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Jeepnokc
05-01-2022, 10:08 AM
Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.

I have wondered if this could have major effect on the chain. I rarely eat at Swadleys because there are so much better options for BBQ but if Billy Simms can thrive on their BBQ, Swadleys should be able to survive the storm

Libbymin
05-01-2022, 10:09 AM
Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.

Yeah I think this will have a real impact on their other restaurants, at least in the short term. There are few things that we all agree on in this politically divided time but blowing taxpayer money on outright corruption is something that everyone hates.

Jersey Boss
05-01-2022, 11:00 AM
Yeah I think this will have a real impact on their other restaurants, at least in the short term. There are few things that we all agree on in this politically divided time but blowing taxpayer money on outright corruption is something that everyone hates.

There have been several instances of blown taxpayer money on corruption during the Stitt term with nary a sign of legislative oversight. "Imagine That". Call me cynical of doubting anyone being being criminally convicted or impeached.

Bullbear
05-02-2022, 01:39 PM
i have wondered about the affect it would have on their business and then I see stories posted on social media with folks commenting " i loved having a great place to eat at state parks" posts and was like wow.... you don't get it. but social media isn't the best poll of all people of course..

Sydonesia
05-02-2022, 04:46 PM
i have wondered about the affect it would have on their business and then I see stories posted on social media with folks commenting " i loved having a great place to eat at state parks" posts and was like wow.... you don't get it. but social media isn't the best poll of all people of course..


Swadley's is a "great place to eat" maybe if you've literally NEVER eaten BBQ before...

Ward
05-03-2022, 01:47 AM
i have wondered about the affect it would have on their business and then I see stories posted on social media with folks commenting " i loved having a great place to eat at state parks" posts and was like wow.... you don't get it. but social media isn't the best poll of all people of course.

I'm not taking political sides on this issue. However, I am completely against corruption and criminals, and those who are guilty need to have their day in court

Having said that, I was born and raised, and still have lots of family, very near the Quartz Mountain State Park, which had a restaurant run by Swadleys.

If you live in a rural area, and for now let's just say SW Oklahoma, Western Oklahoma, NW Oklahoma and the Panhandle, and let's throw in the Texas Panhandle, there are very few good places to eat. Many towns don't even have anything more than a convenience store selling crap and coffee, or possibly a greasy spoon diner that is serving crappy food and barely keeping their doors open, etc.

When the restaurant space was taken over by Swadleys everyone was excited, and when it opened everyone who dined there was so happy to have a nice place to eat and enjoy a good meal.

Yeah, I know, that's all a relative experience, and most people might turn their nose up at Swadleys and go to a place more their liking, but when you have little to zero opportunity to eat a a decent place, it makes you happy and go you go again and again.

So, here is the, I can't think of the right word at 1:45 in the morning, but I'll use conundrum. Here is the conundrum: Someone had the idea to come into underserved areas and give folks a decent place to eat, to entertain, to gather with friends or family reunions..... And some greedy person thoroughly mucks up, FUBAR's it up, all in the name of GREED, and in the end, people who were happy with their new circumstances have had that taken away from them.

I am NOT defending Swadleys, the governor, the others. Politicians and greedy folks always muck things up, and that's sad. Really sad.

You could have run things honestly and ethically and been legal, but noooooooooooo you had to get greedy and steal and connive and cheat because you wanted even more money and were willing to do this.

Or so it seems, the facts will come out in the end, and charges may or may not be filed, people may or may not be fined or jailed,
etc.

Justice must be served.

citywokchinesefood
05-03-2022, 09:21 AM
I'm not taking political sides on this issue. However, I am completely against corruption and criminals, and those who are guilty need to have their day in court

Having said that, I was born and raised, and still have lots of family, very near the Quartz Mountain State Park, which had a restaurant run by Swadleys.

If you live in a rural area, and for now let's just say SW Oklahoma, Western Oklahoma, NW Oklahoma and the Panhandle, and let's throw in the Texas Panhandle, there are very few good places to eat. Many towns don't even have anything more than a convenience store selling crap and coffee, or possibly a greasy spoon diner that is serving crappy food and barely keeping their doors open, etc.

