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The first location was a drive-in with 12 car-hop stalls, 12 inside booths and inside seating capacity of 48. The restaurant moved and expanded in 1977 to the Britton Road location.
Expansion occurred again in 1981, when the restaurant opened its second restaurant in Edmond. Originally operating in the northwest corner of a retail shopping center, the owners purchased land and constructed a free-sanding restaurant, relocating the establishment in 1995 to its current location on 33rd street.
The third Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler was established on southwest 74th and Walker in 1983, and enjoys presence in the highly visible I-244 corridor. The Northwest Expressway location was opened in 1992. Johnnie’s entered the Tulsa metropolitan market in 1997.
Johnnie’s Express, a smaller version of Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler, was established in 2003 with it’s first location at Danforth and Kelly in Edmond. Subsequent locations have been opened in Tulsa (2004), Norman (2004), Broken Arrow (2005) and Stillwater (2005).
Today, there are eleven Johnnie’s Charcoal Broilers, nine of which are owned by David and Rick Haynes. Johnnie’s employs more than 500 people in these communities. The enterprise is planning additional Oklahoma City area locations, and is looking toward future expansions outside the Oklahoma Market.
Johnnie’s is known for cooking over real charcoal, with hamburgers that are ground fresh daily. More than 30,000 burgers are served each week, the most popular of which is the #9 Cheese Theta with Johnnie’s special sauce. Other crowd favorites are the #3 Chili Cheeseburger and the famous #4 Caesar burger. To ensure the secrecy of the family recipe, each batch of Caesar dressing is personally prepared daily by co-owner David Haynes.
Johnnie’s onion rings are sliced fresh each morning and hand battered to perfection, which gives them their incredible taste. Johnnie’s uses 500 lb. Of onions each day for the onion rings at each location. The French fries are brought in freshly sliced and ready to cook.
More than just good food is involved with Johnnies. “I think it’s the personal touch we give everything,” said co-owner David Haynes. “A lot of customers say eating at Johnnie’s make then feel good. If a customer is gone for a while, we remember them and when we see them, we ask how they’re doing. We’re in our stores on a daily basis,” he said.
The mission of Johnnie’s is to provide great food and great service in a clean and friendly environment at an affordable price. As a result of the dedication to their mission, Johnnie’s has been voted “Best Burger” by customers year after year in local news publications, because of the great fresh taste of their burgers.
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