Oklahoma,is so in need off a 24 hour diner, serving up great food......

If you want 24 hour chow go to Vegas, or somewhere along S I35.

If you want 24 hour chow go to Vegas, or somewhere along S I35.

Is this a serious response?

I think all this 24 hour, grocery, eating stuff will only happen when you get ROOF tops downtown in mass. I think a city the size of OKC needs to have at least 50-75,000 residents within a 4 mile radius in every direction to sustain 24 hour amenities. DT workers from 8-5 and residents after 5. No major city I know with a significant 24 hour, vibrant DT does so without residents. OKC's lack of density esp DT is in my opinion a big deterrent to vibrancy and the accompanying retail to support that density.

we'll get there.

I think all this 24 hour, grocery, eating stuff will only happen when you get ROOF tops downtown in mass. I think a city the size of OKC needs to have at least 50-75,000 residents within a 4 mile radius in every direction to sustain 24 hour amenities. DT workers from 8-5 and residents after 5. No major city I know with a significant 24 hour, vibrant DT does so without residents. OKC's lack of density esp DT is in my opinion a big deterrent to vibrancy and the accompanying retail to support that density.

This.

A lot of what people complain about downtown OKC not having that comparable cities do is a legacy of how far downhill downtown slid and depopulated post-urban renewal. OKC is unique in this way in that few cities had seen their urban cores fall so far. It's become so much better just in the past few years, but its going to take time for the critical mass of residents to be reached to support real retail and niche amenities like 24-hour diners, etc.

Hopefully all of the smaller developments continue over the next few years brining more and more residents downtown and then whenever oil comes back, OKC will finally start to see the huge, game changing developments long awaited.

...
Just go to a lunch / dinner place at 2:30 in the afternoon. I was in Iron Star at this time yesterday and I was the only person in there other than staff.
...

After typical lunch hours is my favorite time to eat lunch. Crowds are back in their cubicles and offices, kitchen staff is not jammed up, and oh, so much quieter.
When we go out, we typically time it for after the dinner rush, for the same reason.

I've said many times that downtown has way, way more in terms of restaurants, bars, retail and other services than is justified at this point.

^^^^^^
I think the thing that is making it sustainable for the time being is a lack of compelling options in the rest of the metro, combined with a highly-mobile population that is used to driving everywhere, including to be dined and entertained. So the market is pretty forgiving for the time being, but as options improve in farther-flung areas the support from suburban customers will dwindle. What us important is that the influx of residents to the central city catch and keep pace with commercial development.

Right, and I think we could absorb a lot more downtown living units and still have plenty of offerings.

It's really amazing how much is down here given the relatively sparse population, and I think we all forget that and just want more, more, more.

^^^^^^
I think the thing that is making it sustainable for the time being is a lack of compelling options in the rest of the metro, combined with a highly-mobile population that is used to driving everywhere, including to be dined and entertained. So the market is pretty forgiving for the time being, but as options improve in farther-flung areas the support from suburban customers will dwindle. What us important is that the influx of residents to the central city catch and keep pace with commercial development.

Agree. As of now, downtown bars/restaurants seem to be doing well despite the low number of people actually living downtown. This is personally one of the things I am worried about with Chisholm Creek. It's great that north OKC is getting that kind of development, but downtown is supported a great deal by suburbanites driving in. How will these places do once Chisholm Creek siphons off a decent portion of them? Luckily, the Metropolitan and LIFT should be opened up by the time Chisholm Creek really gets up and running. The Steelyard will not be far behind. There still needs to be more though.

Personally, I'm not worried. Downtown will have to adapt when (or should I say, IF) the suburban customer base dwindles again. If it happens, downtown will just need to raise the bar again because it has the advantage that no other city has in the entire state: being the city center of the largest metropolitan area.

But I honestly doubt it because OKC is a new metropolitan area that understands and in fact appreciates having a hopping urban center. City Center means close proximity which allows venues to feed off each other very easily. This will continue to get better with transit and additional retail offerings, downtown will be an even better destination as a whole and draw from the region if the OKC suburbs drop off. This is no different than any other urban center of the country other than it is 'new' to OKC given it's history during the 1960s-1990s. We don't live in Seattle but in a suburb like everybody else here, but we do drive into downtown for amenities that will ALWAYS be in a downtown environment. OKC is getting there and it means destination and local restaurant, retail, and entertainment - something that needs amenities close by (and walkable) that no one suburb could ever match.

One also has to consider that OKC itself is more of a tourism draw than probably it ever has been in its history. If this continues and expands, as is expected, then hotel guests will surely continue to feed the downtown engine. Downtown should always be ahead of the suburbs in terms of its offering and capability, this is a natural.