When the restaurant space was taken over by Swadleys everyone was excited, and when it opened everyone who dined there was so happy to have a nice place to eat and enjoy a good meal.

Yeah, I know, that's all a relative experience, and most people might turn their nose up at Swadleys and go to a place more their liking, but when you have little to zero opportunity to eat a a decent place, it makes you happy and go you go again and again.

So, here is the, I can't think of the right word at 1:45 in the morning, but I'll use conundrum. Here is the conundrum: Someone had the idea to come into underserved areas and give folks a decent place to eat, to entertain, to gather with friends or family reunions..... And some greedy person thoroughly mucks up, FUBAR's it up, all in the name of GREED, and in the end, people who were happy with their new circumstances have had that taken away from them.

I am NOT defending Swadleys, the governor, the others. Politicians and greedy folks always muck things up, and that's sad. Really sad.

You could have run things honestly and ethically and been legal, but noooooooooooo you had to get greedy and steal and connive and cheat because you wanted even more money and were willing to do this.

Or so it seems, the facts will come out in the end, and charges may or may not be filed, people may or may not be fined or jailed,
etc.

Justice must be served.

I personally hope all parties involved actually see consequences for their actions. Realistically I am not going to hold my breath. I think it was a bad idea to do a BBQ restaurant from the start. As a concept BBQ restaurants have some very high costs to handle namely purchasing, storing, and cooking large quantities of meat. When it takes hours to prepare your product it doesn't give you a lot of ability to adjust to fluctuations in volume. They really should have gone with a local pizza, taco, or burger place. All those concepts are much higher margin and can deal with much bigger changes in volume on a daily basis than any barbecue restaurant. IMO it was a massive grift from the start and all parties involved knew it.

baralheia
05-03-2022, 09:24 AM
Swadley's is a "great place to eat" maybe if you've literally NEVER eaten BBQ before...

For what it's worth - the Foggy Bottom Kitchen menu didn't include BBQ. Instead, it was your general American restaurant fare - burgers, sandwiches (including a Monte Cristo), salads, chicken fried steak, pork chops, chicken & waffles, breakfast options, that sort of thing. You can find copies of their menu online. Never got the opportunity to try 'em out, but the menu looked pretty good. Of course, that doesn't excuse corruption and greed.

catcherinthewry
05-03-2022, 09:27 AM
For what it's worth - the Foggy Bottom Kitchen menu didn't include BBQ. Instead, it was your general American restaurant fare - burgers, sandwiches, salads, chicken fried steak, pork chops, breakfast options, that sort of thing. You can find copies of their menu online.

That was my impression too, but it makes me wonder why they bought and overpaid for smokers. Do you think they bought them on the state's dime and meant to use them for their non-state restaurants?

TheTravellers
05-03-2022, 09:40 AM
https://www.thelostogle.com/2022/05/02/swadleys-took-1-5-million-in-taxpayer-ppp-funding/

baralheia
05-03-2022, 09:40 AM
That was my impression too, but it makes me wonder why they bought and overpaid for smokers. Do you think they bought them on the state's dime and meant to use them for their non-state restaurants?

Honestly, that's a really good question and it puzzles me too. I don't know if they intended to eventually introduce some menu items that would have required a smoker, or if the smokers ever even got installed at the Foggy Bottom restaurants in the first place - that's definitely something that should be investigated.

Roger S
05-03-2022, 10:59 AM
For what it's worth - the Foggy Bottom Kitchen menu didn't include BBQ. Instead, it was your general American restaurant fare - burgers, sandwiches (including a Monte Cristo), salads, chicken fried steak, pork chops, chicken & waffles, breakfast options, that sort of thing. You can find copies of their menu online. Never got the opportunity to try 'em out, but the menu looked pretty good. Of course, that doesn't excuse corruption and greed.

The food and service was good at the Lake Murray location.... That's what really sucks about all the shenanigans involved behind it.

It was a nice option for people at the lake to dine at and as I said upthread we would drive out there from my farm north of Ardmore just to eat breakfast on the patio and take in the view.

Midtowner
05-03-2022, 12:26 PM
I'm not sure there was fraud here. At first blush, it sounds like everything Swadley's did was permitted in the contract they signed. The contract says you can do it, you do it, no fraud happened. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Brent Swadley worked out a contract, probably directly with Jerry Winchester. Swadley's lawyers did a better job than Winchester's lawyers. Then Swadley operated businesses, which definitely appear to have been built for the long haul, not a short grift, squarely within the four corners of the contract. How can the State now be claiming there to have been fraud? It seems the State and its subsidiaries have managed to contract with other entities and not be taken for such a ride. Right?

This is a pretty complicated situation and it didn't have to be. The State could have opened up a bidding process. It maybe should have considered its obligation to offer these catering and vending gigs to blind operators through the Department of Rehabilitative Services as State law (7 O.S. sections 71-78) requires the State to first offer any state owned cafeteria, counter, vending machine, etc., to blind owner-operators. That wasn't done and the A.G.'s office has been quiet.

I don't think anyone can blame Brent Swadley or his business here. He was just trying to do what any vendor does when they walk away from a negotiation with a contract allowing massive profits--he went and made those profits. We shouldn't blame Jerry Winchester, he shouldn't have been in a position to negotiate a contract like that. There should have been oversight. There should have been someone in the AG's office or even a privately contracted firm to negotiate this contract. It's governmental malpractice.

There are massive structural issues here, which if not addressed, the state will continue to get robbed blind time after time.

BoulderSooner
05-03-2022, 12:43 PM
I'm not sure there was fraud here. At first blush, it sounds like everything Swadley's did was permitted in the contract they signed. The contract says you can do it, you do it, no fraud happened. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Brent Swadley worked out a contract, probably directly with Jerry Winchester. Swadley's lawyers did a better job than Winchester's lawyers. Then Swadley operated businesses, which definitely appear to have been built for the long haul, not a short grift, squarely within the four corners of the contract. How can the State now be claiming there to have been fraud? It seems the State and its subsidiaries have managed to contract with other entities and not be taken for such a ride. Right?

This is a pretty complicated situation and it didn't have to be. The State could have opened up a bidding process. It maybe should have considered its obligation to offer these catering and vending gigs to blind operators through the Department of Rehabilitative Services as State law (7 O.S. sections 71-78) requires the State to first offer any state owned cafeteria, counter, vending machine, etc., to blind owner-operators. That wasn't done and the A.G.'s office has been quiet.

I don't think anyone can blame Brent Swadley or his business here. He was just trying to do what any vendor does when they walk away from a negotiation with a contract allowing massive profits--he went and made those profits. We shouldn't blame Jerry Winchester, he shouldn't have been in a position to negotiate a contract like that. There should have been oversight. There should have been someone in the AG's office or even a privately contracted firm to negotiate this contract. It's governmental malpractice.

There are massive structural issues here, which if not addressed, the state will continue to get robbed blind time after time.

thank you for the great information

Bits_Of_Real_Panther
05-03-2022, 12:51 PM
Would it be considered fraud if swadley billed the state for permits and work related to permits (sprinkler systems, fire suppression equipment, etc.) That was never performed or properly permitted?

Jersey Boss
05-03-2022, 12:54 PM
Would it be considered fraud if swadley billed the state for permits and work related to permits (sprinkler systems, fire suppression equipment, etc.) That was never performed or properly permitted?

Point-Counterpoint.

Jersey Boss
05-03-2022, 12:56 PM
I'm not sure there was fraud here. At first blush, it sounds like everything Swadley's did was permitted in the contract they signed. The contract says you can do it, you do it, no fraud happened. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Brent Swadley worked out a contract, probably directly with Jerry Winchester. Swadley's lawyers did a better job than Winchester's lawyers. Then Swadley operated businesses, which definitely appear to have been built for the long haul, not a short grift, squarely within the four corners of the contract. How can the State now be claiming there to have been fraud? It seems the State and its subsidiaries have managed to contract with other entities and not be taken for such a ride. Right?

