Pops 66 opened in August, and according to the owners, it was immediately crowded with tourists, Route 66 connoisseurs and many curious to check out the LED-lit, 66-foot pop bottle in front and sample hundreds of varieties of bottled soda. (The store was featured in the April issue of CSP magazine as a Convenience [image-nocss] Retailing Award winner for Most Innovative Store Concept;click here to view the story.)
The company said the full-service restaurant was also a hit, frequently attracting 1,000 diners per day. While the staff of 80 at Pops worked to ensure burgers were cooked, gasoline was pumped and souvenirs were sold, it became apparent that help might be needed to keep the restaurant running efficiently, according to a report in The Journal Record.
Through acquaintance with Aubrey McClendon, who owns Pops and is the CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp., A Good Egg Dining Group last month took over the restaurant at Pops. A Good Egg owner Keith Paul operates several upscale restaurants in the areaCheever's Caf a, Red Prime Steak and Iron Starr Urban BBQthat cater to the gourmet, but Pops will continue to offer hamburgers, chicken fried steak and fried egg sandwiches.
"It has been pretty overwhelming," Marty Doepke, general manager of Pops, told the newspaper. "It's been nice to bring in their expertise."
The company issued a statement saying there will be slight changes, like the addition of Patrick Munnerlyn, formerly the manager at Cheever's, as manager of the Pops restaurant, and some menu additions such as salads. Doepke said there are no plans to tamper with several key menu items. "Burgers are the biggest draw," he said. "The menu is still very similar; there are no drastic changes."
Paul said changes will complement the existing menu, while still focusing on the quality of the ingredients and pricing most meals under $10. "We've streamlined the menu without sacrificing quality," he said.
Doepke said it was nice to have an operator who knows how to run a successful restaurant so that he can step back a little, take a deep breath and get ready for Pops' second year. "It's like we got hit by a freight train over the last year and now we're just standing up and brushing off and taking a look at everything," he told the paper.
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