The Daily Oklahoman has a fascinating article about NoName Ranch in Wynnewood, Okla., which supplies beef to a number of Oklahoma City-area restaurants, including POPS on Route 66 in Arcadia.
Bruce and June Buechner own NoName Ranch (yes, that’s its name). They raise Pinzgauer cattle from Austria, and they raise them organically. That means no drugs, antibiotics, steroids or pesticides. The hay or grass they feed them isn’t fertilized. The cattle are finished with all-natural grain before slaughter.
The Buechners had several clients early, including two Irma’s Burger Shack locations (alas, neither is on Route 66). Then came POPS.
Just one month later, the NoName Ranch reputation was taken to another level with the opening of POPS in Arcadia — a product of Chesapeake Energy chief executive Aubrey McClendon.
Familiar with the NoName Ranch beef as a frequent visitor of The Coach House and Chesapeake’s proximity to Irma’s, McClendon wanted to be exclusive to those products, unlike other restaurants that feature it as a specialty item.
While it’s clear POPS had many other selling points, like its unique design, location and pop offerings, business exploded from the first day and hasn’t slowed down.
In the beginning, the Buechners arranged to sell POPS about one steer a week — roughly 700 burgers — but the Route 66 destination sold a whole steer the first day. For the rest of the month, POPS used about four or five steers a week, said Marty Doepke, POPS general manager.
“We kind of blew our projections out of the water there with just about everything, but especially with Bruce,” Doepke said.
It’s cool that POPS took the trouble to get its beef from a local supplier, instead of a, ahem, no-name corporation. 😉
Red’s Prime Steak in Downtown OKC uses No-Name ranch as well. Gooood steaks.
Does the ranch sell to the public?