This is a pretty complicated situation and it didn't have to be. The State could have opened up a bidding process. It maybe should have considered its obligation to offer these catering and vending gigs to blind operators through the Department of Rehabilitative Services as State law (7 O.S. sections 71-78) requires the State to first offer any state owned cafeteria, counter, vending machine, etc., to blind owner-operators. That wasn't done and the A.G.'s office has been quiet.

I don't think anyone can blame Brent Swadley or his business here. He was just trying to do what any vendor does when they walk away from a negotiation with a contract allowing massive profits--he went and made those profits. We shouldn't blame Jerry Winchester, he shouldn't have been in a position to negotiate a contract like that. There should have been oversight. There should have been someone in the AG's office or even a privately contracted firm to negotiate this contract. It's governmental malpractice.

There are massive structural issues here, which if not addressed, the state will continue to get robbed blind time after time.

I wonder if the brainaics who manufactured the contract made Sunday a day of no service? How stupid is that at a resort.

Midtowner
05-03-2022, 02:52 PM
Would it be considered fraud if swadley billed the state for permits and work related to permits (sprinkler systems, fire suppression equipment, etc.) That was never performed or properly permitted?

I'm guessing if Brent Swadley was put under oath, assuming that happened as described above, it would be a billing error which they would quickly offer to refund, or it was for work which was planned to be done and was not done because the contract with the State was ended abruptly and with no notice. Maybe the contract allows for pre-payment for these things so that it never comes out of the company's pocket? As screwed up as it looks like it is, I'd almost feel safe assuming that to be true.

Midtowner
05-03-2022, 02:54 PM
I wonder if the brainaics who manufactured the contract made Sunday a day of no service? How stupid is that at a resort.

Very stupid. It's as if whoever negotiated the deal simply took Swadley's first proposal and signed off on the deal without reading it. Whoever negotiated that deal needs to be gone. Whoever was supposed to sign off and oversee that deal and didn't needs to go as well.

Midtowner
05-03-2022, 02:56 PM
And back to the point about the blind owner/operators not being given an opportunity to bid, if I heard that they were open to bids, I've got a client who'd probably jump all over that. It's pretty astounding what's happening in State government. With certain things, I'd call the Stitt administration visionary and excellent. If they're able to turn Oklahoma into a manufacturing hub for EVs and batteries, no one will even remember this stuff.

That said, they're patently awful at the day to day running of the government. If something is not of interest, it receives the least amount of work possible. For example, the federal money they hired a 3rd party contractor to dole out to home schooling families who used the education money to pay for home repairs, Xboxes, etc. That wasn't because there was some big payoff from homeschooling contractors. It was just that no one thought they might need to come up with some sort of oversight. Nope. Not interesting. Least amount of work possible.

Where some see corruption, I just see incompetence. At least if there was corruption, there'd be some sort of backroom grift. Some kind of quid pro quo. I really do believe this all surprises Kevin Stitt. I really do believe that Jerry Winchester never thought there'd be a problem with any of this. I really do believe that Brent Swadley thought he was given a cash cow because of his party loyalty and he just maxed it out. No, it's just out in the open for everyone to see.

And before you can say I'm excusing everyone's conduct here, I'm not. I'd probably rather have a thoroughly corrupt but competent politician representing me than a person who is in over his head.

CS_Mike
05-03-2022, 03:22 PM
I don't think anyone can blame Brent Swadley or his business here.

Seriously? You can rationalize his actions all you want, but even if you can argue that this didn't rise to the threshold of legal fraud, he'd still be guilty of either unethical business practices or gross negligence/incompetence (assuming these were all just "mistakes" made on his company's part). In any of those scenarios, I think it would be reasonable for anyone to "blame Brent Swadley or his business" for misusing taxpayer dollars. Should the state have done better to prevent this type of activity? Of course it should have! That doesn't absolve Swadley's of blame however.

