Last week, the New York Times filed a fancy little report about Reba’s Place – the new restaurant that Reba McEntire and the Choctaw Nation opened in the small southeastern Oklahoma town of Atoka.
Her restaurant joins Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Toby’s Keith “I Love This Bar and Grill” and, Hell, even the Pioneer Woman’s Pawhuska Mercantile, as the latest destination for hungry locals and tourists to get a little Oklahoma twang in their lives.
Since Oklahoma is a now hotbed for country music eatin' and drinkin', I decided to slap on my blue jeans and drive down a dirt road to brainstorm some other country music artist-themed restaurants people should consider opening.
Expect to see them all profiled in the NY Times very soon…
1. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Eats” Bistroette
Carrie could have a lot of fun by bringing this concept to her hometown of Checotah. From serving fruity little drinks to letting patrons carve their names in leather seats to stocking the bathrooms with $3 Polo cologne, it would definitely be a hot tourist spot. She could even host her own weekly White-trash Shania karaoke contests!
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Garthskimo Joes – Yukon’s Jumpin' Little Juke Joint
This place would be a lot like Garth Brooks’ favorite restaurant Eskimo Joes, only with a slightly less racist name.
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Krystal Keith's “My Daddy Loved His Bar and Grill Too Much”
Toby always seemed to have more songs for his favorite beers, cups and horses than his own daughter, so opening her own bar and grill could be as therapeutic as writing a sad country song about it.
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The Turnpike Troubadour’s Midway Station
Any Oklahoman over the age of 45 remembers the glorious Midway Station restaurant that served as the halfway point between Oklahoma City and Tulsa on the Turner Turnpike. Like most cool things with character in Oklahoma, the Midway was torn down to make way for a McDonald’s that is now only accessible by southbound traffic.
Perhaps Oklahoma’s own Turnpike Troubadors can right this terrible wrong and bring a Turnpike Troubadour-themed Midway Station back to Oklahoma’s most famous toll road? I'm sure it would be a popular spot, especially for divorced parents swapping their kids.
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Ronnie’s "Boot Scootin' Boobie" Gentlemen's Club
If Tulsa’s Ronnie Dunn ever wants to get in the strip club business, Boot Scootin Boobie – or even Boob Scootin Bootie – would be a good choice. He could also go with Brooks and Bunns, or even make it a Tijuana-themed club named "My Marie."
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Wanda Jackson’s Fujiyama Mama Asian Bistro
“The Queen of Rockabilly” could become the Queen of Oklahoma Asian cuisine by opening up this restaurant in her hometown of Maud. The only problem is she’d have to secure the naming rights from this place in New Jersey.
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Twitty Burger
Although Conway Twitty is long gone, nostalgia is king, so I’m a bit surprised Hal Smith or Good Egg or even Braum’s hasn’t revived the short-lived Twitty Burger that briefly kept south OKC residents full and happy with exotic burgers in the 1970s. It's been a long time, but I’m sure it would be just as lovely as it used to be.
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