O'Connell's is Creating New Traditions at the New Location!

It is out with the old and in with the new for O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grille.

O’Connell’s on Campus Corner has been doing just fine since its long-standing sister store shut down Jan. 29.

“Business has definitely increased significantly since the old one shut down,” manager Amanda Gorbet said.

The new location began to build a strong customer base, so when the original location closed, its regular customers moved to the new one. They have adjusted quite well to the new one, Gorbet said.

“It took some of them a while to get situated and feel comfortable to the new one, but eventually they did and they continue to come back,” she said.

For some of those regulars, they could be seeing one of their favorite items from the original location added to the new menu. Food is a big topic of discussion for the managers, as they are trying to decide what to have on their menu.

“We’re planning on sitting down and merging the menus together. We hope to add favorites from the old menu and the new menu,” Gorbet said.

The original O’Connell’s opened on Lindsey St. across from the football stadium in 1968 and became a campus landmark for Sooner students throughout the years. The new location opened in 2008 and has been enjoying immense success on Oklahoma’s legendary Campus Corner.

The University of Oklahoma bought the land where O’Connell’s sat to build new Sooner Housing dorms. The demolition of the old location occurred in early 2011.

The staff who have worked at both locations have mixed emotions about the closing of a Norman icon.

“It is definitely bittersweet,” Gorbet said. “Having both of the restaurants about a mile apart from each other worked, oddly enough. Some people like the old location and some people like the new one.”

One of the major problems for the new location is parking. Campus Corner is limited to parking spots and without a place to park, some customers will just leave and go somewhere else.

“Some people will make one or two passes and then decide not to come in,” Gorbet said. “We are trying to work it out so that our employees to park in the church parking lots across the street to open up more space for the customers that are close to the restaurant.”

When football season rolls around, fans will not be disappointed that they cannot tailgate in the parking lot anymore because the new location will host game day festivities.

“We will do all of the same things on game day as the original location,” Gorbet said. “Everything will be just like the old one.”