Bill Robertson
05-03-2022, 03:34 PM
Very stupid. It's as if whoever negotiated the deal simply took Swadley's first proposal and signed off on the deal without reading it. Whoever negotiated that deal needs to be gone. Whoever was supposed to sign off and oversee that deal and didn't needs to go as well.
Or worse. Whoever negotiated and oversaw the contract knew exactly what was in it and what was going on. In which case just being gone isn't enough.

PaddyShack
05-03-2022, 03:36 PM
I have insight into the being closed on Sunday part of the agreement, a close friend of mine was one of the GMs of Foggy Bottom and previously worked as a GM for a few of the Swadley's BBQ locations. Swadley's originally didn't want to serve alcohol however the state did. This was the compromise that was made, closed on Sunday and Foggy Bottom would sell alcohol.

Dr Beard Face
05-03-2022, 03:40 PM
Swadley needs to be behind bars for his very obvious attempts to strong arm the fire marshal and ignoring permits. He thought he was above the law and didn't need the permits, intentional or not, its put every customer in danger and he should be at least charged with endangering every single customer, employee, and vendor that stepped foot in those buildings. At best he's an irresponsible business owner, at worst a fraud; either way he should not be in business. His history of skirting permits and bragging, telling people to "fake it until you make it" shows he's not an honest person. Stitt and crew should go down as well with their complete lack of actually governing the processes, but I doubt any of them see ANY punishment past a fine.

catcherinthewry
05-03-2022, 05:03 PM
I'm not sure there was fraud here.

I've read a lot of articles from several sources and I remember one mentioning Swadley telling vendors to inflate their prices so they could kick back to Swadley. Also, some of their consulting fees were double billed. But I think what is most egregious thing is the conspiracy between Swadley and Winchester. They set up the corrupt contract and made it so that Swadley would be the only one that qualified to bid on it. And the whistle blower obviously thought there were crimes committed or he wouldn't have quit and turned them in.

Bellaboo
05-04-2022, 09:30 AM
Stitt appointed Winchester April 1, 2019. Winchester and Swadley are best buds. Stitt proclaims the buck stops with him. His Gary Cox appointment didn't go so well either.

These guys are all sleeping in the same bed. And Stitt claims transparency.

Jeepnokc
05-04-2022, 10:00 AM
I've read a lot of articles from several sources and I remember one mentioning Swadley telling vendors to inflate their prices so they could kick back to Swadley. Also, some of their consulting fees were double billed. But I think what is most egregious thing is the conspiracy between Swadley and Winchester. They set up the corrupt contract and made it so that Swadley would be the only one that qualified to bid on it. And the whistle blower obviously thought there were crimes committed or he wouldn't have quit and turned them in.

Also, don't forget the heck of a deal they made the state on used smokers from their own company.....

"The alleged overcharges include a pair of used smokers that, when new, retail for about $29,000. The price Swadley's charged to the agency? About $60,000 each, including management fees, according to the whistleblower and agency records."

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2022/04/15/swadleys-whistleblower-alleges-foggy-bottom-fraud-deal-oklahoma-tourism/7326424001/

David
05-04-2022, 10:23 AM
Might be worth looking into what state parks (if any) those smokers were being used at.

TheTravellers
05-04-2022, 10:26 AM
Stitt appointed Winchester April 1, 2019. Winchester and Swadley are best buds. Stitt proclaims the buck stops with him. His Gary Cox appointment didn't go so well either.

These guys are all sleeping in the same bed. And Stitt claims transparency.

No idea how he can claim any kind of transparency at all:

https://oklahomawatch.org/newsletter/democracy-watch-with-the-stroke-of-a-pen-stitt-vetoes-government-transparency-proposal/

Dob Hooligan
05-04-2022, 10:57 AM
And back to the point about the blind owner/operators not being given an opportunity to bid, if I heard that they were open to bids, I've got a client who'd probably jump all over that. It's pretty astounding what's happening in State government. With certain things, I'd call the Stitt administration visionary and excellent. If they're able to turn Oklahoma into a manufacturing hub for EVs and batteries, no one will even remember this stuff.

