Infernos Woodfire PIzza

[GoOKC1991]

Remodeling is well underway at the old Bikini's Sports Bar at 2747 W. Memorial to convert the building into Infernos Wood Fired Pizza.

The only other Infernos is located in the San Antonio suburb of New Braunfels. From their website:

Along with the fact that we are the only restaurant carrying the legendary Trinidad scorpion pepper, both by itself and infused into our signature sausage, we also follow a staunch commitment to NEVER use frozen products and to ensure that each item, whether it’s our hand toss Pizzas, crispy cold salads, or delightful sandwich, are made to order using only the freshest ingredients. You will love enjoying your fresh handmade meal in our spacious TV filled dining room, comfortable patio, or from one of the stools lining our full bar.

Infernos Menu

Construction is on-going and the new restaurant will open this spring.

[okatty]

I haven't either. They have an uphill battle based on the most recent occupants of that location. Hopefully they will have more success.

[Pete]

There hasn't been any building permits.

And I can't find anything about them.


Did you see a sign out front?

[GoOKC1991]

There hasn't been any building permits.

And I can't find anything about them.


Did you see a sign out front?

Yes, I did.

[Pete]

http://www.okctalk.com/content/115-infernos-coming.html

[catch22]

http://www.okctalk.com/content/115-infernos-coming.html

Are paid subscriptions required to view these now? Says I don't have the proper permissions to view it.

[Pete]

Are paid subscriptions required to view these now? Says I don't have the proper permissions to view it.

No -- just a glitch.

Try it now.

[Bill Robertson]

Same ownership as Bikinis. Not sure if they'll need to pull any permits. There were discussions when they were Bikinis about just putting in a pizza oven, adding some beer taps and shelving behind the bar, changing the wall decor and calling it good. Then again there was some talk about taking out part of a wall or two and making the pizza oven visible to the dining area. Since they are calling for an April opening I would say they're not doing a whole lot. The whole interior was new after they reopened after the fire. That was just a year ago.

[Pete]

^

I was told they put over $400K into the building for Bikinis.

This will be very much a pizza & sports bar.

Anxious to see what they bring to the market in terms of wood fired pizza. Always room for more if done well.

[bchris02]

Pizza is starting to become as competitive in OKC as burgers are. Restaurants really need to be at the top of their game to compete.

I still think there is room in this market for a genuine NY style pizzeria.

[Bill Robertson]

^

I was told they put over $400K into the building for Bikinis.

This will be very much a pizza & sports bar.

Anxious to see what they bring to the market in terms of wood fired pizza. Always room for more if done well.

Yes they put a bunch of money into Bikinis.

This will be pizza and sports. But Bikinis was burgers and sports if you looked past the girls. So not much really needs to change decor wise. In fact if you look at the interior pictures of the existing Infernos it looks a lot like Bikinis with different wall decorations.

BTW. I did quite a bit of work for Bikinis. And we were very regular regulars of Bikinis. I know the owners. The Infernos idea was brewing long before Bikinis closed. Some of Infernos management even managed Bikinis in the last few months before they closed.

[gopokes88]

Yes they put a bunch of money into Bikinis.

This will be pizza and sports. But Bikinis was burgers and sports if you looked past the girls. So not much really needs to change decor wise. In fact if you look at the interior pictures of the existing Infernos it looks a lot like Bikinis with different wall decorations.

BTW. I did quite a bit of work for Bikinis. And we were very regular regulars of Bikinis. I know the owners. The Infernos idea was brewing long before Bikinis closed. Some of Infernos management even managed Bikinis in the last few months before they closed.

Why did bikinis close?

[Urbanized]

Just a guess: having meals served to you by women in bikinis sounds more appetizing than it is in actual practice.

[Mel]

Just a guess: having meals served to you by women in bikinis sounds more appetizing than it is in actual practice.

Snap! We are up in that area a lot due to the Turnpike. A good pizza joint will be nice. Doubt if I will be trying that Scorpion chili though.

