Pauline's (formerly Johnnie's)

[Roger S]

Interesting... so it's going to be a Johnnie's spin on a Babe's Chicken Dinner House, from the sound of it. I'd give it a try.

My exact same thought.

[traemac]

Has anyone tried this yet? I saw they had their soft opening

[Thomas Vu]

I should go out, I've never been to a Johnnies at all. Only urban johnnies.

[roci28]

It’s now called Pauline’s. Johnies new concept.

[Wishbone]

Drove by Paulines on Sunday and they were not open yet.

[Pete]

You can see their menu with prices and other info here:

https://paulineschicken.com

[shartel_ave]

Is Pauline Bob Evans wife?

Looks like Bob Evans food

[Zuplar]

Not much of a menu. This place tended to be an afterthought when it was a burger place for me, and now I have little interest in this new concept. Hopefully for their sake they have success this time around.

[Roger S]

Not much of a menu. This place tended to be an afterthought when it was a burger place for me, and now I have little interest in this new concept. Hopefully for their sake they have success this time around.

It's actually an expansive menu for the concept that it is..... Babe's Chicken Dinner Shack, which is what Pauline's is modeled from, doesn't offer any extra sides or gluten free/vegan options

Wonder if the 3rd time for this concept in the metro will be a charm..... Barry Switzer tried it in Norman originally and there was Red's in Edmond for a couple of years but neither place was able to stick.

[soonerguru]

I will definitely try this out, but in my experience, the Johnnie's folks don't fare too well when they get too far afield from theta burgers and onion rings. I did like Charlie Newton's, though.

[Pete]

They are now open for limited hours.

Looks like 4 PM to 10 PM which will be expanded at a later date.

[Thatguy15]

Chicken was cooked perfectly but the seasoning...not good. Sides are cheap. Tasted like boxed mashed potatoes and frozen green beans. Biscuits and apple butter were the best thing I ate.

[doctorwho]

Drove by there around 6:30 tonight and it looked like it was closed. Zero cars in the parking lot.

[whatitis]

Drove by there around 6:30 tonight and it looked like it was closed. Zero cars in the parking lot.

according to google they are closed on Mondays.

[Roger S]

Went and tried it last night.... Not going to say it was bad but it definitely wasn't to my liking.

The biscuits appeared to be baked like a cake and had an almost cornbread texture without the cornmeal. Apparently I wasn't the only one that noticed this because the couple a few booths away from me asked if the biscuits had cornmeal in them. The waiter went to the kitchen and asked and came back and told them no.

The mashed potatoes had some lumps in them so I don't think they were instant but they tasted like boiled yellow squash to me.

The okra was just foodservice okra that could have been cooked a bit longer.

And now for the chicken... The style of the crust kind of reminded me of my moms cast iron skillet fried chicken but that's where the similarities ended.... The seasoning of the chicken, for lack of a better word, is quite pungent. I have a pretty good palate and I can't even describe the flavor well..... It was almost like a cross of Taco and Nacho Cheese flavor Doritos without the cheese flavor.... It totally overwhelmed everything.

They were pretty slow compared to the other restaurants around them at 7:30 on a Sunday. I really don't see them lasting very long. It's just too different to appeal to most peoples tastes in my opinion. It was definitely not like any southern cooking I've ever experienced.

[Bellaboo]

Went a couple months ago. It's just okay as far as we were concerned. My hairdresser loved it. To each their own.

[Roger S]

Went a couple months ago. It's just okay as far as we were concerned. My hairdresser loved it. To each their own.

Yeah... It's just so different it's hard to describe.... I can usually pick a recipe apart by taste. When we went to Dining in the Dark in Las Vegas our waitress was amazed at how well I was able to pick things out without being able to see what I was eating. I could not tell you one flavor I could recognize in that chicken.

[Pete]

Besides a basic Johnnies, they have tried many other concepts and none of them have lasted very long.

I'm sure they have a big investment in that building and are thus trying to find something that works there.

[SoonerDave]

I'm a huge fan of Babes, and my family visited Paulines, and it was good - not Babes by a long shot, but OK. If Johnnie's is truly trying to emulate Babes, perhaps their management needs to take a field trip down there and actually *eat* at one.

