Charcoal Oven new location

[mugofbeer]

Not necessarily. He may wish to not have to be in-store all the time and hire people to operate it. If he can't find help and is "breaking the place in" himself, he prefers to limit his hours. There are other "non-crappy attitude" assumptions that could be reasons such as supply limitations, quality problems, efficiency concerns, etc.

[soonerguru]

Very possible.

I gotta say it seems to me the owner is semi-retired and looking for something to get out of the house. He is stuck with the lease for a long term and doesn't appear to "need" the money. I'm guessing he is doing a soft opening for 30 hours a week and playing the schedule as it develops over the next few months. IMO, he ain't in a hurry and doesn't really care what we think.

Yes, this tracks with how he ran the previous establishment.

It's a shame because I got to know the owners of the original and they very much cared what their customers thought. Completely different mentality.

[Dob Hooligan]

Yes, this tracks with how he ran the previous establishment.

It's a shame because I got to know the owners of the original and they very much cared what their customers thought. Completely different mentality.

I regret that my statement "doesn't really care what we think" appears to be misinterpreted. My meaning is that I'm guessing the owner/operator is secure in the knowledge that he can provide a good product during his current hours of operation and isn't going to extend them until he is comfortable.

[nighttrain12]

Finally ate at this new Charcoal Oven today. I ate at the one on NW Expwy for many years. The burger and fries were very delicious and seemed the same as at the previous location. The man at the register was very friendly, I don't know if he is the new owner but perhaps. It was around 11:30am and at least 10 other tables had people eating there. I will definitely be back for more tasty food!

[GaryOKC6]

The owner is a friend of mine and is part of the original family who started Charcoal Oven. They sold it but kept the rights to the brand. When the other owners closed it his dream was to bring back the original great tasting burgers. When he reopened he went to great lengths to duplicate the original product. He spent months trying beef, chicken and potatoes from different companies and had several taste tests before choosing the ingredients. Their original Theta sauce is still used. He is passionate about the quality and is normally the one at the register taking orders. I can say that no one has worked harder to resurrect a brand thank Bill Allen

[TheTravellers]

The owner is a friend of mine and is part of the original family who started Charcoal Oven. They sold it but kept the rights to the brand. When the other owners closed it his dream was to bring back the original great tasting burgers. When he reopened he went to great lengths to duplicate the original product. He spent months trying beef, chicken and potatoes from different companies and had several taste tests before choosing the ingredients. Their original Theta sauce is still used. He is passionate about the quality and is normally the one at the register taking orders. I can say that no one has worked harder to resurrect a brand thank Bill Allen

Interesting backstory - how does the above square up with the bad Yelp and Google reviews that complain about the food quality?

[Thomas Vu]

Interesting backstory - how does the above square up with the bad Yelp and Google reviews that complain about the food quality?

Not sure what happened, but it looks like they're doing okay in the reviews in that it seems they've mass deleted the lot.

[TheTravellers]

Not sure what happened, but it looks like they're doing okay in the reviews in that it seems they've mass deleted the lot.

On Yelp, out of the first 10 on the first page (sorted by "Yelp Sort", whatever stupid algorithm that is), I think there are 2 1-star, 2 2-star, and 1 3-star, and Google has a couple of 1-starred reviews, so not sure what you're seeing, but the ones that made me question GaryOKC6 are still there.

[nighttrain12]

I haven't posted my 4 1/2 star review as I don't generally do that. My only quibble was it was a little chilly in there and kind of a bare bones seating area but I got mine to go and the food was spot on so I am definitely adding it to my rotation of lunch locations during weekdays. I'm glad to know about Bill Allen's involvement. That had to be who took my order. He clearly knows about customer service though in the end, its about the food.

[Bill Robertson]

I just read a bunch of reviews on the Remember Oklahoma City FB page. About evenly split between "very good" and "really bad".

[Dob Hooligan]

I just read a bunch of reviews on the Remember Oklahoma City FB page. About evenly split between "very good" and "really bad".

I have eaten there twice since they opened. First time "very good" and second time "really bad".

[Thomas Vu]

On Yelp, out of the first 10 on the first page (sorted by "Yelp Sort", whatever stupid algorithm that is), I think there are 2 1-star, 2 2-star, and 1 3-star, and Google has a couple of 1-starred reviews, so not sure what you're seeing, but the ones that made me question GaryOKC6 are still there.

They used to have over 1k reviews cause they had the old location. It wasn't particularly favorable. Now it shows ~4.5 on both with under 50 reviews altogether

[Jersey Boss]

On Yelp, out of the first 10 on the first page (sorted by "Yelp Sort", whatever stupid algorithm that is), I think there are 2 1-star, 2 2-star, and 1 3-star, and Google has a couple of 1-starred reviews, so not sure what you're seeing, but the ones that made me question GaryOKC6 are still there.

Change the setting to "newest first" from "yelp sort". It seems to me the most recent reviews are the most relevant when wanting to know present status.

[barrettd]

I just read a bunch of reviews on the Remember Oklahoma City FB page. About evenly split between "very good" and "really bad".

That seems about right, though. Even towards the end of Charcoal Oven, the experience could be vastly different from one visit to another. I admit I don't have much motivation to visit the new place, given all the great burger joints already around.

[MagzOK]

That seems about right, though. Even towards the end of Charcoal Oven, the experience could be vastly different from one visit to another. I admit I don't have much motivation to visit the new place, given all the great burger joints already around.

^^ Sadly I feel the same. Our family went there for many years, but the last handful of visits resulted in various experiences ranging from nearly rare patties to almost cold burgers by the time we left the window and parked in the lot to eat under the awning. The last time we went the burger was so cold I just spit it out it was just so gross and unfortunately that's the last "taste" I have of the place.

[TheTravellers]

Change the setting to "newest first" from "yelp sort". It seems to me the most recent reviews are the most relevant when wanting to know present status.

Yep, that's the first thing I do every time I visit Yelp. I just put that out there because the average person probably doesn't change that and the "Yelp Sort" is the default view, so those will be the first reviews most people see.