Room 222 at the Brick is set to open soon in the Power Alley parking garage in Bricktown.

The new restaurant and bar will occupy 4,000 square feet on the far east end of the ground floor, directly next to the Hampton Inn and feature a large, u-shaped bar.

The Executive Chef will be Krysten Adams, who has held similar positions in Oklahoma City. The menu has yet to be set, although pizza and wine will be featured along with sandwiches, salads and appetizers.

Hiring is in progress with an opening in the next few weeks.

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Room-222-at-the-Brick/1572528169632016)
Website (http://www.brick222.com/)



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Their concept will focus around pizza and wine. They were originally going to be call 222 Pizza but they decided to go with Room 222.

That brings back half a memory, the name but not much of the content.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcaUluahdwM

Is there any relation to the Byford Auto Group (http://www.byfordauto.com/)? If not, that's some pretty bold logo theft...

wow good catch, never heard of them but yeah that's exactly the same

They or their graphic designer may have both used some stock clip art.

If Byford trademarked theirs, room 222 should expect a lawsuit very soon.

If you browse around the 847 pages of logo art here or one of the other providers you will probably run across the same graphic. It could even be one that comes with the license to Adobe Illustrator. When you purchase stock art, you don't buy exclusive use of it or the IP behind it. You license your use. So if the red swooshes are licensed clip art, there's no claim for that. Neither one are using the same name or typeface so there's no claim there either.

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?searchterm=logo+elements&language=en&lang=en&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&media_type=

Or maybe that was too hard so they stole it, but I doubt it.

I used an agency to design a yellow page ad once. One of their specialties was making ads for similar businesses and they worked with people all over the country. They didn't tell you this exactly going in, but what you licensed was their best effort at an ad for the type of business with your info plugged in. It was good stuff, expensive and they would change what you didn't like, but you could go to some other city, crack another book under the same heading and maybe find the same ad. They used stock photos in those ads too but there was a lot more going on then one graphic and a business name.

The TV show was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title. Room 222 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_222)

They or their graphic designer may have both used some stock clip art.

I actually created them a logo back when they were considering the name "222 Pizza" which was much better. Oh well.

The TV show was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title. Room 222 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_222)
Me too. Particularly Karen Valentine. I had such a crush.

From https://twitter.com/Bricktown411:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9wEBmiCcAIs6wW.jpg

What an awful choice of branding. They will give The Sandwich Club a run for their money.

it might be okay branding if it didn't look like a real estate office from the outside

i mean, it doesn't exactly say "get in me, i am hip"

(not that I would know what it was to be hip)

Just looks super duper generic. How is anyone supposed to know what it is?

Yeah - the name and branding definitely leave a bit to be desired - hopefully they have a good product though. A higher-end pizza and wine restaurant would be a very welcome addition to bricktown. The wedge is good, but we don't love it (just a matter of taste), so it would be nice to have a good pizza option that we could walk to. There are several nice pizza & wine joints in places like SF, so hopefully this place and fulfill that niche!

Me too. Particularly Karen Valentine. I had such a crush.

me too. :o

I agree with shawn, this looks like some kind of real estate office. Not sure the logo gets across what is inside. Maybe if the name had bar or something in it, it would help.


Edited.

Guys, constructive criticism is fine but remember this (and most everything else we post here) is someone's business who has tons of blood, sweat, tears and money invested.

And almost all these business owners read this site.

Please put yourself in their shoes and be more respectful. Thanks.

I hope my comment wasn't seen as disrespectful, but if so, I apologize. I definitely wish them success and will certainly give them a try once they open. The concept of a higher end pizza place could be a very good fit as Upper Crust has shown that model can be done well in OKC. Also, it will be great to have a business in that great location that creates street life. Anyway, lots to like about this proposal.

Is there room there to potentially add outdoor seating at some point?

Well said Pete, my apologies. Sometimes it's easy for me to be critical of other design work. I do wish them luck and hope to see them succeed in that location.

Here is a press release on this place:


Room 222 at the Brick is the next great destination experience in historic Bricktown.

Presented as an upscale Lounge and Restaurant, Room 222 offers hand crafted cocktails, premium

beers from around the world and an extensive wine collection. You can belly up to the bar or

find a plush seat in our relaxing lounge area. Enjoy our amazing appetizers, gourmet dishes,

brick oven pizza, and unbelievable deserts, accompanied by a perfect music experience of live

bands and our resident DJ. A must see for locals and guests alike. Room 222, the premier

destination for entertainment in Oklahoma City, located in the heart of Bricktown at 222 E. Sheridan.

I was fortunate enough to sit on a test of their kitchen and menu last week, and the food was very, very good.

The pizza in particular was excellent. Similar to Upper Crust with several interesting options. Crust was very good and the toppings flavorful.

They hope to open this week or next, pending final approvals.

The space itself is very nice and quite large. In the center is a big u-shaped bar. I would have taken pictures but the place was in disarray. The owners will be forwarding photos once they get things finished up.

One very interesting thing... They invited the sales and marketing staffs of several surrounding hotels and they have a specific plan to target the hotel guest. It's really extremely smart. They are directly next to both the Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn and there will soon be tons of hotels to the east. Room 222 will be one of the few restaurants that far east and since they offer a broad menu, will likely be quite successful in reaching out to those hotel occupants.

In fact, I also met with the staff at the Holiday Inn Express and they expressed happiness in having a good lunch option in the immediate area, as they said there were surprisingly few.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/room222042415.jpg

I will be building/designing their menu in the next couple weeks.

They open today (Tuesday 5/5) at 4PM.

Best of luck to them.

This is their bar... It really is beautiful space:

https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11152680_1615613078656858_4216494655287834036_n.jp g?oh=811a5bd7b68a658a2c1d07a0594d7300&oe=560D1445

That is _really_ nice. I know they're probably not shooting for my demographic, but I hate the name because when I saw this thread pop up again all I could think about was the old Room 222 TV show. Same thing the first time I saw the name whenever this was first posted.

haha, I did a quick google because that's what I thought as well. And it was Room 227.

But yes, I too pictured that show when the name/venue was announced. lol

haha, I did a quick google because that's what I thought as well. And it was Room 227.

But yes, I too pictured that show when the name/venue was announced. lol

http://i.imgur.com/fi7UEhK.jpg

sure, but Room 222 is before my time. hehe.

I recall 227 during the 80's so that is what I reflected on when seeing the name.

I've been here probably 4 times since it opened. Every time it has been almost empty. I have noticed that they sometimes have an enthusiastic bouncer outside trying to push drink specials etc. on weekend nights. Very '6th Street'-esque.

Does anyone know how business is doing?

^

What has been your experience with the food and drink?

It's just got to be tough to overcome the branding. It lacks any identity and you can literally stare at the place from outside and be totally unsure whether it's a club, a restaurant, or a bar. I hope they succeed, but they need new branding.

^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, and the inside has the same problem. It's actually VERY nice, but lacks any discernible identity. It's just a room. No vibe or character; not even much decor. It's odd. The food was good the few times I've gone, however.

The TV show was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title. Room 222 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_222)

Me, too. Thought Karen Valentine was coming out of retirement or something.

Their brand is certainly hindering their curb appeal. Most people have no idea what kind of business it is.

I tried to get them to think differently in regards to their brand, but that did not go very far. One of the owners also owns part of the Byford Auto Group, which uses the same red swoosh graphic. Even though one has nothing to do with the other, they were adamant about using it in this concept.

12142

Their brand is certainly hindering their curb appeal. Most people have no idea what kind of business it is.

I tried to get them to think differently in regards to their brand, but that did not go very far. One of the owners also owns part of the Byford Auto Group, which uses the same red swoosh graphic. Even though one has nothing to do with the other, they were adamant about using it in this concept.

12142

Buying a car and drinking at a bar have a ton of branding crossover appeal. Duh

Their brand is certainly hindering their curb appeal. Most people have no idea what kind of business it is.

I tried to get them to think differently in regards to their brand, but that did not go very far. One of the owners also owns part of the Byford Auto Group, which uses the same red swoosh graphic. Even though one has nothing to do with the other, they were adamant about using it in this concept.

12142
Sounds like someone more interested in saving money and maybe accidentally making a bit of a profit instead of doing things right.

Room 222 has re-branded as Fuel and is featuring live music and entertainment:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/fuel051317.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/fuel111217.jpg

Had dinner there on Friday night and my pizza was really good and my dining companions liked the burgers they ordered.

This place deserves more business and is great space.

For being at the ground floor of a parking garage (something we all ask for more of BTW), they probably get overlooked a lot. However if I were staying at the Hampton for a week, at least a couple of my meals would come from this place because lazy. And people are lazy, so they're probably getting some business from that segment. There's also those going the low-cost staycation route and this place probably helps with that too.

For being at the ground floor of a parking garage (something we all ask for more of BTW), they probably get overlooked a lot.

The previously generic marketing and lack of clear windows probably contribute to them being overlooked more so than being on the ground level of the parking garage. I’m glad they rebranded and hope they find success.

They will soon be installing a patio along Sheridan which should help with their visibility and to draw in the increasing foot traffic.

^^^^^
Hope they will also think extend the canopy (or replace with something more substantial), which would greatly help define the space. I have always felt the biggest challenge here was defining an entrance and making it obvious there was something there. Heck, if it were my place I would work with the property owner to sawcut the window openings (the facade is not structural in any way) and open it up to a single large CLEAR window opening, or even an overhead door or something else creative. The biggest problem this space has is almost zero relationship with the sidewalk. Deadly in a walkable urban environment.

All of that said, I completely agree that the food is unexpectedly good and the space inside is very nice, if a bit cavernous.

Clear windows would be great. I've walked by there several times after concerts and assumed they were closed, until one time I happened to walk by when someone was opening the door.