Pops

[RadicalModerate]

When the line was too long--and the music too loud--at the Nichols Hills location of Hopdoddy, we treated our just out of the Air Force nephew and his wife to a visit to Pops (Nichols Hills). It might not have been perfect, yet it was OK. (And the drive to Arcadia would have been pointless.) Edited to Add: Yes. We walked away with two six-packs of Designer Soda. Guilty.

[SoonerQueen]

I heard today that Pop's in the Nichols Hills Plaza has closed. So sorry to hear this. With Irma's gone, it was a nice place to go. I guess the competition hurt them.

[kukblue1]

Who wants to spend $2-$3 for a pop you may for may not like. Also all their pops was the same price so a Dr Pepper was expensive compared to everyone else.

[corwin1968]

I've never eaten at the original Pop's location but I've heard good things. The Nichols Hills restaurant was mediocre at best.

[Pete]

[GoldFire]

Not surprising. The last time we went there was probably around September and virtually all of the sodas were out of stock.

[Joe Kimball]

Yes, went by yesterday in an attempt to pick up some candy and saw the monochrome version of this sign. I'm not surprised, but it was still sudden (as these things tend to be).

It's a cool space; hope it's filled quick

[stile99]

It really wasn't THAT sudden. My first thought upon reading that it had closed was "Yeah yeah, this is at least the third time I've heard this rumor", and we've been discussing the decline in this thread the last few months.

[Joe Kimball]

Well, I wasn't really in the loop. I mean "sudden" in "did the employees have notice", which upon my experience in similar cases, they don't.

The decline was undeniable. Healthy stores don't have a lack of stock as they did, which looked as if a 75% sale had just been announced that morning. It's one of those things that you can recover from if you try. Obviously though, between that and what I'd heard of the food of late, that was it.

[PaddyShack]

I don't know about anybody else on here, but the Arcadia location has seen better days. First off the electronic sign out front needs to be replaced. They need to better clean the place all around, inside and out. I know it is a gas station with a lot of traffic, but you could have at least one employee go check on the trash cans every hour or two. Next they really need to clean their display shelves along the front windows. It is pretty bad sitting and seeing all of the dust.

[chuck5815]

I don't know about anybody else on here, but the Arcadia location has seen better days. First off the electronic sign out front needs to be replaced. They need to better clean the place all around, inside and out. I know it is a gas station with a lot of traffic, but you could have at least one employee go check on the trash cans every hour or two. Next they really need to clean their display shelves along the front windows. It is pretty bad sitting and seeing all of the dust.

Yes, and the food isn't much to write home about it either.

Hard for a place like that to compete on the merits with The Garage, S&B, Tucker's, Hopdoddy, Johnnies, etc., etc.

Then you add the drive, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if we saw the AL location close in 2019.

[Ginkasa]

Part of the original, at least, is going to be the experience. Visiting OG Pops, to me, felt like the classic Route 66 experiences I've heard about. It was kind of unique and kind of a fun mini-trip. Plus all the unique sodas are fun; trying new things. I don't think Pops necessarily has to have particularly amazing food or necessarily compete with all of those other burger places. However, they do need to ensure the experience stays fresh and worthwhile. If the maintenance and upkeep of the place is going downhill, that's going to ruin it.

[SEMIweather]

I don't know about anybody else on here, but the Arcadia location has seen better days. First off the electronic sign out front needs to be replaced. They need to better clean the place all around, inside and out. I know it is a gas station with a lot of traffic, but you could have at least one employee go check on the trash cans every hour or two. Next they really need to clean their display shelves along the front windows. It is pretty bad sitting and seeing all of the dust.

Went to the Arcadia location several months back and was pretty disappointed. Butcher BBQ in Wellston is a much better Route 66 food experience.

[rtz]

Are they building a new location in Edmond or North OKC? Just wondering where they will locate it?

[warreng88]

Drove by and it looks like there was a construction trailer out front and no one inside. Anybody know what’s going on?

