Hot Dog vendor in Civic Plaza

[dbacks fan]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I miss the Der Wienerschnitzel that was at 21st & Harvard.  My fave was the Polish sandwich.

Wasn't there a second or third location in Tulsa?  Like somewhere out on South Peoria?

I liked the polish sandwich too.  I remember many Der Wienerschnitzels all around Tulsa in the late 60s-early 70s.  The one we always went to was at 17th & Sheridan, in the parking lot of the strip center on the east side of Sheridan.  It was an A-frame building that you drove through.  We used to go there at least twice a week in high school.  "Der Wiener" and Burger Chef were our main off-campus lunch spots back then.

Steve, I take it you are a Nathan Hale grad? If so what year? My brothers and I all gaduated there, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1981.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan


Steve, I take it you are a Nathan Hale grad? If so what year? My brothers and I all gaduated there, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1981.

You betcha!  Nathan Hale class of 1975 here.  My brother was class of 1971.  Seems like between us we have all Hale early 1970s classes covered!

Der Weiner and Burger Chef were our main lunch spots, also the Taco Bueno on 21st Street when they first opened in the early 1970s.  There was also Mr. Swiss and a Taco Grande (?) I believe on 21st street.  Griff's Burger Bar at the hilltop on 21st, west of Sheridan.  McDonald's wasn't in our vocabulary back then, I don't recall many McDonald's in Tulsa until the 1980s.  It was all Burger Chef, Sandy's, Griff's Burger Bar in those days.  Or Boot's Drive-In on Sheridan or Shaw's Drive-In on Yale.  For a special, rare family treat, we got a pizza from Leah's, Ken's, or Shotgun Sams, or a bucket of chicken from Johnny Harden's KFC franchise at 25th & Sheridan.  Fast food was a luxury to us then, not the rule.

[dbacks fan]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan


Steve, I take it you are a Nathan Hale grad? If so what year? My brothers and I all gaduated there, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1981.

You betcha!  Nathan Hale class of 1975 here.  My brother was class of 1971.  Seems like between us we have all Hale early 1970s classes covered!

Der Weiner and Burger Chef were our main lunch spots, also the Taco Bueno on 21st Street when they first opened in the early 1970s.  There was also Mr. Swiss and a Taco Grande (?) I believe on 21st street.  Griff's Burger Bar at the hilltop on 21st, west of Sheridan.  McDonald's wasn't in our vocabulary back then, I don't recall many McDonald's in Tulsa until the 1980s.  It was all Burger Chef, Sandy's, Griff's Burger Bar in those days.  Or Boot's Drive-In on Sheridan or Shaw's Drive-In on Yale.  For a special, rare family treat, we got a pizza from Leah's, Ken's, or Shotgun Sams, or a bucket of chicken from Johnny Harden's KFC franchise at 25th & Sheridan.  Fast food was a luxury to us then, not the rule.

Sounds like we grew up in the same neighborhood. Shopped at Shoppers Fair, Gulf Mart, the Bowman Twin and Continetal, and Oertles. My parents lived in three different houses by the MA-HU mansion from 1956 to late '99 or early 2000. I can remember as I'm sure you do when Casa Bonita was a grocery store, and Crystal's Pizza was a Bordens Cafeteria. It's funny you mentioned Ken's Pizza, my mom had the voting pecinct in the area bordered by 21st to 31st and Sheridan to Memorial, and Ken Selby lived in the area and was a teacher at Hale and worked for Pizza Hut as well. As I remember the story, and I may be wrong, but Ken wanted to buy a Pizza Hut franchise and wehen they said we don't sell them he told them that he would start his own and run all the others out of town.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan

Sounds like we grew up in the same neighborhood. Shopped at Shoppers Fair, Gulf Mart, the Bowman Twin and Continetal, and Oertles. My parents lived in three different houses by the MA-HU mansion from 1956 to late '99 or early 2000. I can remember as I'm sure you do when Casa Bonita was a grocery store, and Crystal's Pizza was a Bordens Cafeteria. It's funny you mentioned Ken's Pizza, my mom had the voting pecinct in the area bordered by 21st to 31st and Sheridan to Memorial, and Ken Selby lived in the area and was a teacher at Hale and worked for Pizza Hut as well. As I remember the story, and I may be wrong, but Ken wanted to buy a Pizza Hut franchise and wehen they said we don't sell them he told them that he would start his own and run all the others out of town.

