The Blue Dome Diner at 313 E. Second St. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World
Chef-proprietor Brian Prewitt has announced he will close the Blue Dome Diner, 313 E. Second St., at the end of the month.
“I received a notice to vacate from the landlord at the first of the month, and they wanted us out by the 7th,” Prewitt said. “But I have 15 employees, some with families, who rely on their paychecks here, and we were able to get an extension to the end of July.
“We made it six and a half years through the worst economy of my lifetime, and we still were paying the rent. I will be looking for some place else as soon as possible so I hopefully don’t lose all of my employees.”
Prewitt said he has been checking out possible locations in the Whittier Square area, as well as other parts of Tulsa, “but there is nothing so far that is instantly ready to move in, and I don’t have the capital to build out.”
Meantime, he said he is negotiating for a contract to operate the cafeteria at the Tulsa School for Arts and Sciences, a longtime charter school that is moving into the former Barnard Elementary building this year.
“That’s something I would like to do, and I could continue to operate my catering business (Only Love) out of there,” Prewitt said. “If that doesn’t work out, I have friends in the restaurant business who already have offered me space in their kitchens.”
Prewitt previously worked 10 years at Bodean Seafood and had stints at Ford’s Filling Station, Queenie’s, Café Ole and the Route 66 Diner.
He purchased Route 66 Diner from Debbie Higgs and turned it into Blue Dome Diner in February 2006.
It is known for its breakfast dishes, quiches, soups and such items as a black bean veggie burger, mixed-herb turkey burger and seared veggie sandwich.
He said the Blue Dome Diner will continue with its regular hours, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The last day will be July 29.
“We will be open at night during Free Tulsa, the music festival, at the end of the month, so we will go out with a bang,” Prewitt said.
“The thing to remember is we aren’t losing a business, just a place to do business.”