That said, they're patently awful at the day to day running of the government. If something is not of interest, it receives the least amount of work possible. For example, the federal money they hired a 3rd party contractor to dole out to home schooling families who used the education money to pay for home repairs, Xboxes, etc. That wasn't because there was some big payoff from homeschooling contractors. It was just that no one thought they might need to come up with some sort of oversight. Nope. Not interesting. Least amount of work possible.

Where some see corruption, I just see incompetence. At least if there was corruption, there'd be some sort of backroom grift. Some kind of quid pro quo. I really do believe this all surprises Kevin Stitt. I really do believe that Jerry Winchester never thought there'd be a problem with any of this. I really do believe that Brent Swadley thought he was given a cash cow because of his party loyalty and he just maxed it out. No, it's just out in the open for everyone to see.

And before you can say I'm excusing everyone's conduct here, I'm not. I'd probably rather have a thoroughly corrupt but competent politician representing me than a person who is in over his head.

I think we don't know what we don't know. I am willing to give the story the time necessary to get to the truth before I draw a conclusion. Having said that-at first blush it does look like Governor Stitt's team were either crooks or rookies.

David
05-04-2022, 11:01 AM
I think we don't know what we don't know. I am willing to give the story the time necessary to get to the truth before I draw a conclusion. Having said that-at first blush it does look like Governor Stitt's team were either crooks or rookies.

Why not both?

Midtowner
05-04-2022, 11:36 AM
That was my impression too, but it makes me wonder why they bought and overpaid for smokers. Do you think they bought them on the state's dime and meant to use them for their non-state restaurants?

That certainly appears to be the case. The State was on the hook for equipment and labor in the Foggy Bottom restaurants, and they were reportedly using those facilities and employees to fill catering orders in OKC.

This was a massive swindle. No doubt. It was fun to argue what I guess is the other side and watch the tribalism ensue. But what I said about the Canoo deal materializing and landing Panasonic making this story go away is also true. It will likely take an Oklahoma County District Attorney to do something, or maybe several of them. I wouldn't be shocked if the A.G. asserted his jurisdiction over it and then just lets it die.

We sit around and make fun of Russia for being so corrupt and incompetent and we don't realize that we're resembling them more every day. Sure, the Swadley Swindle is minor league ball compared to what's going on over there. But we're getting there. Bit by bit.

Jeepnokc
05-04-2022, 12:11 PM
That was my impression too, but it makes me wonder why they bought and overpaid for smokers. Do you think they bought them on the state's dime and meant to use them for their non-state restaurants?

My impresssion from reading the articles was that Foggy bought them used from Swadleys.

okatty
05-04-2022, 03:09 PM
^Selling old smokers at inflated prices to the State = getting brand new smokers in the locations from which the old ones came from. Nice way to get brand new smokers (state essential pays for them).

Martin
05-04-2022, 03:27 PM
My impresssion from reading the articles was that Foggy bought them used from Swadleys.
i'm not sure about that... here's what i had previously read:


In August 2021, Foggy Bottom billed the Tourism Department for two barbecue smoker pits from the Oklahoma City-based company Quality Food Equipment, priced at $51,346 each. The Frontier found the same model of smoker at another restaurant supply company priced at $29,570.

it's still suspicious, though...

onthestrip
05-04-2022, 03:52 PM
i'm not sure about that... here's what i had previously read:



it's still suspicious, though...

Especially since Foggy Bottom didnt make or sell BBQ. Dont need a $50,000 smoker to cook burgers.

Midtowner
05-04-2022, 05:04 PM
Especially since Foggy Bottom didnt make or sell BBQ. Dont need a $50,000 smoker to cook burgers.

You'd need them if you were cooking food off-site from the restaurants for catering orders to be able to have the states cover your costs per the contract.

Martin
05-04-2022, 05:11 PM
You'd need them if you were cooking food off-site from the restaurants for catering orders to be able to have the states cover your costs per the contract.

i can accept that the smokers might be needed to fulfill catering orders... the part that is odd to me is paying almost double the going rate for them. i suppose it's possible that delivery, installation, and/or a service contract were included.

catcherinthewry
05-04-2022, 06:38 PM
At this point I don't think Swadley and Winchester deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt.

soonerguru
05-04-2022, 09:07 PM
I'm not taking political sides on this issue. However, I am completely against corruption and criminals, and those who are guilty need to have their day in court

Having said that, I was born and raised, and still have lots of family, very near the Quartz Mountain State Park, which had a restaurant run by Swadleys.

