O'Connell's having to move?

[hurricane'bone]

O'Connell's on the move?

By James Tyree
The Oklahoman

NORMAN -- O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grill in Norman, a hot spot on St. Patrick’s Day and during University of Oklahoma football games, may be on the move.

Feedback: Your thoughts on O'Connell's

The University of Oklahoma Foundation has agreed to buy 2.3 acres of land at the southeast corner of Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue for $4.5 million, according to meeting information submitted to the Board of Regents. The site includes O’Connell’s and a strip mall that includes a convenience store, textbook store, a hookah bar and other businesses.

The OU Board of Regents will consider an agenda item Wednesday during a meeting in Bartlesville that would authorize the university to buy the land from the foundation within seven years.

“We’ve been asked by the regents to acquire it for university use,” said University of Oklahoma Foundation president Ron Burton. “I don’t know what it will be used for. Whether it’s green space or an academic purpose, I really can’t say.”

O’Connell’s has been a campus-area mainstay since 1968. Jeff Stewart, O’Connell’s owner since 1979, has a lease on the building until October 2007. Stewart said he doesn’t know what his next move will be until he hears from the building owners.

“Right now nothing else can be done,” he said. “It’s pure speculation.”

http://www.newsok.com/article/2846389/?template=home/main

Doesn't that strip-mall also include Pad Thai?

[afs]

$10 says the area will become a Faculty / Staff parking lot.

[soonervegas]

Honestly, not a big deal. Southside is dead anyway. Move it to Campus Corner.

[BigRedJed]

There is a point when too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

[sooneron]

I talked to Jeff on Saturday and he will probably move to North of Campus. The only problem with that is there are way too many bars on CC ! I never thought I'd say that, but it's true.

[soonerscuba]

**** that. O'Connell's is as much a part of OU as Dale Hall, Memorial Stadium, or the Great Reading Room.

[bri]

Sh*t.

One of the things I always LIKED about O'Connell's was that it WASN'T on Campus Corner. :mad:

[mrowl]

my sister told me Als was closing, or for sale...

[Boomer.....]

I heard that O'Connell's is moving where Al's is and Al's is moving to Bricktown.

[BoogercountySooner]

I heard Big Red Spots and Imports was gonna sell cars there.;)

[picasso]

long as Suger's is still there baby.

[Boomer.....]

long as Suger's is still there baby.
Nothin but the finest!

[mdklatt]

The long term plan is to have a greenbelt connecting south campus (Stevenson, NWC, and a lot more to come) with main campus. This might be part of that. They're also going to need to replace all the parking lots that are having new building put on top of them.

[Taxman71]

O'Connell's hasn't been worth squat since the 2000 season and all the tailgaters and campus corner money came in.

[bri]

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw O'Connell's pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

[handcrafted]

I heard that O'Connell's is moving where Al's is and Al's is moving to Bricktown.

Would not surprise me if that turned out to be true. Al's is not doing very well from what I can tell.

[yermom]

:mad:

anyone know what they are doing with Parkview? i just noticed that it was fenced in and looked condemned or something


i'll be hella ****ed if Padthai doesn't reopen somewhere... i don't go to O'Connell's that often, but i can't imagine messing with that place, it's a freaking landmark in Norman

[Boomer.....]

Especially on Patty's Day. What will they do then?

[Octavian]

I heard that O'Connell's is moving where Al's is and Al's is moving to Bricktown.

me too.

that's too bad...I wish O'Connel's would stay where it's at but it wouldn't surprise me if CC's upsurge has cost O'Connel's some revenue since 2000 so I can see why they'd want up there.

Why can't the university just build another multi-level parking garage in the huge parking lot south of the stadium?

[Octavian]

and I'm really worried that the dormrats aren't gonna have an accessible hooka paraphernalia store...

[Octavian]

Especially on Patty's Day. What will they do then?

I'm sure "Ice Ice Baby" sounds just as good at Campus Corner ;)

[snp]

Maybe a better and bigger location will help OCs. It's kinda crappy now.

They better give me their shuffleboard table.

[GottaHavePride]

:mad:

anyone know what they are doing with Parkview? i just noticed that it was fenced in and looked condemned or something


i'll be hella ****ed if Padthai doesn't reopen somewhere... i don't go to O'Connell's that often, but i can't imagine messing with that place, it's a freaking landmark in Norman
You know, the other day someone mentioned this and I thought "Pad Thai should look into that huge space Balfour's just vacated when they moved around the corner." You know, because with all that space, they could expand their kitchen and do crazy lunch crowds on campus corner. then the other day I saw that OU Authentic had taken that location over and I thought ****!

Maybe they'll close down Cafe Plaid and let Pad Thai in there. Cafe Plaid sucks. I don't want to spend $8 for a sammich that isn't even as good as Mr. Goodcents.

[yermom]

i can only imagine how ****ty parking will be for OC's now too :mad:

[the_ouskull]

http://ou.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2209186833

the_ouskull

[SelmaBamaFan]

This sucks IMO. There are some cases where bars enhance the atmosphere of game days, to much dismay from University officials. From my personal experience, they moreso enhance the nights before game days. I loved O'Connell's the night before we visited Memorial Field. It was easy to find, easy to get to, and easy to get out of.

We drove up to the CC, and thought 'hell no', and went back to O'Connell's. Also, it was nice to walk out of the stadium, stick my hand in a bucket of ice, and pull out one of the coldest brewskies I've had in a while. Not to mention I bought my OU shot glass from the little store next to it. From a visitor's perspective, it will be sad to see that place go. It is really convenient to have stuff just outside the visitor's section that's easy for us to find.

