The old Box Car BBQ building along Route 66 on the west side of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, recently reopened as a Cannected Dispensary to sell medical marijuana, according to the Sapulpa Times.
The interesting twist is the dispensary’s owner is the son of the restaurant’s longtime proprietor, George Groenwold. Lance Groenwold made his intentions known for the building last fall, partly because his father died of cancer several years ago and that medical marijuana might have eased his suffering during his final days had it been legal at the time. Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana in 2018, much to the surprise of many observers.
The dispensary also contains a salute to its barbecue past:
The dispensary retail area has had a beautiful makeover, trading in concrete for wooden accent walls, but still retains some of the old charms, including George’s old grill, which sits in a corner. Local artist Price Jones hand-painted the artwork on the outside of the building, and if you look carefully, you can spot a bowler hat cufflink on the hand directing customers to the drive-thru. “There are a lot of little details that show that dad is still a part of this place,” Groenwold says.
Box Car BBQ’s Facebook page indicates it closed in 2011, reopened in 2016 and closed for good with Groenewold’s death in 2017.
Cannected Dispensary will host a small festival at noon July 17 that will include pop-up vendors and food trucks.
(Excepted image of the Box Car BBQ building in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, via Google Street View)