The Otter Cove Diner & Gift Shop in Miami, Oklahoma, served more than 1,100 customers during its opening day Monday, prompting some changes in the hours of operation due to the overwhelming (and gratifying) demand.
The restaurant, which occupies a former gas station on a prominent corner of Route 66 and is owned by the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, gave this statement late Monday on Facebook:
WOW NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA! WOW!
Your turnout this evening was just as big as breakfast and lunch! When the Otter Cove was thought of, we NEVER imagined serving over 1,100 people, as we did today alone! THANK YOU!
First and foremost on behalf of the staff of the Otter Cove, as well as The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma and their Business Committee we sincerely appreciate your understanding and your overwhelming support as we work through opening the diner! No business opening is ever perfect or flawless and ours is no different. After today we realize we need to make some changes to better allow us to serve you all to the highest standards possible. We know and understand that many of you will be disappointed in this news, however we hope you will bare with us as we “find our groove.”
Effective today, until further notice, 7/20/21 our hours will be 11 am to 10 pm and our drive thru service will remained closed. This unfortunately means we are not going to serve breakfast for the time being. Our menu is going to undergo some adjustments and changes as well. After today, we would like the time to better ourselves with our lunch and dinner menus to best serve you. We underestimated the volume of customers we would have and we feel this is the best route moving forward.
We would rather disappoint you with a Facebook post rather then our food or service. We apologize for this and hope you will still continue to support us on our journey.
Here’s an image from a ribbon-cutting ceremony three days before the opening:
The Ottawa Tribe last year purchased the former Texaco that dates to the 1920s. The property sits at South Main Street and Steve Owens Boulevard, both of which are Route 66 alignments. Pruitt Brothers Construction renovated the station.
(Image of Otter Cove Diner & Gift Shop in Miami, Oklahoma, via Facebook)