Although I haven't yet seen it for myself, I've heard that Braums opened a new store in Norman, built of craftsman styling. They say it's a totally different look than what we're used to seeing with Braums and, if you ask me, it's about time.

You see I remember, when I was younger, Braums being known just for it's ice cream. We loved it when Mom & Dad decided to take us to Braums for an ice cream cone or a sunday. It was always a treat. The stores were always clean and it was exciting to choose from the wide variety of ice cream flavors. We were like kids in candy (er, ice cream) store. Then as I got older, I realized they had more than just ice cream. They had great burgers, chicken and fries. And the food was very affordable too. That's an extra bonus when you're in your twenties. I ate there often; maybe too often. But somewhere along the way, Braums lost it's appeal. The stores weren't as nice (clean?) as they once were and the food lost it's luster. The burgers didn't have the uniqueness they did in years past for some reason. It also seemed that the portions were smaller. The chicken strips went from big, hearty pieces of tasty meat to these small, withered nuggets of "chicken" which I haven't ventured back for in years. 

Now I see that Braums is planning to build one of these new stores around the NW 164th & Penn area. Probably a pretty smart move on their part. This is a heavily residential area of town, which doesn't offer (yet) a lot of fast-food restaurants. The only ones that come to mind in that area are Sonic and, um, well Sonic. Nearby neighborhoods include Rose Creek, Woodvine, Seminole Pointe, Summer Ridge, Sonoma Lake, Fenwick, Silverhawk and many other good-sized communities. So, maybe they've chosen a good location and maybe the new store will be new and exciting. Newer, cleaner stores are great, but the real question is, are they going to bring back the tasty burgers and chicken of yesteryear? Or are they going to continue to lower the quality of their food, and focus more on the ice cream and the groceries?