I would start to get worried if Downtown doesn't evolve AND Norman, MWC, Edmond, Yukon, and Shawnee get a Chisholm Creek or Moore Town Center - THEN, if downtown didn't evolve and raise the bar (again), THEN I'd be worried.

[coincidentally, wife son and I went into downtown Seattle a day or two ago and it was deader than a doornail; despite having a somewhat significant residential base nearby. Yep, it was us suburbanites and tourists, what little of there of us we were, that were feeding the engine because what we were looking for couldn't be found elsewhere and certainly not next to other things to do en-mass]

^^^^^^^
All excellent points. I've mentioned this ad nauseum here since I'm in the industry, but OKC (especially downtown) sees FAR more visitors than locals imagine. This includes a massive influx of people from all over the state and region, but also conference and convention goers, business travelers, FAA and Postal Service trainees, and Route 66 tourists from literally all over the world.

There are often sneers here and elsewhere regarding "tourists", but they support a higher quality of life than local money on its own could provide. All downtown districts see them and benefit from them, and the best thing that can happen for our inner-city districts is growth in this area.

Also, to pile on to what Hot Rod said about Seattle, I've had a similar experience in the mother of all (U.S.) urban places, Manhattan. I stayed in Midtown for a week a few years ago and was fascinated by the weekday hustle and bustle, but woke up one morning and realized it was gone. No coffee/bagel carts, nobody on the sidewalk, no traffic. Lots of places closed. It honestly reminded me more of the OKC CBD than of what I had seen the day prior. Then I realized it was Saturday.

The entire day in that particular area was chill; almost a little eerie. Most of the people I saw were coming out of hotels, like me. This was, by the way, in July. Now, granted, there were certainly other parts of Manhattan - including Midtown - that were busy. But this particular area was relatively light on residents, and had a similar feel to OKC, of all places. Our lack of downtown residents and resulting peaks/valleys may be more pronounced here, but they are hardly unique. Anyway, we will entually find more balance in that area.

The entire day in that particular area was chill; almost a little eerie. Most of the people I saw were coming out of hotels, like me. This was, by the way, in July. Now, granted, there were certainly other parts of Manhattan - including Midtown - that were busy. But this particular area was relatively light on residents, and had a similar feel to OKC, of all places. Our lack of downtown residents and resulting peaks/valleys may be more pronounced here, but they are hardly unique. Anyway, we will entually find more balance in that area.

Real urban cities have designated commercial corridors with synergy that are always are most of the time busy. Then there are areas that are primarily residential that at night and off hours, are less busy. It's the same way in San Francisco. It all depends on what street you are on. OKC needs to start designating what corridors are going to have retail/commercial and what is going to be strictly or mostly residential. If course its all mixed use so there will be some overlap, but doing this will give retail corridors the synergy they need as well as provide residents with an urban but quieter environment if they live on a primarily residential street. Right now, the real issue is not only lack of residents, but lack of synergy.

Also, to pile on to what Hot Rod said about Seattle, I've had a similar experience in the mother of all (U.S.) urban places, Manhattan. I stayed in Midtown for a week a few years ago and was fascinated by the weekday hustle and bustle, but woke up one morning and realized it was gone. No coffee/bagel carts, nobody on the sidewalk, no traffic. Lots of places closed. It honestly reminded me more of the OKC CBD than of what I had seen the day prior. Then I realized it was Saturday.

The entire day in that particular area was chill; almost a little eerie. Most of the people I saw were coming out of hotels, like me. This was, by the way, in July. Now, granted, there were certainly other parts of Manhattan - including Midtown - that were busy. But this particular area was relatively light on residents, and had a similar feel to OKC, of all places. Our lack of downtown residents and resulting peaks/valleys may be more pronounced here, but they are hardly unique. Anyway, we will entually find more balance in that area.

A Saturday in July would find many residents at Coney Island or down the Jersey shore.

A Saturday in July would find many residents at Coney Island or down the Jersey shore.

Probably, and I certainly considered that, but other parts of the city were very busy. The fact of the matter was that most of that section of midtown is office and NOT residential. Those areas are going to be quiet on weekends. Just like our own CBD.

I had similar experiences in Canary Wharf (London) and La Défense (Paris).

52% of Manhattan’s Census defined daytime population consists of individuals who do not live in Manhattan and commute there for work
.

Riding my bike around today around 11AM and look at the line for WC:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wafflechampion030616.jpg

Every time I've passed by there on a weekend morning the line is that long. They're really doing fantastic.

I'll have to ask them how their late night weekend business has been at the new walkup window.

I've definitely seen people in line in the evenings.

Yep, my little girl had a sleepover a few weeks ago with a friend from school and we were going to eat there about 11:00. It was a cold day, and we had walked, so when we saw the line we decided to eat at the Viceroy Grille at the Ambassador instead. WAY more than I had intended to spend for breakfast for me and two 9-year olds! It was good, though. Will have to remember to go EARLY to Waffle Champion.

