Mr. Orange-Power
06-04-2009, 07:46 AM
http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/573745/gallery_photo
Jim Sellers at his restaurant. PHOTO BY PAULA BURKES, THE OKLAHOMAN
Made in Oklahoma: The Artichoke Restaurant & Bar
PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
The Oklahoman
Published: June 4, 2009
ABOUT THE COMPANY
→Address: 2610 N Third, just north of Langley on State Highway 82.
→Phone: (866) 682-9855.
→Owners: Jim and Diana Sellers.
→Established: July 28, 2004.
→Employees: 10.
→Hours: Doors open at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations suggested.
→Specialties: Stuffed mushroom appetizer, shrimp prepared three ways, tilapia, catfish served whole and Kansas brand steak.
Retirement leads to new career
At the Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley, veteran Oklahoma restaurateur Jim Sellers runs only one crew on only one shift: 5 p.m. to close, Tuesday through Saturday. Why? "I’m retired,” Sellers, 62, said.
He’s only half joking. Aside from being retirement friendly, the hours also are well planned. Sellers chose to open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when many places aren’t open, and close on Sundays, when they can’t serve liquor.
Entrees, which include chicken, fish and steak dishes, are priced from $11.95 to $33.95. The average check is $25 to $30.
Sellers and his wife Diana opened the business five years ago, moving to Grand Lake, where they’d kept a boat for several years, from Oklahoma City, where they previously ran The Catering Co. and Jim Sellers Special Event Center in Edmond.
"Now, we wake every morning and see the sunrise over the lake,” Sellers said. Along with running the restaurant, he serves part-time as executive director of the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
A native of Emporia, Kan., Sellers began working in the Oklahoma restaurant industry in the early 1970s, when he partnered in five Tulsa restaurants, including The Fountains. He moved to Oklahoma City in 1985.
Sellers chose the Artichoke name for the new eatery because he’s been serving the vegetable since 1970. In addition, Diana Sellers maintains a 1,600-square-foot garden of herbs, bedding plants and flowers alongside the restaurant. The couple introduced a farmers’ market there, which runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays, from Memorial Day weekend through October.
Jim Sellers at his restaurant. PHOTO BY PAULA BURKES, THE OKLAHOMAN
Made in Oklahoma: The Artichoke Restaurant & Bar
PAULA BURKES, BUSINESS WRITER
The Oklahoman
Published: June 4, 2009
ABOUT THE COMPANY
→Address: 2610 N Third, just north of Langley on State Highway 82.
→Phone: (866) 682-9855.
→Owners: Jim and Diana Sellers.
→Established: July 28, 2004.
→Employees: 10.
→Hours: Doors open at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations suggested.
→Specialties: Stuffed mushroom appetizer, shrimp prepared three ways, tilapia, catfish served whole and Kansas brand steak.
Retirement leads to new career
At the Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley, veteran Oklahoma restaurateur Jim Sellers runs only one crew on only one shift: 5 p.m. to close, Tuesday through Saturday. Why? "I’m retired,” Sellers, 62, said.
He’s only half joking. Aside from being retirement friendly, the hours also are well planned. Sellers chose to open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when many places aren’t open, and close on Sundays, when they can’t serve liquor.
Entrees, which include chicken, fish and steak dishes, are priced from $11.95 to $33.95. The average check is $25 to $30.
Sellers and his wife Diana opened the business five years ago, moving to Grand Lake, where they’d kept a boat for several years, from Oklahoma City, where they previously ran The Catering Co. and Jim Sellers Special Event Center in Edmond.
"Now, we wake every morning and see the sunrise over the lake,” Sellers said. Along with running the restaurant, he serves part-time as executive director of the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
A native of Emporia, Kan., Sellers began working in the Oklahoma restaurant industry in the early 1970s, when he partnered in five Tulsa restaurants, including The Fountains. He moved to Oklahoma City in 1985.
Sellers chose the Artichoke name for the new eatery because he’s been serving the vegetable since 1970. In addition, Diana Sellers maintains a 1,600-square-foot garden of herbs, bedding plants and flowers alongside the restaurant. The couple introduced a farmers’ market there, which runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays, from Memorial Day weekend through October.