Well Ken Selby has realized his wish.  Ken's Pizza has morphed into the Mazzio's chain, and Mazzio's has the lion's share of the pizza business in the Tulsa area, and has branched out into surrounding states as well.  Mazzios is still owned by the original Ken, I believe.

Casa Bonita (Casa Viva today) was originally the Stockton's / Phelps / Consumer's IGA grocery store.  Gulf Mart was great, sort of a 1960s version of SuperTarget.  My brother worked at Oertles. (Paging Mrs. Gamboa..)  We lived in the Leisure Lanes subdivision, just north of Hale High from 1961 to 1974.  I remember riding my bike up to Ma-Hu and scavaging through the remnants of that house.  "Scream In The Dark" Halloween haunted houses at Ma-Hu, sponsored by local radio.  

[dbacks fan]

Paging Mrs. Gamboa..


OMG!!! That made me laugh!!! I swear I don't think she ever sat down or left the store. My co-workers just asked what I was laughing about and all I could do is tell them it's a long story I'll explain at lunch some time. Some where I have an e-mail from I think one of the children of the caretakers that worked for Mable and Hugh.

Here is a link to the website:http://www.rootsweb.com/~oktulsa2/photogallery/mahumansion.html

[Double A]

Don't forget Shotgun Sam's pizza.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan

Paging Mrs. Gamboa..


OMG!!! That made me laugh!!! I swear I don't think she ever sat down or left the store. My co-workers just asked what I was laughing about and all I could do is tell them it's a long story I'll explain at lunch some time.

My older brother worked at Oertles 1969-1971.  I never did and I didn't know Mrs. Gamboa personally, but I can't remember a time when I was in the store that I did not hear a page for "Mrs. Gamboa!" and for some odd reason her name emerged from the windmill's of my mind.  Oertles was the store where we always bought our annual school supplies every year: Spirals, loose-leaf paper, pens & pencils, notebook binders, etc.

I know this discussion is straying rather off-topic from the original, but what the hell, they all seem to anyway.  Maybe we should revive the old "What Do You Remember" discussion thread that was so popular here a while back.  dbacks, search the archives for this thread and read it for a real hoot and a trip down Tulsa memory lane.

[AMP]

My family owned and operated the Oertle's stores. My grandparents, aunt and uncle and my parents.  Ms. Gamboa, George Allen, Mr. Herb Addington were all store managers that worked different shifts.

The Jet family who owned the Canteen Corporation installed some of the first automated vending machines I had ever seen at the time in the Memorial location.  Canteen was located next to Kart Ville near 15th and Sheridan.  The vending machinew were the ones that the cup fell down and filled with hot coffee or hot chocolate. Had to be sure your cup fell first or your drink went down the drain. Also had the doors that opened and you choose a sandwich or pie or other fresh product.   They cooked hamburgers and fries and served breakfast there as well.  

We had a car wash and gas station where the What a Burger is now.  For a publicity deal a man drove a convertible thru the automatic car wash, he almost got burned from all the hot water. Think he would of not done it if he knew the pain he got from it.  

Ridge Bond produced most of the Television ads for the stores.  His company SESI used a new camera that was made in Japan by a new company called Sony.  They could shoot onsite and you did not have to go up the mountain to Channel 8 or KVOO on Brookside to produce the ads, he came right to the store and shot tape on location.  Most the Radio was done by KAKC Scooter Seagraves, and KELI the Kelly family.  Some on KRMG, but most on KELI.  That was when the had the flying saucer building at the Fairgrounds.  One of my jobs was to play the Oertle's Special recordings over the PA system using a reel to reel tape recorder.  It was high tech for those days.  