Yeah, the line is like that pretty much every weekend. If you get there later than about 8:15 AM you'll wait outside for at least a bit.

Glad they are successful, but I don't think I'll ever understand the willingness of folk to stand in a lengthy line, in any weather, for food.
Yeah, it's good, but c'mon, it's simply food when you get down to it, a product in no short supply anywhere in the metro.

Glad they are successful, but I don't think I'll ever understand the willingness of folk to stand in a lengthy line, in any weather, for food.
Yeah, it's good, but c'mon, it's simply food when you get down to it, a product in no short supply anywhere in the metro.

Well, it depends how you look at it. I've done it and the time in line was well spent chatting with friends. Besides, it's just kind of fun to go to a unique place with a lot of energy and excitement. Nothing wrong with a sleepy, half empty diner either, but it's just a different experience. In short, Waffle Champion offered me an interesting and unique experience and... Line and all.

Having said all that, I highly disagree with statement that food is just food though. Quality is worth seeking out.

Riding my bike around today around 11AM and look at the line for WC:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wafflechampion030616.jpg

Rode our bikes down here around 9:45 a.m. that same morning and the line was just as long, if not longer. Rode back home and went to Fassler at 11:30 a.m. Every table was full there, too. Great to see so much activity in Midtown on a Sunday morning.

^

How cow, every table at Fassler? That place is huge.

^

How cow, every table at Fassler? That place is huge.



Every table inside, with the garage doors closed. There were probably 5-6 tables in the outside area, too. Folks were stalking around the inside tables waiting for people to leave so they could grab a seat. What really stood out was the amount of children. Almost every table had multiple kiddos. There was a juice bar, presumably to mix in mimosas, that the kids seemed to really enjoy.

Were any of the kids cracking beer mugs over each others' heads?

Too soon?

apparently

Went here last week on Sunday morning and will not be returning anytime soon. Waited outside for half and hour, finally got inside and half the tables weren't empty!!! Crazy type of business operation to have people wait that long only to find out it's half empty. I even took pictures to prove how empty it was. If u wait outside of a place you expect it to be full. Can't wait to try other breakfast places opening up like hatch.

I don't understand this criticism. Did someone force you to wait in line? I've been to WC and table availability and lines are totally dependent on customers. There was likely just a lot of turnover when you arrived inside. It's usually pretty full. Anyway, the business model is obviously working fantastically.

I don't understand how that scenario can happen. Only way that could happen is if people decided to take forever on choosing what they want?

Went here last week on Sunday morning and will not be returning anytime soon. Waited outside for half and hour, finally got inside and half the tables weren't empty!!! Crazy type of business operation to have people wait that long only to find out it's half empty. I even took pictures to prove how empty it was. If u wait outside of a place you expect it to be full. Can't wait to try other breakfast places opening up like hatch.

OMG, so you're saying that you went to one of the most popular brunch restaurants in the city (that is known for having long lines) on one of the most popular days eat there, and...gasp....there was a long line?????

Folks line up single file but many sit at fourtops.
And yeah, some folks don't bother to think of their order even two seconds before asked, what would you like today.
Some eat fast.
Some may take the food and go.

Line length =/= no chairs.

OMG, so you're saying that you went to one of the most popular brunch restaurants in the city (that is known for having long lines) on one of the most popular days eat there, and...gasp....there was a long line?????
Did you even read my post???
If you wait outside of a place for 30 minutes one expects the restaurant to be full not empty.
I expected there to be a line but with that expectation of waiting in a line that long you expect the inside to be full not a ghost town.

Having been there probably 50 times on weekend mornings at this point, I can tell you that the empty seats were almost certainly due to multiple tables having just left at the same time before you walked in. Also perhaps in combination with customers ummmm-ing and uhhh-ing at the counter, having spent their entire time in line chatting and zero time considering their orders until physically touching the counter and being asked what they'd like..

This last problem has become worse on weekend mornings as the place has become a hot spot for tourists with a hotel next door and hoteliers all over downtown pointing them there. It also gets lots of visitor traffic from online/social sources, AND has become a hot spot for suburbanites coming downtown for an urban adventure ("my nephew said on Facebook that this place is great! He lives downtown!").

I can promise you that it had little to do with the efficiency of the restaurant itself, which runs like a finely-oiled machine, including using people who bus tables, help patrons find seats and anything else they can do to expedite.

^

Haha... My sister and her family came down to WC on Mother's Day from Bethany.

I have absolutely no idea how they knew about it.

Most of the time when I'm in line there on weekends (which isn't a whole lot, because I only go if I can be there before 8:15) the people in line around me are either from the extended metro (as opposed to the urban "bubble") or are people in from out of town who heard about it online or from friends. I've talked with people in from out of state for game days, OU dad's day, business, visiting relatives, here for a concert, etc.

