Oklahoma's status as a Top 10 State for obesity is in serious jeopardy!
Earlier today, I took my daughter to Ingrid's Kitchen on 36th and Youngs – a venerable German eatery and bakery that's been filling the bellies of Oklahomans for generations – for an after Pre-K sprinkle cookie or cupcake. You can read Louis Fowler's glowing review of it here.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I was a tad excited because there wasn't one car parked out front.
"We'll be in and out in no time!" I thought. "Awesome!"
But then I noticed the "Closed" sign hanging in the window, and some papers stuck to the front door. I hopped out of the car for a closer look. Taped on top of some legal-looking documents was a sheet of notebook paper with "Closed Due To Covid" scribbled on it. I peeled back the notebook paper for a closer look at the legal documents and saw they were from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
I didn't feel like being super nosey and reading over them because I'm a responsible parent and had a kid in my back seat, so I quickly walked back to the car and got in.
"We're going to have to go somewhere else. They're closed," I told my daughter.
"Why?" she asked, which for the uninitiated, is something you get asked about 50 times a day by a three-year-old.
"I don't know, but they're not open."
She replied with a sweet and deadpan "That makes me sad, dada."
I'm not going to lie, I was pretty sad, too. I've been going to Ingrid's regularly for about 15 years. I live less than a mile from it, and it was one of my go-to stomps for breakfast (garlic, cheddar and onion bagels), lunch (Reuben sandwich) or dinner (schnitzels). And their desserts? Well, there was a reason my little girl was sad.
All that being said, I also wasn't very surprised to see tax commission documents on the front door.
A couple of years ago, right before the pandemic hit, I heard Ingrid's was for sale. Then, maybe six months to a year ago, they turned into a cash-only establishment. Those things, combined with what felt like a slight decline in food quality, had me worried about its long-term survival. I guess those concerns were justified.
Earlier this evening, when I had a free moment, I went back to the depressing scene. The "Closed Due To Covid" sign had fallen to the side and was dangling in the wind, and the Tax Commission documents were more visible. I read over them, and then filed this impromptu "Live. Local. Latebreaking." report from the scene:
I would share the Tax Commission documents and all that stuff, but as of publication time, OSCN is down so you'll have to deal with these photos:
So far, Ingrid's has been pretty vague on what happened. They shared this Facebook post announcing they are closed until further notice:
As I mentioned in my video, hopefully we can get some rich person to buy Ingrid's, get the place caught up on their taxes, and continue their fine tradition of dishing out delicious foods and sweets that make people of all ages happy.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