It appears OU isnt the only school that is forcing on campus bars to move its business though. I heard that UA has purchased the block of buildings known as 'The Strip' here in Tuscaloosa. For those of you that visited The Booth, Cheap Shots, or The Venue while here in Tuscaloosa; it appears that soon those places will be no more. I havent heard anything lately on it though, so hopefully nothing has developed as of yet.

[Grimey]

This sucks IMO. There are some cases where bars enhance the atmosphere of game days, to much dismay from University officials. From my personal experience, they moreso enhance the nights before game days. I loved O'Connell's the night before we visited Memorial Field. It was easy to find, easy to get to, and easy to get out of.

We drove up to the CC, and thought 'hell no', and went back to O'Connell's. Also, it was nice to walk out of the stadium, stick my hand in a bucket of ice, and pull out one of the coldest brewskies I've had in a while. Not to mention I bought my OU shot glass from the little store next to it. From a visitor's perspective, it will be sad to see that place go. It is really convenient to have stuff just outside the visitor's section that's easy for us to find.

It appears OU isnt the only school that is forcing on campus bars to move its business though. I heard that UA has purchased the block of buildings known as 'The Strip' here in Tuscaloosa. For those of you that visited The Booth, Cheap Shots, or The Venue while here in Tuscaloosa; it appears that soon those places will be no more. I havent heard anything lately on it though, so hopefully nothing has developed as of yet.

thanks for the perspective from an outsider.

out of curiosity, I wonder how much it has hurt O'connells that people can't leave the stadium at halftime and get back in.

[OUDoc]

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw O'Connell's pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.
Thank you, Simone.




I don't like moving it, but I don't think I've been inside O'Connell's more than 5 times in all the years I went to school or games at OU. With the change in the halftime rules, it's just not the same anyway. :(

[OklahomaTuba]

I'm just glad to hear CC is doing well.

The place was DEAD when I was going to school there.

Is Al's really closing or is it just moving?

[sooneron]

We went to Al's after the game and sat at a table waiting for ANYONE to wait on us or even look at us- nothin for 10 minutes. Pretty stupid thing to do to three guys in their thirties with plenty of disposable income. I can guarantee a tab that would have merited a $20-25 tip. It was crowded, but not THAT crowded.

[Mjcpr]

We went to Al's after the game and sat at a table waiting for ANYONE to wait on us or even look at us- nothin for 10 minutes. Pretty stupid thing to do to three guys in their thirties with plenty of disposable income. I can guarantee a tab that would have merited a $20-25 tip. It was crowded, but not THAT crowded.

So did you all load up in your Yukon and go home or what?

:D

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

Did you just get in your Yukon and leave?

[Mjcpr]

Did you just get in your Yukon and leave?

Good one, Booty.

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

DAMMIT!

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

Thanks, Scrote.

[sooneron]

No we went to Joe's and had a pizza and loaded up in a taxi for some more good times at ........


















Opies!!!

[Mjcpr]

Thanks, Scrote.

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/buttons/report.gif

[sooneron]

Thanks, Scrote.
heh

[dolemitesooner]

What in the **** is going to happen to Padthai

[ultimatesooner1]

this will be a bigger loss to St patties day than to gamedays

[mdklatt]

this will be a bigger loss to St patties day than to gamedays

Whatever will we do without people throwing up green eggs and beer in their 10:30 math classes?

[Sooner_Havok]

We went to Al's after the game and sat at a table waiting for ANYONE to wait on us or even look at us- nothin for 10 minutes. Pretty stupid thing to do to three guys in their thirties with plenty of disposable income. I can guarantee a tab that would have merited a $20-25 tip. It was crowded, but not THAT crowded.

Al's is horrible. There is never a soul in there, and with the service you get there it is understandable. We walk in on a monday night, wait ten minutes to get menus, another ten to get an order put in, and thirty to get two cold burgers. The kicker was during that time, we were only offered more beer once, and that was when the cold burgers were delivered. It was me, my buddy, and two other people in there. The wait staff outnumbered the custumers, yet they were too bussy talking amongst themselves to serve the paying custumers. Think I left a 12 cent tip that night :D

[TopDawg]

Al's is schizo. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's awful.

Ok, it's never great. But sometimes it's enough to make me want to come back and other times it's enough to keep me away for several months.

[GottaHavePride]

The last time we went to Al's we went because PG was craving one of their fried onion blocks - no one else around Norman cust the onions that small. They were out of onions. How the hellcrap do you run out of onions?

Honestly, I go in O'Connells about once a year when I get a craving for a Monte Cristo. Other than that, the only thing about the whole deal that really concerns me is Pad Thai.

:les: SCREW O'CONNELL'S! WHAT ABOUT PAD THAI!!??!!??

[sooneron]

For someone whose location is I LIVE IN BEER, you don't go to St Patty's Day????

big talker


Has nyone ever had the Boomer Sooner at O'Connell's? It was a drink that would RYFO!! They served it in something roughly the size of a ten gallon aquarium.

[GottaHavePride]

For someone whose location is I LIVE IN BEER, you don't go to St Patty's Day????

They serve Guinness at a lot of places that aren't O'Connell's. ;)

[bri]

That may be, but it still saddens me to see someone WASTING living in Norman by doing St. Paddy's anywhere else.

Of course, since O'Connell's decided to start SUCKING on St. Pat's, I'll let it slide. ;)

[BigRedJed]

O'Connell's has never been the same since Grandma Bingo ended.

[Taxman71]

The problem with Al's, O'Connell's, etc. is that they are only packed on gamedays, i.e.-6 days a year. Both are ghost towns the rest of the year which means the service sux (this is the case for most CC places).