I worked at Oertle's for years.  Started when I was 5 making small ones from big ones, breaking down products in boxes and sticking price tags on merchandise.  My favorite job was stocking the pop machines in the front parking lot.  Grappette was and still is my favorite soft drink in a can. I had that pop machine adjusted to where there was just a little ice in the pop when you opened it.  Yummy!

We sold Water Mellon one weekend during an Oertle's Crazy Days promotion.  My two cousins Danny and Richard and some other helpers sold two 40 foot semi trailers of water mellons that 4th of July weekend.  Don't know how many were in there, but there were tons.  Think they sold for a penny a pound that day.

Most those folks have passed away since.  Richard is still alive, but Danny passed away a few years ago in Florida where he was living.  

The store was unique as it was the first discount store in Oklahoma that was allowed to sell name brand goods at wholesale prices to a select group buyers club.  To purchase at the wholesale price, one had to become a member, be either a business owner or an employee representative buyer of a company, union or government entity.   Their business partners included David Cohen who owned David's Discount in Wichita, Kansas, Benny Naiefe in Oklahoma City who owned AMC Discount.  

"Just hop in your car, and come as you are....to Oertle's the House of Name Brands."  

http://www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/60sdiscountstores/page2.html

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by AMP


"Just hop in your car, and come as you are....to Oertle's the House of Name Brands."  

Thanks for the great Oertles history, AMP.  Darn you!!! Now I am going to be singing that old Oertles jingle in my head all day long!  I remember the "Crazy Days" promotions too!

I remember the giant "super slide" that was out in the Oertles lot on south side for a few years.  You paid 25 cents a whack to slide down on a burlap mat.  There were several of these giant slides around Tulsa in the late 60s-early 70s; a fad of the times.  Wasn't there also a Zuider Zee seafood restaurant just south of the Oertles building with a big windmill type facade?

[dbacks fan]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by AMP


"Just hop in your car, and come as you are....to Oertle's the House of Name Brands."  

Thanks for the great Oertles history, AMP.  Darn you!!! Now I am going to be singing that old Oertles jingle in my head all day long!  I remember the "Crazy Days" promotions too!

I remember the giant "super slide" that was out in the Oertles lot on south side for a few years.  You paid 25 cents a whack to slide down on a burlap mat.  There were several of these giant slides around Tulsa in the late 60s-early 70s; a fad of the times.  Wasn't there also a Zuider Zee seafood restaurant just south of the Oertles building with a big windmill type facade?

There was a Zuider Zee there I think on the service road off of Skelly Drive. Here is a link to some info about them from a Dallas message board:http://www.dallashistory.org/cgi-bin/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=45083

I also remeber a go cart track that was where Frank's Country Inn is, and then there was another one at 41st and Memorial on the south east corner where Fred Jones LM was.

Wasn't there also a smaller version of Zuider on Sheridan Road across from Shoppers Fair? It was about where the Payless Shoes store is or was.

"Shoppers Fair, Shoppers Fair, Shoppers Fair for this stuff"

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan

Wasn't there also a smaller version of Zuider on Sheridan Road across from Shoppers Fair? It was about where the Payless Shoes store is or was.

"Shoppers Fair, Shoppers Fair, Shoppers Fair for this stuff"

Across from Shopper's Fair on Sheridan, I remember Burger Chef (later became an Arby's I think), an original Taco Bell with the big outdoor firepit out front (still there but a Chinese place now I think, firepit long snuffed out), and for years there was Stringer Brothers nursery, the Stringer Nursery now on 41st Street.  I don't remember Zuider Zee at that location.

In the Shopper's Fair center, I remember Fager Pharmacy on the south end, Borden's Cafeteria, Woolworths 5 & Dime, Shopper's Fair, a hobby shop, Happy House Card & Gift Shop (with a great old-time candy counter) and the various IGA grocery stores on the north end.  May have been a slot car racing center in there too at one time; there was a slot car place up in the Hilltop Center north of 21st St.  Out in the parking lot was one of the very first automatic (stay in your car) car washes in Tulsa.  At the 21st & Sheridan intersection, I remember Mobil Gas on the southwest corner, Sunray DX on the northwest, Gulf Mart Gas on the northeast, and Texaco on the southeast.  They used to have some great "gas wars!"  I recall gas at 25 cents a gallon or less during their price wars in the '60s.

