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Bricktown hit hard by pandemic, but new restaurants are coming
Life is set to return to the heart of Bricktown following the closings of several longtime anchors.
The warehouse district became an entertainment destination three decades ago with the opening of Spaghetti Warehouse, which was the first anchor to close in 2016. That closing was followed by the loss of Nonna's, last branded as West, and Chelino's.
TapWerks was taken down by the pandemic and Zio's is closed as well, though reportedly just for the winter.
Bryce Thompson with CTB Group signed a lease with owners of the former TapWerks and is planning a renovation of all four floors, including the basement. It's part of ongoing expansion for CTB Group, which operates The Patriarch and 1884 at the Railyard in Edmond and Social Capital across from downtown's Scissortail Park.
“It's a really cool building,” Thompson said. “The deal is done but the concept is still in the works.”
Part of the plan is to use all four floors of the building.
“TapWerks had the whole building but they weren't using it all that much,” Thompson said. “They had event space on the third (top) floor and a second bar
on the second floor on busy nights.”
Renovations will be extensive, he said, but won't change its “bones.” The fading ghost sign for a long ago occupant, Oklahoma Furniture Manufacturing, is set to be restored.
The future is still uncertain for the former Spaghetti Warehouse next door. Owner Sam Coury restored windows on what is Bricktown's largest old warehouse. But work stopped in 2018.
Coury said he recently started lighting it up at night after noticing what he felt was insufficient street lighting.
“With the lack of business everybody is just trying to survive,” Coury said. “I've gotten my building looking pretty darn good. I cleaned it up inside. We have a couple of ideas spinning.”
A deal was already announced and work had started for an Old Spaghetti Factory to open in the space best known as Nonna's. That stopped as the pandemic hit the restaurant business, but building owner Avis Scaramucci said the deal is still on and she expects work to resume later this year.
The owners of the Bricktown Brewery chain, including the original at Oklahoma and Sheridan Avenues, are taking on the challenge of creating a new concept to open in the space next door that has been home to several eateries, most recently Henry Hudson's Public House.
Bricktown Brewery is the oldest establishment in the district, having opened in 1992.
A group led by Buck Warfield purchased the flagship restaurant in 2011 and has since opened 16 locations, with one more being built in Lawton and two others to follow.
“Our sales in 2019 were 100% higher than in 2011,” Warfield said. “I'm a big believer in the trade area and the potential. The amount of apartments and occupancy has been key. And it's still a strong tourist and visitor destination. Even now with COVID, weekday lunches are dismal but the weekends are pretty good.”
Business is off during the pandemic, Warfield said, but not enough to stop his operation from growing.
“Bricktown has been hammered pretty badly with the COVID shutdown,” Warfield said. “This is a buyers' market for lease deals, so we were able to put something together for intelligent use of space and an intelligent investment.”
The new restaurant, Rendezvous Pizza, will feature three styles of pizza consisting of Detroit, New York and a third to be determined. The restaurant also will have chicken wings and a beer tap that will be the opposite of the draft beer taps at the Brewery.
“It will have every known big brewery beer — we will have cold beer cheap,” Warfield said. “You can't get Pabst in Bricktown. We will have Hamms, Miller and Bud. We'll still have a full lineup of craft beers in cans. But the taps will be owned by the national brewers.”
Warfield said an extensive renovation is starting up that will include custom- made ping pong tables, leather couches, booths and bar.
“We know Bricktown is still valid; it's just that COVID needs to come to an end,” Warfield said. “A new, revitalized TapWerks space, the Old Spaghetti Factory coming into Nona's, this is good for everyone overall. It makes Bricktown still a geographic attraction.”
Staff writer Steve Lackmeyer is a 30-year reporter, columnist and author who covers downtown Oklahoma City and related urban development for The Oklahoman. Contact him at slackmeyer@ oklahoman.com. Please support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe.