Pinocchio's is coming to Campus Corner

Jeff Elkins, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

Feb. 27—Campus Corner will be home to a classic Norman Italian food staple upon its return in late 2022.

Despite being closed since 2001, generations of University of Oklahoma students and Norman residents never stopped raving about Pinocchio's Italian Restaurant. Now, just over two decades after closing its doors, the restaurant known for its top tier breadsticks and spaghetti since 1972 has its new home, 325 White St.

Norman resident Michael Nash will partner with original owner and operator Glenn Woods to bring the concept back. He hopes to have Pinocchio's open in six to 9 months.

"It's been a very dynamic situation," Nash said.

Nash said they approached the process of finding a spot carefully and thoroughly to ensure they found the most suitable and appropriate location.

The White Street space has no kitchen, which will mean a longer time on the buildout, but Nash said the location is perfect.

One of the big selling points was the ability to completely renovate the inside to their desire, Nash said.

"That means we can stay faithful to the Pinocchio's brand," Nash said. "We don't have to work around anything. We're meeting with the architect on Monday to start going through some preliminary plans on how we want it, but the [space is] completely gutted back to the studs."

When Pinocchio's opens, Nash said the menu will consist of the basics, while taking suggestions from patrons on what they would like to see return.

"If there's demand for more we will expand it, but we will start with spaghetti, pizza, breadsticks, salads and maybe hamburgers or something for kids," Nash said.

Between students walking from campus, rental houses and apartments in close proximity and a nearby hotel scheduled to open this summer, Nash hopes for lots of traffic to the restaurant.

"We'll be able to attract the next generation of loyal patrons," Nash said.

Jeff Elkins covers business, living and community stories for The Transcript. Reach him at jelkins@normantranscript.com or at @JeffElkins12 on Twitter.