"Shopper's Fair! Shopper's Fair! Shopper's Fair for Discounts!"

[dbacks fan]

May have been a slot car racing center in there too at one time; there was a slot car place up in the Hilltop Center north of 21st St.  Out in the parking lot was one of the very first automatic (stay in your car) car washes in Tulsa.  
"Shopper's Fair! Shopper's Fair! Shopper's Fair for Discounts!"

[/quote]

For Dicounts! Thanks i could not remember that. Yes I remember the Robo Car Wash and the Hudson gas staion that was there with it and the Hilltop Slot Car Track. My parents used to get their cars worked on at the Gulf Mart service station, and I used to ride my bike to all of the service stations in my neighborhood and collected used tire weights, and gave them to Don Butler so he could make his own fishing lures before he started Okie Bug. He was also part owner of B&B Lumber Company on Sheridan at I-44. I think you mentioned Sandy's Resturaunt that was the one next to Git-n-Go at 21st and Memorial wasn't it? It was on the west end of a strip center with a laundry mat on the east end and a Consumers Gas Station on the corner. I remember when the Targe opend next to Sears, my brother was driving in off of 15th Street past their gas station and they were changing the price of gas for a special sale to 19 cents a gallon. They sold it to us at that price before they announced it in the store. When we left, they had sold out of gas.

Back on topic, as a kid my parents also went to Kings Resturaunt at 31st and Sheridan. I remember that you had a phone on the table that you called your order in on.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by dbacks fan

as a kid my parents also went to Kings Resturaunt at 31st and Sheridan. I remember that you had a phone on the table that you called your order in on.

Yep, King's Food Host.  QT is in that location now.  There was also a King's Food Host downtown at 5th & Main on the ground floor/mezzanine of the Mayo Building.  I liked their "Cheese Frenchy" sandwich, sort of a Monte Christo type greasy sandwich.

My parents always, ALWAYS traded at Wayne Lewellan's DX station at the northest corner of 21st & Sheridan.  Had all their car repairs and maintenance done there too.  The Sandy's Burgers I recall was on south Harvard or Yale, around 44th street or so.  We used to stop there after a day of swimming at the old Elks Club swimming pools at 52nd & Harvard.  I still have my old swimming certificates from swimming lessons at the Elk's Club.  Our neighborhood didn't have a pool and my dad belonged to the Elks Club for the swimming pools and free-flowing liquor! (Back in the day when liquor-by-the-drink was still illegal.)

Gulf Mart was a nice large store with grocery section, drug/housewares/variety section, I remember a grill/snack bar in the back.  Even after it closed and became a Handy Dan Home Improvement store, the Gulf Mart gas station was there abandoned for years until demolition in the 1980s.  Then Venture, and now Direct TV call center.

Further north on Sheridan I remember Der Wienerschnitzel, Gibson's Discount Center & Ken's Pizza.  I got my first barber shop haircut at Capps Barber Shop that was in the Shopper's Fair center, down towards the south end by Borden's.  Probably cost 50 cents then.  I can still remember mom giving me $1 and telling me to get on my bike and go get my hair cut!  I had to ride down 21st street, across Sheridan to the shop.  No big deal "back in the day!"

[Conan71]

King's Restaurant...my mother quit taking us there.  We'd slink off to an empty booth and crank call the kitchen: "One fart burger please, and hold the poop!"

Robo wash- they had one down on Peoria, Mom would drive through with my brother and I and our dog.  The dog would go into hysterics and follow the, uh, "robot" around the inside of the station wagon barking at it as it washed the car.

Remember the Kip's Big Boys at 37th & Memorial and 27th & Harvard.  Seems like one of the Big Boys wound up on Hale's campus one year.

[Conan71]

DBack or Steve, either of you remember any of the Olzawski kids?  My parents were friends of theirs and two of the sisters used to baby-sit us when we were little.  Tom Olzawski had the first Mazda Franchise in Tulsa.  I think it was just north of 21st & Memorial on the west side of the road.