[Roger S]

Doubt if I will be trying that Scorpion chili though.

That's what caught my attention..... Whenever I stop at Rodney's in Purcell I get a hotlink and jalapeno pizza.... Can't wait to try the scorpion sausage pizza!

[Mel]

I'm jealous. My gizzards will not let me go much past a jalapeno. I will be checking out a few of their pies. Wonder if they will have milk as a standby drink for that pizza you want?

[Bill Robertson]

Why did bikinis close?

Never could put a finger on why Bikinis didn't work. Food was good. Prices were right in line with everyone else. Lots of TVs that the they would put on anything you wanted as long as it was sports. I never really paid much attention to the girls being in bikini tops and daisy dukes. They could have been in sweats for all I cared. Maybe it was a big deal breaker for some.

When they opened the first time the food was not so good and the service was terrible. Maybe they never got over the bad reputation from that time. We always had excellent service but I suppose it's possible that it could have been because we knew everyone and everyone knew us.

[MadMonk]

What is it about that location that things can't seem to stick around for long?

[bchris02]

I never went to Bikini's, but nobody I know ever recommended going there. If it really was bad when it first opened its very likely the initial reputation doomed it.

Hopefully this new Pizza place is successful.

[Bill Robertson]

What is it about that location that things can't seem to stick around for long?

For one getting there can be a challenge. The only direct way in is to be going west on Memorial. If you're going north on May it's not bad if you know to turn and go through Barnes And Noble's parking lot or go behind Barnes And Noble. Going south on May you have to either cross May at the light going into the mall then wind your way south and east or take your chances crossing May to go behind Barnes And Noble with no light. However, the same access issue can be said for Red Lobster, Swadley's, Baker Street, etc. and they all do pretty well.

[Urbanized]

What is it about that location that things can't seem to stick around for long?

If there are successful, long-running concepts nearby (there are in this case, right?) I don't believe in the idea of a "cursed location," unless you are talking about cursed in terms of having a string of bad operators/concepts/execution/leases or some combination thereof.

We've seen this many times in other places, for instance in Bricktown. The space that currently houses Henry Hudson's Public House developed a bad rep, home to a number of places like Windy City, Daquiri Zone, Brix, and now HH. Meanwhile, it is sandwiched between one place that has been there since 1992 (Bricktown Brewery) and another that has been there since 1994 (Abuelo's). Across the street from BB stands Spaghetti Warehouse, which has been there since 1989, and across Sheridan stands Chelino's, there also since the very early nineties.

[ctchandler]

That's what caught my attention..... Whenever I stop at Rodney's in Purcell I get a hotlink and jalapeno pizza.... Can't wait to try the scorpion sausage pizza!

OKBBQEA,
I'm with you, I like really spicy food, but I have never had anything spicier than jalapenos on a pizza at a restaurant. I do add Jalapenos, habaneros, and hot Italian sausage to my Papa Murphy's "take and bake". And Mel, like most truly hot peppers, they are used sparingly so I really doubt it is going to be really hot. If it was, nobody would order it and it would disappear from the menu.
C. T.

[metro]

Pizza is starting to become as competitive in OKC as burgers are. Restaurants really need to be at the top of their game to compete.

I still think there is room in this market for a genuine NY style pizzeria.

There is, Papa Angelo's in Bethany, but yes regardless our urban core needs several walk-up style pizza by the slice places.

[Roger S]

There is, Papa Angelo's in Bethany, but yes regardless our urban core needs several walk-up style pizza by the slice places.

I've never been to NYC so I can't compare but Papa Angelo's is my pizza of choice here. We drive from Moore to Bethany to eat there and for the short time they had the Jones location we would drive out there also. As near as I can tell from reading descriptions of NY Style is that Papa Angelo's has a press they use to form their dough into the crust and NY Style is hand tossed.

Humble Pie in Edmond also does a NY Style pizza but I've only ever had their Chicago Style so I don't know how it compares to Papa Angelo's.

[jccouger]

I keep being reminded of Fire Mountain when I see this thread....