[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

Nelson’s Buffeteria. How did we get to a place for lunch, and why is that a story? To say the retail landscape has changed in the past 50-years is an understatement. We had two reasons to go north of the river into the city. Both destinations were within a mile or so of 51st and Memorial in Tulsa. When we first moved to the area that was the outer limits, literally. Now it is considered mid-town.

I needed a specific chemical for a project. Its shipping restrictions created challenges. So, I went to a small company I have used often. The doors were closed. Another type business was there. He had retired and no children were interested. So we scooted down the road to his competitor. Same story. OK, we will get the other ‘what I thought was routine’ specialty building product. My first vendor was just around the corner. Oops, rinse and repeat. He and his wife had retired and their quaint little shop was replaced by a massive home entertainment center. What is going on? It has only been a couple of years. Well, we went down the road a mile to the other family specialty building product store. Oh, man. Its building was no longer there.

Well, it is lunch time. My co-author said let’s have real food. That meant one thing in this area, Nelson’s Buffeteria. What is a buffeteria? It is a merging of buffet and cafeteria. First you find a parking spot in the very busy lot. Then go inside to the serving line. You make your own daily lunch special. She wisely asked are we sharing? Unless you are a massive, young dude just in from a job, it is more than enough for us two. Barry was behind the food counter serving up the same delicious, satisfying groceries that I ate, which his mother and dad served up in 1975, when I worked in corporate downtown.

We took our plates and found a small table for two. A little later during lunch, that can be a challenge because of the number of people. A cute young lady came for our drink order. When she returned, I asked how did you get started. With a very charming smile she replied, “I am fourth generation, my great-grandfather started Nelson’s” Wow, that is awesome. When she left, the co-author opined, there is our article this week. How do we shorten it up to fit the space?

Nelson Rogers, Sr. started the restaurant in the heart of downtown in 1929. Can you imagine trying to make a new restaurant in the first year of the Great Depression? The first few Creek Indians had settled in Tulsa in 1828, Oklahoma became a state in 1907. About 20-years later Nelson’s opened. We arrived in Tulsa to a corporate engineering job for a major oil company in the mid 70’s.    Just a block from my corner office, we dined at Nelson’s about three days a week.

That was an era of three-piece suits. From vice-presidents of oil companies to bankers, downtown Tulsa embraced the restaurant. Nelson Junior ran the show. Thursday was chicken-fry day. Literally the line would be 200 people lined along Boston Avenue. That did not slow down lunch. The line weaved around the wall to the servers.

You better know what you wanted. If you stuttered, Charles Freeman would push your empty plate along the line with “Next.” You learned to catch up quickly. When a tray of food was getting low, Smitty would call out to the kitchen, “Hello, chicken-fry” or whatever he needed. It is still practiced this week.

The mid 80s saw the crash of the oil industry and Tulsa was no longer the Oil Capital of the world. Downtown became a ghost haunt. We liked Oklahoma. Rather than be transferred, I quit the corporate life, so my wife and kids would not have to move and readjust. Best thing that ever happened for us. But Nelson’s struggled. The long lines were gone, there were few people in town. They moved in the 90s and tried other venues. In 2012, they reopened at 4401 S. Memorial and we gladly reconnected. It is still a family. I chatted with the spry matriarch, Suzanne, and daughter Jody earlier in the week. Her sons, Steven and Nelson Barry III, and granddaughter Savannah keep the tradition of great food, fast service, and family going. After 97 years for the business, Suzanne is shooting for 100 years. We welcome that.

Think about it. So many family businesses have been displaced by mega-enterprise. It is refreshing to see unique family entities survive and thrive. The younger set can recapture their grandparents’ food and culture at Nelson’s, when we ate real food. Go visit them and say hi.