Savings & Loan

[Pete]

I believe they plan to re-open this Friday.

Should be an announcement soon.

[Pete]

S&L will re-open Friday, a week from tomorrow.

[Pete]

Looks like Rachel Cope (Empire, Goro, Revolucion) will be heading operations, although they are still finalizing the agreement.

They plan to add booths, artwork and generally improve the seating and aesthetics.

[Pete]

They re-open tomorrow (Friday, 4/14) at 4PM.

[Anonymous.]

I went to the "re-opened" version over the weekend. Now I only went to the "old" S&L 3 times before, so not much sample size.

Visual differences: Maybe some slight chair and table differences upstairs (a long community table that is more friendly for groups) but other than that - no change.
Staff differences: Seemed to be better staffed and less chaos for the ordering situation.
Product: Not sure if it is new with the re-opening, but I don't remember there being a cheaper beer than LoneStar as an option ($4). But there was a $2 option of Rhinelander bottles.

[Pete]

They will be adding more beers soon.

[king183]

I also went this past weekend. The downstairs now has substantially more seating at the far end (away from the entrance) that was previously unused with the exception of a couple chairs. Part of the bar was removed in order to make some more space. The walls have been painted darker so that they are no longer white and some pictures have gone up. Staff told me the upstairs is still being updated, so expect some seating changes up there by this weekend. The downstairs definitely feels more welcoming and has more of a bar feel.

The cocktails are new. I tried two of them and they are much better than what they were. Service was much quicker than previously. Rachael Cope was there overseeing the operations and making sure everything ran smoothly.

[JarrodH]

We went by yesterday as well. I know it was sunday and easter but every bar on 23rd had a decent crowd and there wasn't a single person in S&L. They definitely added seating downstairs which looks great but they still have no audio video and the lighting isn't great. I was excited to hear about the additional beers and the upstairs reconfiguration. Sadly we didn't even know if they were open because they have no sign and its dark, we had to pull on the door to see.

I hope Rachel turns this place around because its in a great location.

[king183]

I forgot to add I was told they should have a cool sign going up soon. They do recognize the lack of a sign has hurt them.

[Pete]

Closing for good on Saturday night.

[fromdust]

Closing for good on Saturday night.

just saw that on their Insta page! Didn't they just go through a remodel? Why are they closing?

[king183]

just saw that on their Insta page! Didn't they just go through a remodel? Why are they closing?

They did do some remodeling work in order to make the place more welcoming, but I think it fell short of what they were hoping for. They put a lot of effort into it, but i just never took off. I went in several times after the remodel and it was never very busy. It certainly wasn't empty, but definitely not full enough to sustain business, especially with the competition of Bunker Club and Pump.

I'd also keep an eye on the health of Rockford. It's nowhere near the popularity it had in their first year and business there has trailed off substantially as a result.

[bchris02]

I went to Savings and Loan a couple of times and was never a huge fan of the place. It was a shame because I really liked the concept and had looked forward to it opening. However, I always felt the place was a bit on the pretentious side and its atmosphere wasn't super inviting. Most people I know felt the same way. Of course that was before the remodel but I think by that point it had already developed its reputation and it was simply too little too late. What they needed was a complete rebranding. Hopefully a new concept will open up in its location.

I also agree about Rockford. It's popularity has taped off significantly since the Bunker Club opened.

[Roger S]

I knew Savings & Loan was a bar but only from seeing it here.

Has to of been one of the worst choices for a name of a bar because to most it would sound like a bank or payday loan business.

[Pete]

From https://www.savingsloanloungeokc.com/:

Savings & Loan is closing.
FOR GOOD THIS TIME. SATURDAY, JULY 15TH WILL BE OUR LAST DAY OF SERVICE.
It is incredibly tempting to toss out some comforting platitudes about our run here, but those that know us best understand that the situation has always been complicated in the Tower Theatre building. We were the first new business open up here and we are the first (and hopefully only) business to close. The short of it, is that this building is a massive undertaking and our bar just never got the timing right.

This bar has been the hardest project that any of our staff has ever worked on. Our lofty goal was to create a “neighborhood cocktail bar” where you could have anything from elaborate showpiece cocktails that you might only see on Instagram to cheap beers/shots/classics. High brow meets low brow. We think we found the sweet spot and would change very little about the program.

To our critics: I am deeply thankful for all of the negative feedback we received over our lone year of business. We set out to be different, not unapproachable. We definitely took steps to avoid gatekeeping, but I know we missed the mark for as many people as we won over. I truly thank you for giving us a shot, and I hope your experience with us doesn’t keep you from trying out the slightly odd drinks and bars of the future. Drink what you want and support the bars you love!

To our fans: There is nothing like word of mouth. Without your positivity, posts, reviews, and face to face gratitude we would have been lost. This bar was built and designed just for you. Thank you for letting this space be different. Your support led us to 140+ original menu cocktails that would proudly publish and serve again. You all are the reason we met once a week and had 3-5 hands and brains on every single cocktail we put up. I hope you enjoyed yourself and will continue enabling OKC bars that make a study of what they serve you i.e. Ludivine, WSKY, R&Js, O Bar, Bunker, Rockford, Oak & Ore, Goro, Patrono, Whiskey Cake, Sidecar, Bossa Nova, Vast… the list is huge these days. Happy drinking.

To our regulars: The once or twice or five times-a-week-ers. You know who you are and we owe you another round before we close up. These are the people that are not only undeterred by an empty bar top, but instead saw this as an opportunity to pick our brains, preview new menu items, and help us make the bar top look busy enough in the day for the random passersby to come inside instead of gravitating to whatever bar has the most people in it that hour (though we understand and respect the instinct). Cheers, dears. Come see me again this weekend and I’ll give you a present.

To our neighbors: Never again will I have neighbors as cool as the folks that own, operate, and tend the bars of Rockford, Bunker, and The Pump. You are all still family to us and we don’t intend to see you all any less. Urbun, Gusto, Drake, and Guyutes, thanks for keeping our staff and the neighborhood well fed.

To our bartender alumni: Scott, James, Julian, Brandon, Mitch, Joel, and Aaron. Obviously this is all your fault in the best ways. Thanks for helping us push this thing uphill and speaking well of the bar even in your absence here. You all taught me an incredible amount. It wouldn’t be right If we didn’t see you sometime today or tomorrow. Come through! I mean you too, support staff boos: Cameron, Murph, Ranier, Billy, Cody, Josh, Anthony, & of course Keaton.

To my staff: I have the best staff in this city. I’ve said that a few times this last year and I mean it more and more every time. Rynae, Thomas, Lucas, Skyler, Philip, Randall, Angela… We have never been faster, more efficient, and on point with our cocktails and service. We are going out on a high. Not only was this closure out of your hands, but you all are the single most important reason that I would do this all over again in a heartbeat. Thank you for letting me proudly lead this team and for helping me see through this particular idea to its conclusion. We are done here, but we are not done. I love you all and I can’t wait to figure out what is next.

Please come see myself and the Savings crew tonight and tomorrow from 4pm-2am to have one of four more drinks from us. Despite all of this, I’m still incredibly excited about this Summer menu and you deserve to try it and all the weird amari on the back bar you haven’t had yet.

[Pete]

It's interesting to note that while they recently added a neon sign in their downtstairs window, they never got around to putting up a real sign on the building.