Restaurants at 5 state parks to close

By:Janelle Stecklein

OKLAHOMA CITY — Restaurants at five Oklahoma state parks to close will cease operations at the end of the month, state officials announced Thursday.

Read more: Restaurants at 5 state parks to close

It marks the second time since July that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation has announced plans to close The Lookout Kitchen restaurants at Beavers Bend, Lake Murray, Robbers Cave, Roman Nose and Quartz Mountain state parks.

State parks officials on Thursday would not say why the restaurants were closing Sept. 30. A spokesperson referred Oklahoma Voice to a statement the agency put out that says the Department of Tourism and Recreation plans to begin searching for a new restaurant vendor in the coming weeks and wants to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible.

In the interim, the agency will provide “grab-and-go food options and catering lists to ensure food remains available for park visitors and event guests,” officials said.

An attorney for The Lookout Kitchen did not immediately return a message left seeking comment Monday.

The state parks department closed the restaurants in July following a contract dispute over money owed by the vendor who operates them. The restaurants reopened several days later after the vendor agreed to pay past due monthly payments totaling more than $274,000, officials said.

Records obtained by Oklahoma Voice through an Open Records request showed that prior to the first closure, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation made numerous attempts to collect the money The Lookout Kitchen owed the state. 

In addition, records show several instances where the state repeatedly sought documents the restaurant was required to supply under its contract.

A sixth restaurant, which had been operated by The Lookout Kitchen located at Sequoyah State Park, was still closed months after a Dec. 12 fire that also damaged the lodge.

In July, the owner of The Lookout Kitchen, JP Wilson, said the restaurant was insured. But though the damage was minimal, he said he was forced to close the location, and was still waiting on the state to reopen it.

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