If you live in a rural area, and for now let's just say SW Oklahoma, Western Oklahoma, NW Oklahoma and the Panhandle, and let's throw in the Texas Panhandle, there are very few good places to eat. Many towns don't even have anything more than a convenience store selling crap and coffee, or possibly a greasy spoon diner that is serving crappy food and barely keeping their doors open, etc.

When the restaurant space was taken over by Swadleys everyone was excited, and when it opened everyone who dined there was so happy to have a nice place to eat and enjoy a good meal.

Yeah, I know, that's all a relative experience, and most people might turn their nose up at Swadleys and go to a place more their liking, but when you have little to zero opportunity to eat a a decent place, it makes you happy and go you go again and again.

So, here is the, I can't think of the right word at 1:45 in the morning, but I'll use conundrum. Here is the conundrum: Someone had the idea to come into underserved areas and give folks a decent place to eat, to entertain, to gather with friends or family reunions..... And some greedy person thoroughly mucks up, FUBAR's it up, all in the name of GREED, and in the end, people who were happy with their new circumstances have had that taken away from them.

I am NOT defending Swadleys, the governor, the others. Politicians and greedy folks always muck things up, and that's sad. Really sad.

You could have run things honestly and ethically and been legal, but noooooooooooo you had to get greedy and steal and connive and cheat because you wanted even more money and were willing to do this.

Or so it seems, the facts will come out in the end, and charges may or may not be filed, people may or may not be fined or jailed,
etc.

Justice must be served.

Yes, this is a sad deal. The parks needed better restaurants. Quartz is a beautiful location but the restaurant at the lodge has been hit or miss for two decades. Other parks didn't have reliable operators.

I do understand the excitement when these were announced. I saw the Discover Oklahoma episode about Foggy Bottom and I thought it was a fabulous concept for the parks.

But, but, this whole thing just seems like an example of what happens when you put people in charge of the government who inherently believe government is corrupt.

FighttheGoodFight
05-05-2022, 08:46 AM
Yes, this is a sad deal. The parks needed better restaurants. Quartz is a beautiful location but the restaurant at the lodge has been hit or miss for two decades. Other parks didn't have reliable operators.

I do understand the excitement when these were announced. I saw the Discover Oklahoma episode about Foggy Bottom and I thought it was a fabulous concept for the parks.

But, but, this whole thing just seems like an example of what happens when you put people in charge of the government who inherently believe government is corrupt.

Well I guess the upside is there are now nice redone restaurants in all state parks and new places can take those spots? Of course there will be a long drawn out legal battle I'm sure.

Bill Robertson
05-06-2022, 03:16 PM
Well I guess the upside is there are now nice redone restaurants in all state parks and new places can take those spots? Of course there will be a long drawn out legal battle I'm sure.
Apparently the legal battle won't stop the state from moving forward? There's been a statement released that the state is moving forward with the bidding process to find new operator(s) of the State Park restaurants.

Snowman
05-07-2022, 06:43 PM
Swadley's is a "great place to eat" maybe if you've literally NEVER eaten BBQ before...

They have some of the most variation in quality between restaurants I think I have ever seen in a chain restaurant. Sure many chains will have variation where well managed ones have better quality and service than others. However there are different Swadley's that seem like they are not even affiliated to the same company.

Jersey Boss
05-07-2022, 07:22 PM
Swadley's did a great nm

soonerguru
05-08-2022, 07:57 PM
It is impressive how quickly the governor has distanced himself from the Swadley's fiasco. He is turning a potentially massive scandal into a "look at me calling for all of the audits" ploy that will probably work well enough with his base of voters.

barrettd
05-08-2022, 08:39 PM
It is impressive how quickly the governor has distanced himself from the Swadley's fiasco. He is turning a potentially massive scandal into a "look at me calling for all of the audits" ploy that will probably work well enough with his base of voters.

