Businesses help striking teachers

Business is good near the Oklahoma State Capitol right now.

As thousands converged to advocate for education funding, businesses in the area capitalized on the momentum by offering discounts to teachers, facilitating donations and serving the masses. With many school districts already canceling classes Monday, the most impressive displays of support might be yet to come.

Ted’s Cafe Escondido plans to serve 10,000 tacos to teachers and other demonstrators at the capitol Monday. The restaurant chain will coordinate efforts with all seven of its Oklahoma City-area locations to produce the food, according to a statement from the company.

“After watching what was going on at the capitol this week and seeing the dedication of teachers from across the state, I realized that we needed to do more,” Ted’s Cafe Escondido Vice President of Operations David Foxx said. “So I met with our operations team and figured out a way to really make an impact. We recognize that education is very important and Ted’s is proud to support our teachers and communities.”

During the past week

of demonstration, other businesses near the capitol were gifted an uptick in business due to the volume of people in the area. The Burger King at 135 NE 23 is one of the closest food establishments to the capitol, and General Manager Michael Liming said his staff has been serving sustained influxes of patrons.

“It’s been, not a lot more business, but the way it comes in, just all at once instead of just trickling in,” Liming said.

There have been about three hours a day, every day this week, where the line at the store was 20 to 30 people deep, according to Liming. He gives credit to his staff for helping to serve the additional guests in the best manner possible.

Liming went on to say he felt it was time to supply the teachers with funding needed to meet their needs for classroom supplies.

“That’s important,” Liming said. “If I made my cooks bring their own food, and say I’m going to pay you $15 an hour but I need you to bring your own french fries and meat with you, that wouldn’t go over too well.”

North of the capitol at Leo’s BBQ, the company is offering a 25 percent discount to teachers as a show of support, and to make up for being closed Monday. Cashier Greg McCauley said the company is undergoing renovations and has been closing at the start of the week, but felt bad for missing the first day of the strike. However, there’s been a bump in visitors the rest of the week.

“We’ve definitely had an increase,” McCauley said.

Fellow cashier Diane Tarpley worked the evening shift this past week and said the higher number of visitors isn’t limited to the daytime crowd. Leo’s saw more than normal later in the day as well.

Other restaurants in the area donated items throughout the week. Hurts Donut Co. donated about 20 dozen doughnuts that were sent to the capitol, owner Jess Maulsby said. Teachers also came in and bought boxes to take with them on their way to the capitol.

Stone Sisters Pizza Bar had one of the more interesting cases of donations to the cause. The restaurant became the service agent for a bit of viral activism on behalf of teachers from people all over the country, cofounder Tami Stone Lake said. People from Canada, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Texas, California and more have called in to pay for pizzas to be delivered to teachers a few blocks away.

“This guy, Bobby Clark, in Denver called us Tuesday and his sister is a teacher who is down at the Capitol,” Stone Lake said. “He wanted to find a place that would send some food so he called and ordered 10 pizzas and started us off. He put it out on Facebook and tagged a bunch of his friends and then it exploded.

“We have actually closed down the restaurant the last couple days to keep up with the donations from around the country,” Stone Lake said.

Stone Lake estimates the company has made and delivered about 240 pizzas purchased by those wishing to donate the pies to the teachers. It’s been something Stone Lake and her company have enjoyed being able to participate in.

“We’ve been really appreciative,” she said.