Popular Sapulpa Restaurant To Close Its Doors After 60 Years

It's the end of an era as Freddie's Barbeque and Steakhouse will close its doors permanently on December 31, 2022, after 60 years in business.

It's a place people said you can get a good meal and leave with even better memories. Edmond Slyman's uncle, Fred Joseph, founded the legendary steakhouse in 1962. Joseph began making barbecue in the back room of his local grocery store, Drumright. When demand grew, he closed the store and remodeled it into a small restaurant.

Edmond Slyman purchased and took over the business in 1972 upon his uncle's retirement, turning his dream into a huge success. The restaurant now stands in Sapulpa on the historic mother road Route 66. People from all over come here to try their unique combination of foods.

"Who would've ever thought that Lebanese hors d'oeuvres like tabouli, cabbage rolls, and hummus would go with barbeque, beef, and bologna and steaks?" said Slyman.

The restaurant was a huge success, bringing in 400 people a night. It was Darin's father, Edmond Slyman, who was the heart and soul of Freddie's.

"He had such a vast amount of people that loved and adored him," said Darin Slyman.

So, after his death this summer, it just wasn't the same.

"He made it, it became successful. He provided for us as a family, he provided the community, he provided for the state, why not go out on a super high note because honestly, no one can recreate the feeling," said Darin Slyman.

For six decades, Freddie's is where friends and families came to celebrate milestones and create memories.

"This season is coming to an end. And we shouldn't be sad about that. We should celebrate the beauty that we were able to create here. The memories we were able to create here. The legacy that we were able to create here," said Darin Slyman.

Slyman said if his father was here, he'd have this to say. "He would say thank you," said Slyman.

It would be a thank you to the Oklahoma community for taking his dream and allowing it to flourish and grow.

"The gratitude that I have, that my family has for this community, this industry, it's endless. And if there's one thing I would say, you have eight weeks to come to get your final fix of Freddie's," said Slyman.