Press release:
PONYBOY: COMING TO THE TOWER THEATRE WINTER 2018
84 Hospitality, the restaurant group behind several of Oklahoma City’s favorite dining and drinking destinations including, Empire Slice House, Revolución, and Goro Ramen, has officially announced its latest venture – Ponyboy. Slated to open in The Uptown 23rd District this winter, the concept will serve as a timeless bar, dedicated to celebrating the spirit of Oklahoma.
SETTING THE SCENE
OKC-based development company, Pivot Project, approached Rachel Cope and 84 Hospitality to develop a unique concept for the former Savings & Loan Bar space. The teams agreed on two things: no gimmicks and no pretension. The name, Ponyboy, serves as a subtle nod to female author, S.E. Hinton, best known for The Outsiders, who celebrated her Oklahoman roots through her writing. The concept of Ponyboy is, in turn, a celebration of the 84 Hospitality team’s own Oklahoman roots. This idea can be seen throughout the menu and design of the space, including the photos framed and hung in the downstairs area - personal, family photos donated by Cope’s family and friends.
“Ponyboy is about our families, our experiences and things we love,” said Rachel Cope, CEO of 84 Hospitality. “With a little luck and a lot of hard work, we hope it will serve as an everlasting homage to our state and a compliment to the historic Tower Theater.”
COFFEE IN THE FRONT
During the day and throughout the night, Ponyboy’s first floor will feature bar snacks inspired by food the team grew up eating and a simple, curated coffee program, for which 84 Hospitality has teamed up with local specialty roaster, KLLR Coffee. Serving as a local hub for residents, the team plans to revive the Plaza District’s “Free Coffee Friday” pop-up, offering the local community a place to come together and grab a free cup of drip coffee.
“Ponyboy opens at 11 a.m., so we won’t be your first cup of the day, rather an afternoon pick-me-up or a late-night shot of espresso,” said Cope.
In the evenings, Ponyboy’s first floor will transition into a casual bar with a thoughtful selection of beer, whiskeys, and playful cocktails. While being mindful of the classics, guests can expect cocktails with a subtle tie to Oklahoma, such as a Classic Martini served with pickled okra instead of an onion. Each evening from 4 p.m. – 1 a.m., Ponyboy will offer delivery pizza from 84 Hospitality’s own Empire Slice House and has plans to introduce a new food truck, Knight Slider, to service the downstairs patrons offering quality bar bites in spring 2018.
PARTY IN THE BACK (AND UP THE STAIRS)
Upstairs, a high-volume, high-energy bar will serve as a small live music venue. Dedicated to supporting the local OKC music scene, the space will feature a stage for 60-100 person shows, Thursday – Saturday. A vintage “ON-AIR” live recording sign at the back staircase will serve as the gatekeeper, and the rules are simple – when the sign is lit, guests are welcome to venture upstairs, when the sign is off, the party stays downstairs. Ponyboy’s upstairs venue is scheduled to open early 2018.
^^^^^^
Fantastico!
Is there an elevator to the second floor anywhere in the Tower? Loading band gear up the bar stairs or the lobby stairs will be a nightmare without one.
I have had the pleasure to work with Rachel over the last couple months. She is a very smart and driven person. I am happy to see her killing it in OKC.
Oh, and Knight Slider? Sounds like I need to talk to her about this one as well
I talked to Rachel last week when I dropped off her shirts. She mentioned that they are having a soft opening tomorrow and plan to open the bottom floor later this week.
Quote from one of the best movies of all time.
Looks like this will not be open tonight, correct?
Opened officially last night. I was the first official paying customer about 4:45 haha. Came back later after a ULI members party and a private Top Shopper preview at the Holiday Pop-Up Shops and Ponyboy was PACKED.
Haha I was cracking myself up typing all of that and hoping it was being taken in jest. Although I did in fact do those things because, well, I’m super-important!
For the record, also a joke! I go to stuff like that to watch the REAL doers do cool stuff...
I stopped in here yesterday and I really like the feel of the downstairs. Definitely feels like a neighborhood bar with a variety of options and price points. These shops on 23rd have a nice big city neighborhood feel to them. Love the developments. I'd love to see the parking lot across the steet developed into retail and housing with a parking garage built elsewhere for parking.
^
At one time, the Pivot guys were hoping to get a new Uptown TIF to fund a parking structure on that site with retail / commercial on the lower level(s).
But the city was not receptive to that idea.
There's a lot to like here! I love their menu--coffee, snacks, $8-10 signature cocktails, $5 basic cocktails, and boilermakers! Only complaint was too many TVs with their brightness all the way up.
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