Restaurant closings

[Teo9969]

Please tell me Black Mesa is only closing the taproom?!?!

They have been one of the highest quality brewers in the state for a long time. One of their most recent brews "Sellout IPA" is one of the best IPAs in the OK market and the ESB has always been a special beer.

[Jersey Boss]

Please tell me Black Mesa is only closing the taproom?!?!

They have been one of the highest quality brewers in the state for a long time. One of their most recent brews "Sellout IPA" is one of the best IPAs in the OK market and the ESB has always been a special beer.

Well it was posted the owners retired. I took it that the brand is retired as well.

[fromdust]

ESB has always been a special beer.

one could say "extra special"

[fromdust]

Another brewery will close soon from what I've heard. Big craft beer guy, so this year has pretty much sucked.

[BoulderSooner]

elk valley just didn't advertise, and i think they were too far off from automobile alley for people to really know they were there. i used to go regularly, but when i talked about it to people you lived right around it, they didn't even know it was there.

elk valley also had pretty terrible customer service .. and always had a strange mix of beers on draft ..

I really wanted to like it and gave them way more rope then usual .. but it was not a surprise at all when they closed ..

[jedicurt]

elk valley also had pretty terrible customer service .. and always had a strange mix of beers on draft ..

I really wanted to like it and gave them way more rope then usual .. but it was not a surprise at all when they closed ..

i also know they had an issue with health inspectors because they kept using residential grade cooking equipment in a commercial space.

[WhoRepsTheLurker]

Elk Valley's death blow came in the form of ABLE. Before a leadership change, they were told it was okay for them to produce and distribute mead. They started and invested a lot of revenue into that before the new leadership of ABLE said that was not allowable. They were given until December 31st to sell all the mead they could legally. John had invested so much into the mead venture that they were supposedly losing $15k-20k a month the final few months of operations. Elk Valley had the best space and the best product of the breweries that have shut down so far. The marketing aspect just wasn't on his mind.

The next brewery to shut down decided to focus on the seltzer world and alienate the craft beer drinkers. Once they decided to shift focus to seltzers, they lost the craft beer crowd. Yes it is cheap to make seltzer, but you need to have a good product and revenue flow to be able to deviate that much from your business plan. Plus I think the owners are all in the age where they are starting or have started to have families and the burn out that comes with operating a brewery has taken a toll on their team.

[Roger S]

I am surprised to say the least. That facility is what, 4 years old?
I hope some other business resumes brewing there.

From what I'm hearing.... It will be a funeral home.

[Roger S]

Please tell me Black Mesa is only closing the taproom?!?!

They've already sold all the equipment.

[Timshel]

1492 midtown location is closing. Casady square still going. With that and Louie’s also closing, curious if landlords are substantially raising rents right there or if something else is going on.

[BoulderSooner]

1492 midtown location is closing. Casady square still going. With that and Louie’s also closing, curious if landlords are substantially raising rents right there or if something else is going on.

increase in rent

1492 midtown will hit 16 years in a few weeks a hell of a run

[PhiAlpha]

increase in rent

1492 midtown will hit 16 years in a few weeks a hell of a run

Seems like a poor time to increase rent. I guess we'll see if all these spots stay vacant. I'm sure the market will work it out.

[Jeepnokc]

Are the buildings that midtown 1492 and Louies owned by same group?

[Pete]

Are the buildings that midtown 1492 and Louies owned by same group?

Yes, both the buildings are owned by Midtown Renassaince.


Including Cafe do Brasil, that's 3 empty restaurants within a stone's throw. Sure hope they have other tenants lined up -- all are great spaces.

[jccouger]

It doesn't help that the legions of ad agencies, PR firms, and marketing companies in OKC don't have any real ideas on how to promote and differentiate businesses either.

They just do a press release to legacy media and then charge their clients for getting something in the Oklahoman or a TV channel (if they are very, very lucky) which can't possibly translate into any real business.


And then I come across the young woman who owns and runs Boomtown Creamery and I knew instantly she was going to kill it, even charging many multiples over ice cream from Braum's. That business has been a wild success, and I could see it coming a mile away. Conversely, it's become pretty easy for me to predict the demise of many places I cover long before they open.

Every time I cover a new place, I make a mental prediction and it's very rarely wrong.

Ethically do you see yourself as a journalist & try not to be a critic? I'd be interested in hearing your genuine opinion more often.

[BoulderSooner]

Yes, both the buildings are owned by Midtown Renassaince.


Including Cafe do Brasil, that's 3 empty restaurants within a stone's throw. Sure hope they have other tenants lined up -- all are great spaces.

just those those in the thread know 1492 will be open for service until OCT 14th

[Pete]

Ethically do you see yourself as a journalist & try not to be a critic? I'd be interested in hearing your genuine opinion more often.

I separate my reports from comments.

What I post on the news page, articles and social media is free of commentary. But obviously I voice my opinion in the discussion threads on OKCTalk.

I am absolutely not a food critic. Really, no one in this town is remotely qualified for that nor does anyone behave as a real critic should: not take freebies, try to go in anonymously and receive the same treatment and meal as any customer, etc. Everyone in OKC who tries to pass themselves off as a critic are really grifters taking free meals and drinks and then writing positively in return. So, I just post the menus and let people try the food and make their own decisions.

