.

Some of their places in the older parts of the city really started to get run down and weren't getting much business.

Some of their places in the older parts of the city really started to get run down and weren't getting much business.

I think the appearances of some of their locations started to scare people away. Some got really run down and some were in areas that were run down.

I think the appearances of some of their locations started to scare people away. Some got really run down and some were in areas that were run down.

The Del Rancho on SW 59th and Agnew is a borderline eyesore. The place looks like its not even open; several of the OrderMatic stalls have no menu boards (just open shell), atop bent mounting poles, and the place looks ramshackled and unattended. I had to look very carefully at the front window to get any evidence that the place was actually in operation. That's not a place long for this world IMHO.

The success of Sonic and even Chicken Express tells me there's still an ample market for this style of service, so I don't think Del Rancho can blame their current fortunes and dilapidated stores solely on changing food tastes. And maybe there was some aspect of that involved in the Moore location dropping its franchise affiliation.

The Del Rancho on SW 59th and Agnew is a borderline eyesore. The place looks like its not even open; several of the OrderMatic stalls have no menu boards (just open shell), atop bent mounting poles, and the place looks ramshackled and unattended. I had to look very carefully at the front window to get any evidence that the place was actually in operation. That's not a place long for this world IMHO.

The success of Sonic and even Chicken Express tells me there's still an ample market for this style of service, so I don't think Del Rancho can blame their current fortunes and dilapidated stores solely on changing food tastes. And maybe there was some aspect of that involved in the Moore location dropping its franchise affiliation.

Exactly. There used to be one near 10th and Rockwell (somewhere around there) and it had just gone downhill appearance wise, but the food was still delicious.

When I dealt with Del Rancho management (about 18 years ago) it was run very poorly. When I was doing marketing and graphic design work they were a customer and I did their promotional foam, plastic and souvenir cups. They had zero direction for their promotions, no real measurable goals and really didn't seem to care. Wasn't shocked at all when I started seeing them close for good. The owners were simply living out of the till and that didn't last long.