So much for a move to Route 66 being temporary.
Business has been so good for Arnold’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers since it was forced to relocate to Crystal City Shopping Center earlier this year, the Tulsa restaurant announced its so-called temporary site will be permanent.
KTUL-TV in Tulsa reported:
But they said they’re getting about 50 more customers a day, so they plan to stay put.
“A lot of the business that we’ve had here has been new, but we’re getting our old ones on top of it, so it’s just building on top of building,” said owner of the hamburger joint, Vicki Arnold.
The hamburger joint says they plan to make a big announcement in a couple of weeks about adding drive-thru service.
Tulsa Route 66 Main Street recently posted a picture of Arnold’s forthcoming drive-through structure:
Arnold’s previously sat at West 51st Street and Union Avenue in southwest Tulsa, about 1 1/2 miles from Route 66, for about 33 years. The restaurant was forced to move in the spring when a new Taco Bell acquired land so it could expand its parking lot.
I speculated at the time of Arnold’s move its old-fashioned feel — with neon, mirrors, 1950s jukeboxes, and burgers and shakes made to order — likely would find favor with Route 66 fans and that founder Frank Arnold might reconsider whether the relocation is temporary. I’m pleased to see I was correct.
Crystal City Shopping Center sits at West 42nd Street and Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66), near the Route 66 Gateway that hangs over the road. The previously moribund shopping center has seen a renaissance in the last few years because of new owners.
(Image from Arnold’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers in Tulsa via Yelp)