Man, whatever became of the Skinny Slim's in Norman? Still waiting to open?
Man, whatever became of the Skinny Slim's in Norman? Still waiting to open?
It will never stop being extremely funny to me that the Skinny Slim’s ownership group got 95% of the way to opening the Norman location and then just abandoned it for seemingly no reason at all. I don’t really have anything substantive to add, and I just can’t quite bring myself to get worked up about it in the way I get worked up about the Energy going dark for half a decade or OU building a new basketball arena five miles off campus, but it is just a very absurd aspect of a niche corner of the OKC sports scene that makes me laugh whenever it’s inevitably brought up on this board every few months.
Anyways, on topic, think for five minutes about the demographics and interests of the average person who visits the Plaza and it never made any sense why someone would think that a sports bar would work there. I have never been to Scorecards but based on their longevity in the face of very mediocre reviews, I can only assume that the owners of that place also own the location outright rather than having to pay rent. Whereas, if even Maples couldn’t survive in the face of Plaza rents, it never seemed realistic that Sideline was going to.
I told my wife about it closing and she wasn't surprised at all and she worked in the Plaza for eight years. Obviously that would do well on Memorial, Expressway, etc, but not in the Plaza distict. Midtown it would probably be ok and maybe even uptown, but not the plaza district.
What will do well in the Plaza District?
I'm trying to understand more about the different districts in Oklahoma City. IMO, the Paseo District seems to thrive on finesse and an artistic, European vibe, which is why concepts like Frida and Picasso Cafe are doing well there, coffee shops or bakeries with a great ambiance will be successful there as well. On the other hand, the Plaza District attracts a younger crowd, making places like Up-Down bar popular, Sideline just doesn't have any distinctive vibe to me, nothing makes me want to come back.
Greg Horton posted on facebook that Chef Jeff from Ma Der Lao already signed a lease for the space and has been remodeling the former Mule and sports bar into a new concept that would be related to Ma Der Lao but will have a Lao focus with other asian influences. It will be a late fall, early winter opening.
So Happy Chef Jeff is taking this spot over.
Chef Jeff has announced the idea for this location. It will be called Bar Sen. "A Lao Noodle Shop & Neighborhood Bar. House-Made, Hand-Cut, Gluten-Free, RICE NOODLES. Coming Fall 2024.”
That looks awesome, I love the Khao Soi at Ma Der and try to plan my trips there around it.
Hopefully there is enough business to support them both.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks