Beverly's

[Redskins/General]

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Yep you're right....The smake was "free" though.....The one downtown was my favorite...There is a place in Sanger, Texas that is called Babe's and the chicken there is as good or better than Beverely's....Promise you..

I never could stand to eat "Beverly's" chicken in the rough!! Had not eaten it since I was a kid and went over to N.W. highway after the moved and thought it was pitiful!! Just my opinion though. I think South Okc's best chicken was "Alamo Plaza" on S. Robinson!!

[papaOU]

Had an uncle who worked for both Beverly's and the Alamo. He was a cook. At that time I think the businesses called them "fry-cooks".

[poisonokie]

Has anyone been to the "New" Beverly's on NW Expressway?, Is the food the same? I could go for a Big Bev Burger haha

[RealJimbo]

Beverly's was the child of Beverly Osborne. He was pretty adanced in years when he died, under a load of dirt. He was kibitzing some landscapers at this home (near Lincoln and NE 50th) and stepped right under the back of the dump truck as it was unloading. This is the main reason for the death of Beverly's as we knew it. His heir, Randy (last name?) ran some of the stores for a while. The 23rd and Classen and NW Hwy and Penn locations as well as on over on N. May, north of 10th St.

The new location has a lot of the old dishes that old customers will recognize such as the Big Bev Burger, the blueberry pancakes with blueberries IN them, not smeared on top like IHOP does. The enchalada plate is still the same as well as most of the breakfast combinations. I eat there regularly and enjoy everything except being constantly called "honey" by the waitresses. Ugh.

[circled9]

I assume that you are speaking of the newer Beverlys on NW Highway across from Baptist Hospital. There was another one on NW Highway near Penn Square which has closed within the past year or two. I had tried it once or twice and was not impressed with the food or service (not horrible-not great) but that could be the reason why one by one they disappeared. As a child, I used to go to the one across from the old May Theatre on NW 16th and May. Yes it did have a clean your plate club as well as gigantic hamburgers. It is now a Jimmys Egg restaurant.

[kevinpate]

I eat there regularly and enjoy everything except being constantly called "honey" by the waitresses. Ugh.

Could be worse, they could all call ya PimpDaddyJim

[RealJimbo]

I assume that you are speaking of the newer Beverlys on NW Highway across from Baptist Hospital. There was another one on NW Highway near Penn Square which has closed within the past year or two. I had tried it once or twice and was not impressed with the food or service (not horrible-not great) but that could be the reason why one by one they disappeared. As a child, I used to go to the one across from the old May Theatre on NW 16th and May. Yes it did have a clean your plate club as well as gigantic hamburgers. It is now a Jimmys Egg restaurant.

Every successful business has a "driving force" that makes it successful. Beverly's "driving force" was Beverly Osborne and when he died, it gradually died too. Plain and simple.

The Beverly's that was near Penn Square for so many years - Pancake Corner - closed and moved to its present location across from Baptist Hospital. It is the same business, with the same owner, cooks, wait staff, etc. More room, pretty much the same food. So if you didn't like it when it was located near Penn Square, you won't like it located across from Baptist Hospital.

Oh, and PimpDaddyJim might not be so bad...

[warreng88]

His heir, Randy (last name?) ran some of the stores for a while.

Mr. Randolph Shaw. Beverly Osbourne was my great uncle.

[Generals64]

Mr. Randolph Shaw. Beverly Osbourne was my great uncle.

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In the Archives of OKNEWS.com there is a complete story and a video of the last Beverley's before it was demolished. My son did the Video work and it was pretty neat story......

[NativeOkie]

Chicken in the rough?.............I still have some of the metal finger bowls that the lemon was served in. Opubco did a complete story about the closing of the last Beverley's. I remember eating very frequently at the Beverley's downtown on Sheridan street....(I think it's Sheridan)....the last one was moved due to the selling of the property and the Leveling of the building. Andy Anderson's was next door for many, many years. That's an old business that I miss that we have not mentioned anywhere...

Always went to the one on Penn. You are right about Andy Anderson's, That is why I wanted to go to Bev's. Loved that place as a kid. Wallace Wildlife would talk about it on his program, I waited every show every year for him to draw my name out of the hopper.

[Prunepicker]

Chicken in the rough? I still have some of the metal finger bowls that the
lemon was served in. Opubco did a complete story about the closing of the
last Beverley's. I remember eating very frequently at the Beverley's
downtown on Sheridan street...(I think it's Sheridan)...the last one was
moved due to the selling of the property and the Leveling of the building.
Andy Anderson's was next door for many, many years. That's an old business
that I miss that we have not mentioned anywhere...

Bev Osborne was a "one of a kind" individual. He started a great restaurant
at a time when virtually every other business was dropping like flies.

Here's how my Dad tells the story. He hob nobbed with Bev and Ruby.
Ruby, his wife, made some of her fried chicken for the trip to California.
While they were eating in their Model T Ford, Ruby said, "this is eating
Chicken in the Rough". Bev stopped the car and got this brain storm. They
started selling boxed lunches called "Chicken in the Rough" to everyone
going to California.

