Kevin Martin
Okemah is lucky to have such a nice restaurant! Beautiful atmosphere and very friendly staff! Samantha waited on us and was wonderfully warm. She recommended several items (amazing fried Okra. It is whole Okra deep fried. Delicious homemade ranch dressing for dipping). We will definitely return when we pass through in the future!
… moreCat Russell
We’ve been so excited to try this place! Our ribeye was incredible! Friendly staff (thanks Samantha), nice atmosphere, serving up quality food! In rural OK, it’s hard to find a place that actually serves real butter…need I say more? Show them some love and support!
1/16/26
Another great experience at The Founder! Listen, I’m not gatekeeping. If you are traveling I-40 through OK, you better not miss this place. Consistently great rib-eye. First time in years I’ve had fries. Why? Because they use tallow, not junk. Also, the staff is so nice! Shout out to Kim for taking such great care of us today!
… moreTammy F
We’ve been eating at The Founder since the grand opening, and it has been consistently excellent. When they opened the buffet, we started coming even more often and every single visit has been a win. Everything we’ve tried has been delicious, fresh, and clearly made with care.
Today we noticed a new appetizer on the menu: Calf Fries, and my husband and I are big Calf Fries fans, so we ordered them immediately. For $15, we got a generous basket (honestly, more than we could finish) and they were crispy, thin-sliced, and perfectly fried. They came with a side of gravy, and wow… we typically eat Calf Fries with lemon and cocktail sauce, but after one bite dipped in that gravy, we couldn’t keep our hands out of the basket. We tried to eat them all, but ended up taking the rest home.
Everything here is great, but those Calf Fries are worth the drive, no matter the distance. Highly recommend!
… moreJohn Newberry
I brought a group of 22. The food options were perfect. Pulled Pork and pulled chicken, with their amazing beans, fries, and toast.
Came back a second time. Had beef burnt ends. Perfectly cooked and phenomenal flavor.
Can’t wait to come back a third time
… moreCloudy Cowboy
Very cool new Resturant located right off the I-40 frontage road in Okemah. Built by the famous Oklahoma Joes founders.
Very nice barn atmosphere. Plenty of seating and room for large groups in a side room. They had large living room and fireplace waiting area for the guests waiting to be seated.
Our waitress Camara was great. We ordered the grand champion platter. It had a little of everything. Overall it was pretty good. I didn’t know but they put BBQ sauce on the meats before the bring them out, so if you like it raw and added as you see fit, ask for the sauce on the side. The sliced brisket was a little dry, it looked Pre sliced. The flavor was good just dry. Their sausage was great, the pulled pork has a sweet taste to it. Delicious! The Turkey was tender. Overall for a two person meal it was great. They had a cherry bread pudding on the menu but they had sold out, so unfortunately we could not try it this time. We will be back and hopefully they have it stocked!
… moreS Leehan
We had Samantha as our waitress, she was warm and welcoming. Answered any questions we had. The portion sizes were very generous, and the farm to kitchen to table approach was a nice change of pace.
Our part ordered: the loaded potatoes, kids Chicken tenders (can easily be split), side of beans, chicken fried Ribeye with beans and fried okra.
… moreJohnny Sains
We made another trip over for Friday night dinner… the wait to be seated was short… they were plenty of open seats but it appear the staff was on the short side… which gave us more time to visit… the food is amazing.. and our waitress brought us warm cracklings while we waiting on our food… you have to make the short drive and try this wonderful restaurant.
… moreJessica Manning
As we were passing through on a last-minute trip back from OKC this morning, we looked up places to eat in Okemah to avoid the large city crowds. We were so pleased with our choice! The service was amazing, and our waiter—a handsome, well-groomed, and professional young man—took great care of us. Our food came out quickly and was prepared perfectly. Well done!
… moreMichael Weaver
What a hidden Gem in Okemah OK. Stopped in with the wife today for lunch and hand the best service and BBQ we had in awhile. Wendy our server was excellent and ensured our visit was the best it could be. Wife and I made sure the manager knew how impressed we were and just how great it was. The BBQ was excellent with no hints of liquid smoke in the food. We got the Platter that came with Brisket, Hot Link, Sausage, Pulled Pork, Turkey, Ribs and Smoke Bologna. It also came with 3 sides of Potato Salad, Coleslaw, and Baked Beans. We did not leave hungry for sure. The Hot Link was our favorite but enjoyed the whole platter. If you are traveling I40 and find yourself going through Okemah then you must stop here for a bite. We also took home a bottle of Hot BBQ Sauce that was absolutely delicious. I will be back for the Chicken Fried Rib Eye and making sure Wendy will be our server. If Wendy reads this Thank You for proving Customer Service still matters…You ROCK !!
… moreTrebor Skinner
Even during stormy weather Riley and Adrian had great hospitality and and a aditude to me and other customers from what I saw. Ohh and the food was exquisite
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