Park House

[TheTravellers]

Does that mean you think that Mahogany Prime and Flint, which are right across the street, will fail?

Flint will probably never fail because it's a hotel restaurant.

[Pete]

I believe that Mahogany is doing very well.

[Spartan]

Didn't they write operational hours into the lease?

[kukblue1]

Have gone to many a thunder game and never have eaten there. I park around the gardens but walk to bricktown or even Joey's. I never think about eating there. I don't think they did enough to get the Thunder crowd. Also it was a little pricey but your pay more in the arena. Also when there were events going on at the gardens like movies and such they never seemed open.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I actually really liked the place. Great atmosphere and good food. Hope the new hours help keep them in business.

[Pete]

Didn't they write operational hours into the lease?

The MBG wsa thrilled to have them and now to keep them on any terms.

They could not get anyone else interested at the outset and certainly no one is now stepping forward to take it over.

IMO, the Holloways did OKC a big favor by giving this a go when no one else would touch it.

[Pete]

Here is the press release from the Myriad Gardens:


Park House Restaurant at Myriad Gardens Transitioning from Daily Restaurant to an Event Center

Oklahoma City, OK – Park House restaurant at the Myriad Gardens is transitioning from a full-time restaurant to an event center for private rentals and specialty dinners and events for the public to enjoy in the space.

Effective as of Monday, January 25, 2016, Park House will no longer be offering daily lunch and dinner service. However, Park House will be open to the public for dinner and drinks for all upcoming Thunder home games this season and for selected events held at Civic Center, Cox Center and Chesapeake Arena. Park House will also be open for dinners over Valentine’s weekend and for brunches on Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Any upcoming event or catering through Holloway Restaurant Group taking place at Park House or Gardens will be honored without interruption. The Ice House will continue to be operated by the Holloway Restaurant Group and reopen as scheduled in March as the popular outdoor hamburger and shake stand located on the Seasonal Plaza now serving as the Devon Ice Rink.

In addition to remaining as a place for private rentals, the Myriad Gardens will also utilize the picturesque facility that overlooks the Gardens for its growing number of public programs and events including specialty dinners, farm-to-table events, tastings, group tour lunches, lectures, classes and more.

“We are grateful to the Holloway Restaurant Group and appreciate all of the effort they put into opening and managing the Park House at the Gardens. We look forward to working in conjunction with them on offering a variety of new dinner and brunch events for the public and to expand our private rentals in our uniquely beautiful space.“ said Maureen Heffernan, Executive Director.

[Tundra]

I have a better idea, move the ice house into that space and run it all year long expand the menu just a bit, keep it simple..... I'm not a fan of eating outside on a patio, which is why I've yet to go get a burger in the middle of summer at the ice house...... Then you could turn the ice house into a funnel cake ,snow cones,and cotton candy vendor for all the people in the park....

[d-usa]

Whenever I've been at the Garden it always seems like the Ice House managed to stay fairly busy and while in line you could look at the empty seats in the Park House.

If the Park House would have been a classic Oklahoma Diner it might have done a lot better.

[shawnw]

This operating hours will get confusing and seems like it might then adversely impact business further...

[Just the facts]

This operating hours will get confusing and seems like it might then adversely impact business further...

Just look at the issues at Anchor Down regarding seemingly random operating hours. People don't go because they never know if they will be open or not.

[Tundra]

Just look at the issues at Anchor Down regarding seemingly random operating hours. People don't go because they never know if they will be open or not.

It's the new hip thing to do , they are trying to recreate Nics business model to the "T"

[Paseofreak]

This thing should have never been built with public funds in a public space, especially in favor of the planned lower cost snack cafe. It's just egrediously arrogant. Virtually every citizen, of even the most modest means should have been able to go to the Gardens and enjoy a meal there, not just the well heeled. No shame on the Holloways, they tried against the odds. But the deciders (Larry Nichols???) and designers who must have known better in the face of nearly unanimous disinterest and advice against it from the local food service industry. Shame on them. This isn't Devon's front yard, it's a place for citizens of the whole city and our visitors. All of them.