Well, I don't know there's much of anything he can do or say that won't work with his base of voters.

SEMIweather
05-08-2022, 08:52 PM
Well, I don't know there's much of anything he can do or say that won't work with his base of voters.

Yeah, anyone who thinks this is actually going to make a difference come November is kidding themselves. Stitt won by 10+% in 2018 in what was assuredly a more difficult midterm environment for the GOP than this November is going to be. I would love to see the dude get shown the door, but realistically it is not going to happen.

mugofbeer
05-08-2022, 11:12 PM
I didn't know the mods had reopened the politics forums again?

Roger S
05-09-2022, 06:58 AM
They have some of the most variation in quality between restaurants I think I have ever seen in a chain restaurant. Sure many chains will have variation where well managed ones have better quality and service than others. However there are different Swadley's that seem like they are not even affiliated to the same company.

Not just between restaurants.... I've noticed it at the same location. One day they will serve something that's actually really good and the next time I was there I would be questioning how the meat I was served made it out of the kitchen to a table instead of a dumpster.

Martin
05-09-2022, 07:02 AM
I didn't know the mods had reopened the politics forums again?

they didn't. : ) i removed a post that strayed too much into partisan politics. just a gentle warning to stick to discussing the facts here.

ABryant
05-10-2022, 11:38 AM
Before this plays out. They want to get a new contract.

catcherinthewry
05-12-2022, 08:38 AM
The more that comes out the more corrupt this deal looks.

https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/months-before-seeking-bids-a-state-tourism-official-spoke-of-a-deal-for-swadleys-foggy-bottom-kitchen-to-make-money-from-day-one/

catcherinthewry
05-12-2022, 07:23 PM
Hearings started today.

https://nondoc.com/2022/05/12/loft-swadleys-contract-included-inconsistencies-bloated-expenses/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=nondocmedia&utm_content=LOFT:%20Swadley%27s%20contract%20inclu ded%20inconsistencies,%20bloated%20expenses

soonerguru
05-12-2022, 08:02 PM
This is just a massively ballooning scandal. You never know which one is going to stick in the public's mind. This one clearly is that.

Libbymin
05-12-2022, 09:37 PM
https://twitter.com/ForrestBennett/status/1524801390198939656?s=20&t=3IUStfa9UgrbPLWld-CY9Q


Forrest Bennett
@ForrestBennett
At one point, Swadley’s turned in a report that included $164,903 in travel costs. At the federal reimbursement rate of 56 cents/mile, that would be about four trips around the world. So, probably not accurate.

DowntownMan
05-12-2022, 09:58 PM
https://twitter.com/ForrestBennett/status/1524801390198939656?s=20&t=3IUStfa9UgrbPLWld-CY9Q


Forrest Bennett
@ForrestBennett
At one point, Swadley’s turned in a report that included $164,903 in travel costs. At the federal reimbursement rate of 56 cents/mile, that would be about four trips around the world. So, probably not accurate.

How many weekend cabin stays at broken bow did they take to check on the work being done. That probably where that cost comes from

catcherinthewry
05-13-2022, 07:38 AM
How many weekend cabin stays at broken bow did they take to check on the work being done. That probably where that cost comes from

That would be the equivalent of 426 trips from OKC to Broken Bow.

DowntownMan
05-13-2022, 10:08 AM
That would be the equivalent of 426 trips from OKC to Broken Bow.

I’m not talking mileage. I was talking cabin rentals

catcherinthewry
05-13-2022, 12:04 PM
Travel costs are paid by the mile so they don't include cabin rentals.

DowntownMan
05-13-2022, 03:24 PM
Travel costs are paid by the mile so they don't include cabin rentals.

Just was a thought. It says travel. Doesn’t say details of what exactly it was. If it said mileage that would make sense but travel to me includes mileage costs per mile Plus any other costs associated with traveling some where such as lodging and meals while traveling.

If you were to travel for work and take your own car. You would get paid per mile driven plus any costs of lodging and food reimbursement. I was kinda thinking this same logic is probably how they are classifying “travel”