Are these restaurants coming?

[sgt. pepper]

LaMadelines in OKC? Was told by a manager in Frisco a while back, that the Tulsa store was not performing to their expectations so they have ruled out an OKC location??

I never understood the reasoning behind this thinking. I read somewhere that if the Costco did not do well in Tulsa, they will not come to OKC. Just because one store does not do well in one city, does not mean it will not do well in the other.

[bluedogok]

I seem to recall that Carraba's did a little dance up there on Memorial Restaurant Row a few years ago.
We (my wife and I) gave it a try. To the best of my recollection, it was slightly better than Johnny Carino's.
I guess the primary difference is: Johnny Carino's is still in business.
The Modern Multi-National Corporate Restaurant Management Business is, indeed, something to behold.
Not necessarily to dine at more than once.
Especially over on Memorial Road. =)

Frankly, if we are discussing Restaurant Reruns . . .
I'd like to see Bahama Breeze make a reappearance.
Of course, for the sake of ambiance, they would have to build a lake.

And, until Rao's OKC gets approval from all government entities and an Indian Casino Tribe
I will be perfectly content with Vito's.

Please don't drag the assembled, then disassembled and moved to points unknown Kodiak Steakhouse, back to Memorial Road. It would be embarrassing, fruitless, and sort of stupid.

I believe the Carrabba's in OKC was a franchise and that franchiser was ultimately the one that failed, just like the OKC Black Eyed Pea franchiser failed. There are still Black Eyed Pea locations here in the Denver area, the franchise owner here negotiated a separation agreement that allowed him to continue on using the name "Colorado Black Eyed Pea" but it is much the same.

The old Kodiak cabin is up here in the mountains somewhere as someones house.

[Plutonic Panda]

LaMadelines in OKC? Was told by a manager in Frisco a while back, that the Tulsa store was not performing to their expectations so they have ruled out an OKC location??

I never understood the reasoning behind this thinking. I read somewhere that if the Costco did not do well in Tulsa, they will not come to OKC. Just because one store does not do well in one city, does not mean it will not do well in the other.

Tulsa has a better national image and the demographics look better on paper. That is becoming history and once OKC can really increase the population gap that will help. Also as our city gets more dense and more higher income areas with less poor people, that will be better.

[zookeeper]

Tulsa has a better national image and the demographics look better on paper. That is becoming history and once OKC can really increase the population gap that will help. Also as our city gets more dense and more higher income areas with less poor people, that will be better.

The demographics for restaurants in Tulsa look good because of a far more concentrated area of middle to upper class incomes. It's scattered all about in Oklahoma City.

[Urbanized]

Also, for 100 years Tulsa enjoyed a higher national profile than OKC, for various reasons. Until very recently if you asked someone from another part of the country to name the largest city in our state they would have told you T-town. It's still probably the case for many. That's one of the reasons landing the Thunder was so important; it raised our national profile and wordlessly communicated to those who don't already know that OKC is a major city.

Oklahoma is already an afterthought state to much of the rest of the US. Being an afterthought city in that afterthought state means being passed over or at the very least being last in line for the types of amenities everybody wants. Fortunately that is changing rapidly here.

[adaniel]

I also believe Tulsa has a higher percentage of overall high-net-worth households and those making over $200K. Lots of old people living off of their oil overrides, I guess. But OKC has a larger percentage of upper middle class households, as in, those making $100-200K. Which tend to be your biggest consumers anyway.

Tulsa also enjoys a higher per capita income than OKC, which I know for a fact their officials use to frequently disparage OKC. What they don't say is Tulsa's overall median household income (i.e., what people actually have to spend) is only higher by a much smaller margin, which tells me there are some inefficencies in their economy. Does this really matter to the 24 year old marketing associates running spreadsheets at these retailers? By no means no...trust me I know one and he's not the brightest bulb.

Much like zookeeper alluded to, one thing that will always hurt OKC is the fact that wealth here is geographically spread out. Tulsa is very segregated, both from a racial and socioeconomic standpoint, which allows for islands of wealthy households to emerge. If getting better chains means going down a similar path here then I'll pass. OKC has always been an inclusive community despite it's conservative reputation; its not worth the social tension that would be created IMO. When bchris was in ultimate troll mode over this very subject, I remember a poster from St Louis bragging how the rich there wall themselves off and its allows for better "metrics" to be formed. In light of recent events, I can't help but to think said poster may be rethinking their stance.

[bchris02]

Also, for 100 years Tulsa enjoyed a higher national profile than OKC, for various reasons. Until very recently if you asked someone from another part of the country to name the largest city in our state they would have told you T-town. It's still probably the case for many. That's one of the reasons landing the Thunder was so important; it raised our national profile and wordlessly communicated to those who don't already know that OKC is a major city.

I am having trouble thinking of another state where the second largest city has historically been more important and had a higher national profile than the largest city. Maybe South Carolina being that Charleston has a higher profile than Columbia. Kansas City is larger than St. Louis in Missouri but St Louis has the largest metro area. In Ohio, Columbus and Cinci both have a better national image than Cleveland, but Cleveland is still known to be the largest and most important city. Austin/San Antonio today may be comparable to how Tulsa/OKC once were. San Antonio is usually an afterthought compared to smaller Austin in the national conscience.

OKC already has the population advantage and is growing much faster. My guess is there will come a point where being a larger city will outweigh any spreadsheet advantage Tulsa may have. Question is, at what point will that happen?

[Clown puncher]

You left out five guys which does really well.

[ljbab728]

You left out five guys which does really well.

What post are you responding to?

[Clown puncher]

What post are you responding to?

Sorry i was lost. Thought i was posting on another topic