We have bad news for those who never got to try a Zumwalt burger.
Earlier today, the Oklahoma Tourism Department announced they have closed all Lookout Kitchen locations at Oklahoma State Parks.
The news comes just weeks after it was reported that the chain – which took over operations following the Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Swindle in 2023 – owes the state over $200,000 in back payments and other contractual obligations.
Here are the details via a press release:
Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Closing State Park Restaurants
Earlier this morning, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) suspended the Lookout Kitchen’s (Lookout) operation of the state park restaurants. OTRD took this action in response to Lookout’s repeated failures to make outstanding payments and fulfill other contractual obligations to the State. Accordingly, the state park restaurants will be closed until further notice.
OTRD has made every effort to accommodate Lookout over the course of the parties’ contractual relationship. On May 16, 2025, OTRD sent a formal notice to counsel for Lookout regarding its noncompliance and requested that these deficiencies be cured no later than July 7, 2025. Lookout failed to fully comply with this request.
Wow. Imagine that™!
If you had told me back in 2023 – when embattled Tourism Czar Shelley Zumwalt proudly stood behind a podium and handed the keys of our state park restaurants over to Joe Exotic’s magician – that the state would shut them down just two years later due to “repeated failures to make outstanding payments and fulfill other contractual obligations,” I probably would've said something like, "Yeah right. And Carole Baskin doesn’t know what happened to her husband!"
Okay, I’m lying.
I probably would have said something else like “Well, that makes sense” or “Holy moly! They made it two years. I wonder how much money they stole from us.”
While the Tourism Department tries to figure out which brand with “name power” will fail next at our state parks, they want to let everyone know they’ll still have plenty of tasty grab-and-go sandwiches on hand to keep people satisfied:
OTRD always strives to create positive experiences for state park visitors. We are actively working to minimize the disruption to park operations and provide alternative food service options like “grab & go” sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. OTRD is also exploring opportunities for food trucks to be in service at impacted parks.
Yep, who’s going to miss a hot, freshly made meal when you can grab a three-day-old tuna salad sandwich from a vending machine instead. Seriously, can’t we get them to at least throw a Subway in the back like it’s a Shell gas station? I guess it’s good nobody goes to State Parks for the fast-casual restaurants, otherwise this could really affect attendance!
I know hindsight is 20/20 – especially when you’re a businessman governor who doesn’t understand the restaurant and hospitality industry – but this would probably be a good time to mention that before Governor Stitt For Brains arrived on the scene in 2018, you never really heard a peep (good or bad) about our Oklahoma State Park Restaurants.
Sure, these state-managed eateries weren’t the best, relied heavily on subsidies and were the farthest thing from profit centers, but they got the job done, provided a needed service for our state park visitors, staff and local communities, and – when compared to how much people spend on state tourism – didn’t cost taxpayers a lot of money.
Plus, we never had to sue or send operaters to collections!
Obviously, things are different under Stitt and Lt. Governor Pinnell.
They abide by the dogma that all government is bad, so even in cases when it makes sense for the state to operate a seasonal restaurant or snack bar at a tourism destination at a small loss, they like to bring in their private sector buddies to tack on management fees, disregard contracts, fail miserable, and overall, hurt the communities and state parks more than they help them.
Basically, they’re just run-of-the-mill Republicans.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what restaurants replace Lookout Kitchen. I would write an article about it, but Louis and I already did that for Foggy Bottom, so I guess I’ll just update that one instead:
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
