Kd's Restaurant / Legacy Grill

[jbkrems]

I am very disappointed that they will not open until after Labor Day. Opening before Labor Day weekend would be better so people can use their time off and holiday weekend to try the new concept.

[JDSooners]

I am very disappointed that they will not open until after Labor Day. Opening before Labor Day weekend would be better so people can use their time off and holiday weekend to try the new concept.

Naw as long as its open before the Thunder season opener or preseason games.

[OSUMom]

https://twitter.com/Enes_Kanter/stat...68645191823360

[jbkrems]

Brianna Bailey has a sister article just out which suggests a LLC subsidiary of Hal Smith Restaurant Group has trademarked 3 new names. Legacy Grill was trademarked on July 21st most recently, and Henry Bar and Buzz Breakfast Club were trademarked back in June. I could see Legacy Grill being the new moniker for the former KDs.

[AP]

^That would be a perfect fit considering KD's consistent talk of legacy.

[warreng88]

Hal Smith to rebrand, reopen KD’s in September

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record July 25, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Denver professor HG Parsa said the changes underway at KD’s Southern Cuisine are more about the venue than the name.

Parsa has studied restaurant closures for 15 years and authored a four-part study on why eateries shut their doors.

“Usually, honestly, no one closes a restaurant because a player left,” he said. “I don’t buy that the restaurant is closing because Kevin Durant left.”

KD’s is owned and operated by Hal Smith Restaurant Group. Hal Smith told The Journal Record on July 13 – a week after Durant announced his plans to leave – that the restaurant’s sales were better than he expected. He said Durant’s plans hit him and his partners out of left field.

Smith said in a prepared statement that he is working on a new concept to replace KD’s, which sits east of the Harkins Theatre in Bricktown. He said the new restaurant will open after Labor Day, with a menu similar to its predecessor.

This is the second time that Hal Smith Restaurant Group has had to rebrand a celebrity-related eatery. In August 2015, the company changed Norman restaurant Big Dog Daddy’s Ice House to Toby’s American Grill.

Parsa said he thinks the situation at KD’s was not as positive as Smith said, and that the restaurant probably wasn’t doing well financially. A celebrity’s name accounts for only 20 percent of most restaurant sales, he said.

“The name brings people one time,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s the service, food, and ambience that brings them back.”

Parsa gave the example of Shanahan’s Steakhouse in Denver. The restaurant is named after former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. He was fired from the team in 2008. The restaurant remains open.

Reviews on the website Yelp.com for KD’s were mixed. Some people praised the food, and other customers gave the restaurant low ratings because of the wait staff, the food quality, and because the experience did not match the price.

University of New Orleans professor David Njite said the rebranding and reopening should be a lesson to other restaurant operators. He said it’s too early in Durant’s career to name a restaurant after him, especially one in Oklahoma City.

“(Restaurant operators) need to wait until someone has a base,” he said. “KD’s a baby. He still has a career and place to go.”

Njite studies consumer behavior in the hospitality and tourism context. He said he can understand why the name is being changed. If people don’t like Durant, they will not visit the restaurant because of sentiment toward him.

He said he doesn’t think the restaurant failed. He said it’s a smart move in terms of reaching customers.

“When you do branding, you try to get to the peoples’ emotions,” he said. “When they have KD’s, people have hurt feelings. Closing down, I think was a good thing.”

[Pete]

This is the second time that Hal Smith Restaurant Group has had to rebrand a celebrity-related eatery. In August 2015, the company changed Norman restaurant Big Dog Daddy’s Ice House to Toby’s American Grill.

Forgetting Wes Welker's, which is a far more relevant comparison.

Interestingly, Pub W seems to be doing better than Welker's ever did. Hope it turns out the same for this restaurant, as feedback had been mixed long before KD left.

[SoonerDave]

Hal Smith to rebrand, reopen KD’s in September

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record July 25, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Denver professor HG Parsa said the changes underway at KD’s Southern Cuisine are more about the venue than the name.

Parsa has studied restaurant closures for 15 years and authored a four-part study on why eateries shut their doors.

“Usually, honestly, no one closes a restaurant because a player left,” he said. “I don’t buy that the restaurant is closing because Kevin Durant left.”

KD’s is owned and operated by Hal Smith Restaurant Group. Hal Smith told The Journal Record on July 13 – a week after Durant announced his plans to leave – that the restaurant’s sales were better than he expected. He said Durant’s plans hit him and his partners out of left field.

Smith said in a prepared statement that he is working on a new concept to replace KD’s, which sits east of the Harkins Theatre in Bricktown. He said the new restaurant will open after Labor Day, with a menu similar to its predecessor.

This is the second time that Hal Smith Restaurant Group has had to rebrand a celebrity-related eatery. In August 2015, the company changed Norman restaurant Big Dog Daddy’s Ice House to Toby’s American Grill.

Parsa said he thinks the situation at KD’s was not as positive as Smith said, and that the restaurant probably wasn’t doing well financially. A celebrity’s name accounts for only 20 percent of most restaurant sales, he said.

