STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 47
Joe ’ s kitchen turns 40
While Eskimo Joe ’ s has always been Stillwater ’ s Jumpin ’ Little Juke Joint , it hasn ’ t always been a place to sit down for a meal .
This March , Joe ’ s celebrated its 40th year in food service . The bar opened in 1975 . The full-service kitchen in 1984 . According to a company press release , it was the changing of the drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1983 that made Joe ’ s owner Stan Clark have to shift the business .
“ If we added food service , Eskimo Joe ’ s could be for all ages . If not , it would be 21 and over to enter ,” Clark said in the release . “ I was thrilled to find out more people eat every day than drink every day .”
Robert Williams and Scott Linton are credited with the kitchen ’ s early success . Williams is the company ’ s Director of Restaurant Operations .
“ Robert ’ s fingerprints are all over our restaurant operations ,” Clark stated . “ He literally designed our kitchens , the Joe Dome and Mexico Joe ’ s from the ground up , plus he develops our menus , our recipes and even oversees the marketing of our restaurants . He celebrates his 40th anniversary with us on March 1 this year .”
Well before its famous cheese fries or the popular Fowl Thing chicken sandwich and custom hand-dipped milk shakes , Joe ’ s was serving “ a Little Joe fried onion burger and a few sides ,” according to the release . But , the food stood out because of an insistence on fresh – and often locally sourced – ingredients .
“ Fresh is key to all we do at Eskimo Joe ’ s and Mexico Joe ’ s .” Clark said . “ We buy our ground beef fresh , never frozen , from Ralph ’ s Packing Company in Perkins . We hand-cut Idaho potatoes every single day , we shred our own cheeses , our Ranch dressing is made fresh , we make our sweet peppered bacon every morning – the list goes on and on .”
Now , almost as iconic as the branding , are signature cheese fries – that come with Presidential stamp of approval – twice over . Presidents
George H . W . Bush and George W . Bush have both mentioned the fries in visits to Stillwater .
“ Laura sends her greetings and she ’ s disappointed she couldn ’ t be here with me ,” George . W . Bush once told a crowd of OSU grads . “ She was even more disappointed when she found out I had planned a romantic dinner for two at Eskimo Joe ’ s !”
Eskimo Joes , 501 W Elm Ave ., is open 10:30 a . m . to 9 p . m . Sunday , 11 a . m . to 10 p . m . Monday and Tuesday , 11 a . m . to 1 a . m . Wednesday through Friday and 10:30 a . m . to 1 a . m . Saturday . The kitchen closes at 9 p . m . Sunday and 10 p . m . all other days . SwOk
– Staff
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 47
By Lauren King