At times, I am forced into the role of Devil's Advocate simply because there are big things happening here that do not get covered correctly or objectively. TIF is by far the biggest example but also public incentives in general. Because I point out the downside, people like to brand me as being 'anti-TIF' or something similar.

The reality is that OKCTalk has become such a monster that people now come at me from all angles. Used to piss me off but I've learned there is great power in just keeping on while ignoring haters and people with clear agendas.

For example, there is a very long list of people that not only post 'never going to happen' but it's really ramped up with the Olympics reporting. Lots of people calling me out personally, making wild claims about being an arm of the Chamber (what??), that I have no idea what I am talking about, that the idea is laughable... I do my best just to ignore. The OKCTalk track record more than speaks for itself and when the formal announcement comes later this year, people who are paying any sort of attention will realize we were all over this long before it was on anyone's radar.

[catcherinthewry]

Pete, I think you perform a great service for the community and I can't imagine OKC without OKCTalk. I am so much better informed about everything OKC than before I found OKCTalk. Keep up the great work and ignore the naysayers.

[warreng88]

I separate my reports from comments.

What I post on the news page, articles and social media is free of commentary. But obviously I voice my opinion in the discussion threads on OKCTalk.

I am absolutely not a food critic. Really, no one in this town is remotely qualified for that nor does anyone behave as a real critic should: not take freebies, try to go in anonymously and receive the same treatment and meal as any customer, etc. Everyone in OKC who tries to pass themselves off as a critic are really grifters taking free meals and drinks and then writing positively in return. So, I just post the menus and let people try the food and make their own decisions.

At times, I am forced into the role of Devil's Advocate simply because there are big things happening here that do not get covered correctly or objectively. TIF is by far the biggest example but also public incentives in general. Because I point out the downside, people like to brand me as being 'anti-TIF' or something similar.

The reality is that OKCTalk has become such a monster that people now come at me from all angles. Used to piss me off but I've learned there is great power in just keeping on while ignoring haters and people with clear agendas.

For example, there is a very long list of people that not only post 'never going to happen' but it's really ramped up with the Olympics reporting. Lots of people calling me out personally, making wild claims about being an arm of the Chamber (what??), that I have no idea what I am talking about, that the idea is laughable... I do my best just to ignore. The OKCTalk track record more than speaks for itself and when the formal announcement comes later this year, people who are paying any sort of attention will realize we were all over this long before it was on anyone's radar.

So, people who have never paid attention to anything you have ever said, ever?

[warreng88]

Seems like a poor time to increase rent. I guess we'll see if all these spots stay vacant. I'm sure the market will work it out.

Can't speak for everyone, but usually commercial loans on commercial properties are not fixed for 30 years or sometimes not even 20, more like 5-10 years and then they renew. If rates don't drop in the next couple of years, we will see a lot of issues in 2025 due to people locking in for five years at 3.5 or 4 percent and when the note matures, they will be looking at double that. Might be some properties going on the market due to inability to service debt and tenants moving out due to increased rent.

[Pete]

Pete, I think you perform a great service for the community and I can't imagine OKC without OKCTalk. I am so much better informed about everything OKC than before I found OKCTalk. Keep up the great work and ignore the naysayers.

Thanks very much. I should say I get absolutely tons of positive feedback in addition to the small but vocal group of haters.

If you think about it, OKCTalk is a pretty major disruptor in OKC. Completely independent, not in any way connected or beholding to the traditional money and power brokers; I always tell people, "You don't have anything I want so you have zero power over me". This is a completely foreign concept to most.

I have always been particularly suspicious of local PR firms who get paid a lot of money to control the narratives for their clients. I don't need them at all... I can go get information, I don't need to sit on my arse waiting for a press release that are usually nothing more than overt propaganda. But when I first moved back and against my better instincts I met with one of them; someone very connected with the old guard. This person said, "So you must have a leak at ADG to get all this inside information..." First, I was deeply insulted. Then I realized they had no idea what I do and how architecture firms work... An architect would lose their job for leaking client info and what would they have to gain anyway? It just demonstrated that so many people here operate from the assumption that everyone engages in back-room deals and favor trading and corruption -- and that is the only way to achieve success in this town.

The idea someone just works their butt off and has figured out a better way is not even considered by most of these people. They are also the ones that swear they want growth and change in OKC but in reality, care much more about protecting their turf.

It's been a fascinating learning curve and I will admit I had been very naive.

[Pete]

So, people who have never paid attention to anything you have ever said, ever?

They pay attention which is why they follow OKCTalk in the first place...

It's always, always driven by some agenda. Otherwise, why on earth would you get so upset and personal over something that will be so very cool for OKC? Jealousy, being threatened, feeling snubbed... There is usually something specific behind such a hostile response other than your typical "where will people park and we need to fix the roads" internet rhetoric.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I'm convinced there is a subset of people that are just unhappy and negative about everything. Mixed with the internet where they post or comment about everything amplifies it.

[CatholicSooner]

If you like craft beer make sure you hit up TWISTED SPIKE before the end of the month. They are closing their doors.
Okc craft breweries that have fallen this year: Elk Valley, Black Mesa, and now Twisted Spike. Word on the street is Vanessa House is next

Wow...that is sad but I guess inevitable with how many popped up so quickly

[CatholicSooner]

I just started going to taphouses and almost none are convenient to access. As far as quality, Stonecloud has been the best, by far.

Agree. I'm a big fan of stonecloud and sky dance. Coop will always be my first love though