[Pete]

Drove by and it looks like there was a construction trailer out front and no one inside. Anybody know what’s going on?

They are doing a remodel and the trailer is a mini-store until they reopen. From their Instagram page:

Our Mini store is here!! due to weather conditions we had a delay in delivery of our trailer but we are excited to say its finially here and our doors are open! the mini store will be open Dailey from10-7 (weather permitting) along side our food truck which will be open if weather conditions are above 40 degrees. We thank all of our amazing patrons for their patience and excitement for the changes to come! keep an eye on our socials and we will be posting sneak peaks and updates throughout the remodel process!

[Martin]

that's good news on the remodel... we stopped by last summer during a visit to arcadia and the interior was looking a little worn down.

[Swake]

that's good news on the remodel... we stopped by last summer during a visit to arcadia and the interior was looking a little worn down.

Last time I was there was more dust on the shelves than pop.

[Pete]

After Aubrey McClendon died in 2016, it seems nobody really cared much about running Pops.

His estate sold in 2020 for $2.2 million to a group out of Edmond, so hopefully it will receive more attention. At the very least, they are investing in renovation.

The McClendon estate still owns the surrounding 148 acres and about 1,000 acres to the south and east.

[scottk]

After Aubrey McClendon died in 2016, it seems nobody really cared much about running Pops.

His estate sold in 2020 for $2.2 million to a group out of Edmond, so hopefully it will receive more attention. At the very least, they are investing in renovation.

The McClendon estate still owns the surrounding 148 acres and about 1,000 acres to the south and east.

Every time I find myself on Route 66 heading out to Arcadia or Luther, Pops seems to be busy. They are still featured in many publications and YouTube travel videos as a "must stop" Route 66 attraction along with the Round Barn in Arcadia.

I agree that it needed some TLC as it had remained virtually untouched since it opened and received a lot of foot traffic over the years.

The novelty of specialty sodas or finding unique regional sodas has kept the place popular, and they have kept the price per bottle pretty reasonable to what you would find in the grocery store or any local C-Store.

Since they own the surrounding land, It would be interesting if they ever could develop the land around it to something else iconic to Route 66, like a weekend Drive-In movie screen or Drive-In "movie park" during the summers where you bring your own lawn chair or blanket and grab your favorite soda and popcorn, or some retro heavily themed Route 66 roadside hotel with throwback rooms, or even a funky and unique art installation along the lines of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.

So much potential from being 10 minutes from I-35, you would encourage a lot of traffic passing through for a quick detour, and also encourage locals to spend more time at the location for various forms or entertainment and community.

[LakeEffect]

AND, the Centennial of 66 is going to focus even more attention on the corridor in the very near future.

We stopped in last October and were happy with our meal - first time we'd been in years. My biggest photo-op complaint was that the pop bottle lighting needed some fixing.

[Rover]

Since they own the surrounding land, It would be interesting if they ever could develop the land around it to something else iconic to Route 66, like a weekend Drive-In movie screen or Drive-In "movie park" during the summers where you bring your own lawn chair or blanket and grab your favorite soda and popcorn, or some retro heavily themed Route 66 roadside hotel with throwback rooms, or even a funky and unique art installation along the lines of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.

So much potential from being 10 minutes from I-35, you would encourage a lot of traffic passing through for a quick detour, and also encourage locals to spend more time at the location for various forms or entertainment and community.

Really fun ideas

[Bellaboo]

There is a man who owns a place just East of Arcadia on Rt 66. Stopped and met him, very interesting eccentric dude. He has put the front end of an old Volkswagen protruding from the upper level of his garage. He's quite the mechanic and car builder. Worth checking out.

[John1744]

I wish they gave the food handling back to Good Egg or someone else locally reputable, the last couple times I've ate there it's seemed to have just been fried frozen food. Which is fine, but when you know what it once was capable of, it's hard to stomach where they are at now.