One thing that has always kept me from sampling the breakfast restaurant syrup.—besides the somewhat irritating but wholly stylish punctuation in the name—was the fact that, for many years, people had told me that it was a front for a religious organization, much like the coffee shop cult I was once involved with in a popular Oklahoma City district.
Still, waking up hungry and looking for breakfast in Norman last weekend, I stopped by the hot spot on 123 E. Main St., mostly because I was craving pancakes of any denomination, religious indoctrination be damned. The fact it was located by Guestroom Records was just a fortuitous coincidence for me and, I’m hoping, God as well.
That mid-morning, my friend and I entered the long, narrow space and quickly found the only open table. Even though the place was quite full, our waiter had a hauntingly deep smile as he set down our waters and handed us a couple of menus. I quietly asked him about the supposed ownership and he leaned down and, quiet himself, told me it was owned by a church in South Africa.
Mildly confused by the news, we still placed our breakfast orders. I looked around the place, noticing many shiny happy people, all seemingly at peace with their heavenly morning meals, eating and enjoying them. As we sipped our coffees—one cold brew, the other steaming hot—our food was quickly brought out in blessed time, something that I honestly liked and praised effusively.