There was wistful news out of Tulsa Town this week regarding two Route 66 restaurants.
First, the owners of Halim & Mimi’s, a Lebanese restaurant on the 11th Street alignment of Route 66, are retiring after nearly 30 years in the business, reports the Tulsa World. The restaurant will reopen on Jan. 2 with new owners but will have the same food.
Halim and Mimi Abufadil emigrated to the United States from their native Lebanon during the 1970s when that country was wracked by civil war. Halim & Mimi’s isn’t well-known to roadies except for the most devoted. But locals — especially from the nearby University of Tulsa — flock to it at lunchtime.
Also in the World, longtime Ike’s Chili owner William Johnson died at age 84. He ran the business, which has a location on the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66, for more than 50 years. He retired in 2005.
He wasn’t the original owner, however. Ike’s Chili was reputedly started in 1908 — about a year after Oklahoma became a state. William Johnson was a great-nephew of founder Ike Johnson.
Ike’s Chili continues to thrive in two locations in Tulsa. They are run by William’s son, William Zurn Johnson.