Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler closes I-240 location, Cow Calf-Hay closes Edmond spot
After-effects of the ongoing pandemic and labor shortage emerged Thursday when two long-standing local family restaurants closed.
Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler closed its south Oklahoma City location, and Cow Calf-Hay closed its original Edmond store.
Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler opened in 1971 when former Split-T general manager Johnnie Haynes took over the old Potter's Drive-In, bringing much of the menu from the Split-T with him. Johnnie passed away in 2000, but his sons David and Rick have never worked anywhere else and spent their lives building Johnnie's into an iconic local brand.
The Interstate 240 location opened in 1983. It's the second Johnnie's to close this summer. The Yukon location closed in the spring, but the Haynes brothers have converted that store into an homage to their mother with Pauline's Southern Kitchen, 1700 Shedeck Pkwy.
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"I was just 13 years old when my dad opened the first location, and since I was a young man, I have always wanted to offer Pauline’s amazing fried chicken in a restaurant honoring mom,” Rick Haynes said.
Pauline's, which specializes in biscuits and fried chicken with family-style sides, opened in June. The Haynes Brothers still operate four Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler locations plus a Johnnie's Charcoal Express. They also operate The Lounge at Johnnie's, located next door to Johnnie's No. 1 on Britton Road.
Rick Haynes said Thursday there are no immediate plans to convert the vacated Johnnie's into a Pauline's Kitchen.
The Cow Calf-Hay also announced its Edmond store had closed via social media on Thursday. Originally opened as The Mad Cow Cafe in Edmond 12 years ago, it came from the Blevins family. Brothers Brad, Gary, Mike, and Aaron Blevins founded City Bites sandwich shops before turning to burgers.
The original Mad Cow name didn't last long, but the new name and burgers were popular enough to inspire a downtown location. That store, at 212 N Harvey Ave., still serves breakfast and lunch 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
No plans have been announced for the vacated Edmond property.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler, Cow Calf-Hay both close an OKC metro spot