[Pete]

Remember, there was to be a second restaurant where the open pavilion now resides more in the middle of the park, and it was cut due to budget overruns otherwise there would have been that empty space as well.

[Paseofreak]

Yes, the less expensive everyman's restaurant was cut in favor of one for the well paid. Message received: This park isn't for everyone.

[Paseofreak]

Pete, are you saying that no restaurant would work? I can't imagine that something closer to a snack bar serving dogs, burgers, nachos and drinks for under $10 or even nicer sandwiches and salads for an acceptable workday lunch wouldn't thrive. I don't think it would make the operators rich, but I believe it would add to the Garden experience and be nicely profitable.

[Pete]

^

I believe they want the space to be nice so they can easily rent it out for special events and private parties.

I think this is a good compromise for the time being and am just really glad this space was finished and finished nicely. Sat vacant and unimproved for too long.

[Tundra]

Bring back the Lunch Box....

[kevinpate]

The interesting thing to observe will be whether it will become nicely appointed and looks k when peeked upon while it stands largely vacant, as opposed to when it was not nicely appointed and always vacant. Reasonably appointed and thriving? Not on the menu.

[soonerguru]

I went there Saturday night. Our food was quite good but the portions were ridiculously ginormous. I know that's weird to complain about, and I'm not really complaining, but it was odd. The room is weirdly lit. Two tables, haphazardly, had tablecloths (that looked like catering material), while all others did not. Strange.

The food was good, again, the service was good, but there was just something off about the place. And the prices on the menu were very high, IMO, so I guess this ended up the way it was predicted to end up when so many of our restaurateurs pleaded with Larry Nichols and the MG overlords to put in something like a bistro or casual cafe. Of course, they were ignored, because "fine dining." One oil bust later and this place is a goner.

[Urbanized]

Besides the previously noted proximity that Flint and Mahogany enjoy to the hotel, they also have much better walkable connection to the CBD (and other hotels). It might not seem like that extra two blocks is a barrier to walkable success (and many argued in that painful CC thread), but it's a real thing. The fact that there is little to draw pedestrians down Robinson right now was a big issue for this place. Casual, opportunistic walk-in type business is essentially non-existent for them.

The perceived lack of parking is also a deterrent, even for the purposeful driving customer. Parking just LOOKS like a hassle, wich is less true for Mahogany and Flint.

Hopefully they stay on board and successful enough with this new plan until the Convention Center is completed, plus whatever appears on the REHCO site. This location will make much more sense at that point, and hopefully they will revisit the idea of regular hours, if they are still in the building.

[Urbanized]

And before someone replies to my walkability observation by pointing out that there is a perfectly serviceable (in fact excellent) sidewalk and crosswalk leading across Sheridan and south down Robinson, I just want to reiterate that "walkability" refers to much more than simple accessibility; including but not limited to things that by their nature draw a person down a sidewalk, visually, both creating AND maintaining their interest.

[bchris02]

And before someone replies to my walkability observation by pointing out that there is a perfectly serviceable (in fact excellent) sidewalk and crosswalk leading across Sheridan and south down Robinson, I just want to reiterate that "walkability" refers to much more than simple accessibility; including but not limited to things that by their nature draw a person down a sidewalk, visually, both creating AND maintaining their interest.

Very much this.

The area around Penn Square Mall has one of the highest walkscores in OKC, but not many people would consider it walkable.

[Teo9969]

Urbanized is exactly right. As soon as the Cox comes down and gets developed with (hopefully) multi use, that place will be one of the most popular restaurants in the city. Right now, it's out of sight, out of mind.

[Urbanized]

Here's an article that discusses the reasons behind this human behavior: How far will we walk to go somewhere? It depends. | Kaid Benfield's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

There is a metric known as "walk appeal". Though the park itself helps some, the walk between the CBD and Park House has very low walk appeal, owing to being near the intersection of four super blocks (the Cox super block being especially unappealing) and no points of interest along the way or beyond. Combine that with perceived parking hassle, and it's a tough place to which to draw people.

The building and its tenant were really just ahead of the curve. As this area develops (hopefully with an eye toward walkability), Park House becomes more viable.