“The name brings people one time,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s the service, food, and ambience that brings them back.”

Parsa gave the example of Shanahan’s Steakhouse in Denver. The restaurant is named after former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. He was fired from the team in 2008. The restaurant remains open.

Reviews on the website Yelp.com for KD’s were mixed. Some people praised the food, and other customers gave the restaurant low ratings because of the wait staff, the food quality, and because the experience did not match the price.

University of New Orleans professor David Njite said the rebranding and reopening should be a lesson to other restaurant operators. He said it’s too early in Durant’s career to name a restaurant after him, especially one in Oklahoma City.

“(Restaurant operators) need to wait until someone has a base,” he said. “KD’s a baby. He still has a career and place to go.”

Njite studies consumer behavior in the hospitality and tourism context. He said he can understand why the name is being changed. If people don’t like Durant, they will not visit the restaurant because of sentiment toward him.

He said he doesn’t think the restaurant failed. He said it’s a smart move in terms of reaching customers.

“When you do branding, you try to get to the peoples’ emotions,” he said. “When they have KD’s, people have hurt feelings. Closing down, I think was a good thing.”

No offense to whomever posted it, but that's five minutes of my life I won't get back. Essentially a worthless article. Irrelevant academic insight into why KD leaving really wasn't why the namesake restaurant closed, which is absurd, then an equally unrelated comment about a coach-named restaurant in a different city, different sport staying open. I guess they gotta fill the column-inches somehow...

[Pete]

Yeah, this situation with KD is completely unprecedented in many ways.

I doubt their business only dropped 20% after his announcement.

[Urbanized]

Irrespective of the quality of the food/service, the KD brand is now toxic in OKC. They really had no choice. And the restaurant didn't "close" in the sense that the professor meant. It's not closing at all. It's specifically only a brand reboot;; heck they apparently intend on keeping much of the old menu.

He obviously has little insight into this particular situation.

A coach who won a ring for a city and who is later fired is a TERRIBLE comparison. Heck, if SCOTT BROOKS had partnered with someone here to open "Brooksie's Pub" or something like that, HIS place probably wouldn't have had to change the name when he was fired. People here still generally have a fondness for him.

The perception of OKC fans is that KD rejected them. No way could that brand survive here, even if they had previously been KILLING IT (and honestly, there often WERE lines out the door, immediately prior to his departure).

[Pete]

I've heard there is a very good chance this restaurant will be re-branded as 'Rumble's' and keep the most the Thunder memorabilia.

Also, my understanding is that they bought out KD's 20% share for around $1.6 million.

[Bill Robertson]

I wish I could get someone to pay me millions to go away!

[sooner88]

Interesting. I assume that they'll have to pay a license fee to use Rumble... but from a tourist attraction it's probably better to be affiliated with Thunder still vs. not.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Out-of-towners are going to love a Rumble restaurant. Safe move.

[jrod]

Heard a rumor they were considering turning this into another Pub W, but Rumble's would definitely make sense.

[jbkrems]

KDs is too big to be turned into a Pub W type place. I was just at the Memorial Rd. store last night. Also, if they plan on keeping much of the menu the same, it will NOT be Pub W. My bet is on Rumble's, or Legacy Grill.

[Pete]

They spent a fortune on the interior and certainly don't want to pull a lot of it out, and it's far too nice for a Pub W in my opinion.

[dankrutka]

It's not a great location in my opinion. It's kind of off the beaten path a bit and doesn't get the foot traffic that other areas of Bricktown get. I think whatever goes in this location needs a local or national brand to be successful. I'm not sure Rumble's will resonate the same way KD's did. Kevin Durant is a global brand and when people came to OKC they wanted a piece of that. That draw is gone now. The interior is great though so I hope they figure out something that works.

[loveOKC]

Pappadeaux would be so dope in this spot!!

[dankrutka]

Pappadeaux would be so dope in this spot!!

Agreed! I actually think that would be the perfect type of establishment for this spot (with the exception that the interior decor would probably have to be re-done).

[jbkrems]

Unfortunately HSRG doesn't own Pappas Restaurant Group.

[Plutonic Panda]

Are there any Pappadeaux's in urban areas? Is Bubba Gump Shrimp owned by Pappa's? If so, they have urban Bubba Gump restaurants I have seen.

Bricktown would be great for a Bubba Gump Shrimp and a White Castle similar to the one in Las Vegas. If I ever get rich, I will make that happen.

[bradh]

Someone wanna get Tillman Fertita on the horn for this space?

[jbkrems]

Yes, there is a Pappadeaux's in Arlington, Texas which is a Dallas suburb and a fairly urban area. However, I am not sure if the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant is owned by Pappas Restaurant Group. According to the Pappas Restaurant website, Bubba Gumps is not listed as one of their concepts. Also, the building is owned by HSRG (Hal Smith), and in general they do not sell their properties to other operators.

[Plutonic Panda]

By urban I mean in a downtown type walkable area. I haven't been to the one Arlington.