The fire is dwindling for classic burger joint The Charcoal Oven, 2701 Northwest Expressway, which closes its doors in mid-September, ending 58 years in business.
Restaurant owner David Wilson said in a statement to KFOR that the business was like a member of our family and that saying goodbye is difficult.
Itll be hard to walk out of here for the last time, he said. But at 84 years old, Im really looking forward to traveling.
During its nearly 60 years in business, The Charcoal Oven expanded to a pair of new locations before shrinking back down to just the original. The iconic neon sign shone over Northwest Expressway through 11 U.S. Presidents, four University of Oklahoma national football championships, multiple oil booms and busts and 12 people walking on the moon.
The restaurant employed all of Wilsons children at one time or another.
Once the last burgers are flipped and The Charcoal Ovens charcoal oven is extinguished, the property is scheduled to become a Discount Tire location. No word on what will be the eventual fate of the giant neon chef.
Print headline: Smoke out