I go to Babes almost any time I head to Dallas, and last weekend my son and I had smoked and fried chicken, and it was **soo** good - and my son remarked at one point, "You know, Pauline's still isn't Babe's." After getting a fresh taste of the "real thing," we both realized the gap isn't as close as we initially thought.

Mind you, this isnt a knock on the Pauline's effort. They need to keep trying. I may be unreasonably biased, but that's a pretty high bar to reach.

[Snoopy]

I'm a huge fan of Babes, and my family visited Paulines, and it was good - not Babes by a long shot, but OK. If Johnnie's is truly trying to emulate Babes, perhaps their management needs to take a field trip down there and actually *eat* at one.

I go to Babes almost any time I head to Dallas, and last weekend my son and I had smoked and fried chicken, and it was **soo** good - and my son remarked at one point, "You know, Pauline's still isn't Babe's." After getting a fresh taste of the "real thing," we both realized the gap isn't as close as we initially thought.

Mind you, this isnt a knock on the Pauline's effort. They need to keep trying. I may be unreasonably biased, but that's a pretty high bar to reach.

They brought back johnnies burgers and onion rings a few weeks ago!

[Pete]

Has anyone been to Pauline's lately?

I wonder how they are doing.

[Ginkasa]

I heard a radio ad the other day giving away gift cards or something to Pauline's. Not sure if that's positive, negative, or neutral. It was the first time I'd thought about them for a while.

[Bill Robertson]

I heard a radio ad the other day giving away gift cards or something to Pauline's. Not sure if that's positive, negative, or neutral. It was the first time I'd thought about them for a while.

If it was The Animal they've given $20 credits good at Johnnies/Paulines to first time callers for a long time. The past few months "first time" has reset every month.

[SoonerDave]

Has anyone been to Pauline's lately?

I wonder how they are doing.

We went there just a few weeks ago. I was disappointed that they no longer offer smoked chicken, and that was a nice bonus if you wanted to avoid fried or at least *try* to be a little calorie conscious, you're now kinda outta luck, but nothing I could do. The biscuits were better than our last visit, but it did seem the menu had shrunk some except for adding Johnnie's burgers.

[Paule4ou]

From Pauline’s fb page:

An exciting time for change at Pauline’s.
We have loved serving you the past year and a half at Pauline’s Southern Kitchen. With the new year, comes an exciting new change. Our last day of business will be Sunday, January 28th. On Wednesday, January 31st, we will reopen as Johnnie’s Kitchen and Bar. Please see the press release below for more information!

——————————————————————-

After collaboration with customers, iconic Oklahoma family-owned restaurant makes major move

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla (January 24, 2024) - The family of Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler is excited to announce an addition to its iconic business lineup - Johnnie’s Kitchen & Bar. The first location will open January 31, 2024, at 1700 Shedeck Parkway in Yukon, currently the home of Pauline’s Southern Kitchen.

“We have seen remarkable growth at Pauline’s,” stated Jana Haynes, owner of Pauline’s and wife of co-founder Rick Haynes. “We have stayed true to what our flagship restaurant, Johnnie’s, is known for - delicious, fresh food with impeccable service. We are in the restaurants every single day and have conversations with our customers. They wanted us to add something special and unique. They asked, we listened, and we’re delivering.”

Johnnie’s Kitchen & Bar will feature the Johnnie’s menu that customers know and love, then taking it up a notch by adding a full bar and new menu items including delicious appetizers, comforting entrees, and hand-crafted beers. It will also have pool tables, darts, and lots of TV’s.

“This new venture would not be possible without our valued customers and the amazing Yukon and Mustang communities,” said Jana Haynes. “I’m from Yukon which has been a tremendous help. I’ve scoured the town looking for old school letter jackets and sports memorabilia. I’m excited for Oklahomans to experience the new concept. This isn’t a typical sports bar with average food. This is a place for the family to come, friends to gather, devour great food, have a drink, watch a game or just hang out and shoot pool or throw some darts.”

Haynes continued, “When Pauline’s closes Sunday night, January 28th, we will flip the restaurant, ready to serve Oklahomans come Wednesday morning at 11am. We can’t wait to welcome everyone and introduce them to Johnnie’s Kitchen & Bar in Yukon.”