The restaurant you're thinking of was on Grand Avenue. It was the
predecessor to Sheridan Avenue. You're old enough to remember that Andy
Anderson's was next door, and that's when Sheridan was called Grand.
He had the gun range upstairs. Duh, you know that.

I got to see Andy around 1988 or so. He was sitting in the store while his
son, Randy, was running it into the ground. Andy knew how to make
money. Randy thought he did.

Oh good grief! You probably remember the pool hall, too.

Dang! You're old! Really old!

[Prunepicker]

Hey 64! How'cum you never tell me when these new, but really old, threads
starts? I like repeating myself because it helps me remember where
everything used to be.

Now, if only I can remember where everything is NOW!

Do your have my grand dad's ostrich vest? Bring it to the next meeting.

[Prunepicker]

There's a Beverly's on N.W. Expressway. Is it owned by a member of the
family?

[papaOU]

there's a beverly's on n.w. Expressway. Is it owned by a member of the
family?

and i have heard from several people that it sucks!!!!!

[RealJimbo]

and i have heard from several people that it sucks!!!!!

Give a chance for yourself and then you will know. I go there once a week and think it is fine.

[papaOU]

Give a chance for yourself and then you will know. I go there once a week and think it is fine.

Will do. Get the chicken?

[Doug Loudenback]

I got a regular e-mail from a fellow several days ago ... he didn't say where he is living but I though the message was interesting. I'm withholding his name since he may not want it repeated publically:

I really enjoyed your message about "Chicken In The Rough". You see, my family represents the brand now and we are growing it, as best we can, in very difficult times. I worked for Beverely and Ruby Osborne at the Sheridan Avenue location Beverly's Grill. Our dad was Beverly's first sales rpresentative and sold a lot of people on the idea of creating new profit centers and additional business marketing the brand.

It is people like you who recall "Chicken In The Rough" when it was its most prominent times. We currently have three restaurants featuring it. One is in Canada and two are in Michigan. All three are very successful. The operation in Oklahoma City is not preparing "Chicken In The Rough" the same way as others are doing it and it is a shame.

[papaOU]

I got a regular e-mail from a fellow several days ago ... he didn't say where he is living but I though the message was interesting. I'm withholding his name since he may not want it repeated publically:

Any reason why OKC is not preparing it the same?

[RealJimbo]

Will do. Get the chicken?

It has probably been 20 years since I had the Chicken in the Rough. My favorites are Big Bev Burger, the enchilada plate (it has a name that I can't ever remember until I see it on the menu), breakfast - anything they have with eggs and/or pancakes. I'll be there Friday morning with a buddy, as usual.

[RealJimbo]

Met my buddy at Beverly's this morning for breakfast. It was excellent. The coffee is not gourmet grade but good all the same, two eggs over easy with hash browns, toast and gravy on the side. Just a good old American breakfast with no frills, cooked right and tastes good. Yep, the waitress called me "honey" and "sweetie" but no harm done.

[RealJimbo]

By the way, Andy Anderson's was next door to the old Pancake Corner location at I-44 & Penn for many years. My late father in law bought a shotgun from Andy Anderson's in 1952 and it didn't perform the way he thought it should. It was a Savage and when he brought it back in to complain, Mr. Anderson himself moved him up to a Browning A-5 semi-auto 12 gauge that he used for the rest of his life. I'm proud to say that I own that gun now. A Belgian Browning that always performs.

[gen70]

My "Dad" was a friend of Andy's and we helped his family move once. At the time they lived not far from the store. I remember meeting his two son's. Andy gave us a pinball machine for the help. Lotta story's about that pinball machine and that move.

[Doug Loudenback]

My original blog post about Beverly's was made in July 2006 shortly after I started Doug Dawgz Blog and in the 4 years since then it has proven to be the most popular article, by far, I've yet written. People, near and far, from all over the country, just love Beverly's nostalgia. To date, 70 comments have been posted.

I can't find an earlier post to the original blog article to update to, so, I'll just start it fresh.

The original blog post was http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2006/07...-in-rough.html but the major update done this morning is to the artifacts part of the article, http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2006/07...html#artifacts, largely supplied by our fine forum member Mike Anderson. One of his grandparents worked in the Beverly's warehouse south of the Biltmore, probably on Harvey, and the update shows the pristine artifacts that Mike has in his (and his mother's) possession. Hopefully, Mike will write an article about that in the near future.

Three quick looks in this morning's update are shown below (click on an image for a 1024px wide view)

Mike's Collection:










Enjoy!

[papaOU]

More than anything else I remember the "finger bowls" probably from frequenting Beverly's with my parents as a child. Funny what makes different things memorable.
Anyone know why the rooster has a smoke in his mouth? Cigarette or cigar?

[RealJimbo]

More than anything else I remember the "finger bowls" probably from frequenting Beverly's with my parents as a child. Funny what makes different things memorable.
Anyone know why the rooster has a smoke in his mouth? Cigarette or cigar?

Why, that's a cigar, PapaOU. Beverly Osborne was an avid cigar smoker.