The most common question I hear in line is people asking each other if it's their first time, and the answer is usually "yes." Like I said, if you want to beat the line on weekends, try 8 AM or earlier.

They will soon be open Friday and Saturday nights.

From their FB page:


Starting July 6th, we’ll be bringing you waffles for dinner! Friday and Saturday evenings, from 5pm-12pm, we will be opening the restaurant for dine-in service

They will soon be open Friday and Saturday nights.

From their FB page:

Will they still have the walk up window to 2 am when they start this?

Ultra-popular Waffle Champion is planning a new location near Kelly and Covell in Edmond.


HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/waffle071923a.jpeg


Press release:

******

Waffle Champion is coming to Edmond.

The Oklahoma City staple celebrates the 10th anniversary of their Midtown store in August. The second location is under construction at 1200 W Covell Rd, aiming for a late September launch. The brunch concept joins a thriving
Edmond community.

The Edmond store incorporates many of the same design cues as Midtown. Exterior signage anchored with perforated metal panels mimic the geometry of a waffle grid. Simple cost-effective materials are the organizing element of the interior. 2x douglas fir lumber fashioned as light valances and sheets of maple veneer plywood create light shrouds for the ceiling plane, lower shelving, and bench seating. The effect is different layers of intersecting planes, a “deconstructed waffle”. The color palette comes from the hue of waffles and creamy batter.

“This one’s very sentimental and significant for me personally and everyone at Day One Concepts”, said CEO Todd Woodruff. "We’re incredibly grateful to our Midtown team and the fans who’ve supported us since our food truck days back in 2011. I want Waffle Champion to be a national brand — this is a small step towards the realization of that dream.”

Woodruff is partnering up with the original Waffle Champion architects at Fitzsimmons Architecture. Fitzsimmons was commissioned last year to design an expansion of Day One’s Nonesuch. Jake Hugo of Wayne Contracting takes the construction helm. “As residents of Edmond and huge fans of the restaurant, my family’s ecstatic for this to be one of our new company’s first projects. Love to see a unique, locally-owned businesses coming to market in this part of town.”

“Coinciding with the Midtown location’s 10th anniversary is great,” said Brian Fitzsimmons of Fitzsimmons Architects. “We’ve enjoyed working with Todd over the years and thrilled that they’re expanding to Edmond for more people to enjoy. I hope a whole new generation of waffle fans will go see what all the fuss is about.”



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This looks like they are taking the space that was formerly occupied by several previous restaurant tenants who all failed in that space.

This looks like they are taking the space that was formerly occupied by several previous restaurant tenants who all failed in that space.

yep it was covell park " the second location of guernsey park " and most recently it was yo pablo ..

They are going to absolutely murder it at this location.

They could easily add another 4-5 of these around the metro.

They are going to absolutely murder it at this location.

They could easily add another 4-5 of these around the metro.

I hope you're right --- that corner needs to see something successful !!!

They are going to absolutely murder it at this location.

They could easily add another 4-5 of these around the metro.

This is great on all levels. So many people come from the northside of OKC to have a Waffle Champion experience and have to wait in long lines. Having their own nearby will be great. I totally agree they could expand and I hope they do more around OKC. Love this place!

I doubt HoneyBunny Bisquit Company isn't so excited about this. Ah....competition.

I agree with another poster a Tucker’s Burger would be much better here. I don’t really care for this development. I’m tired of all these downtown businesses turning into chains and spreading around the city.

Usually restaurants can maintain the quality if they expand within the same metropolitan area. Tucker's is still quite good despite having five locations across OKC.

I hope this works, great get for Edmond but the Edmond market & clientele are very different from Midtown as a whole. Yo Pablo was doomed long before it ever opened and not really sure about Covell Park but it definitely didn't get the love Guernsey did. This is a very different target market than what the original location is about. I honestly feel like it might do better on the West side of Edmond/Deer Creek where the demographic is perhaps a little younger.

I hope this works, great get for Edmond but the Edmond market & clientele are very different from Midtown as a whole. Yo Pablo was doomed long before it ever opened and not really sure about Covell Park but it definitely didn't get the love Guernsey did. This is a very different target market than what the original location is about. I honestly feel like it might do better on the West side of Edmond/Deer Creek where the demographic is perhaps a little younger.

this yo pablo was actually pretty busy ..

i am not sure it would have closed if not for the larger yo pablo issues

this yo pablo was actually pretty busy ..

i am not sure it would have closed if not for the larger yo pablo issues
When was it really busy? Because every time I went it wasn’t so busy. Which worried me that it would close as I really liked their food. The busiest location I remember was the one near Nichols Hills.