The old Nelson's Buffeteria sign downtown soon should point the way to the new restaurant in south Tulsa. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
Nelson's Buffeteria is back, and I can't wait to get out there.
Suzanne Rogers, who operated Nelson’s Buffeteria downtown with her husband, Nelson Rogers Jr., for almost three decades, has revived the iconic diner in south Tulsa.
Nelson’s Buffeteria, 4401 S. Memorial Drive, is located in space that formerly held Betty Ann’s restaurant.
“I’m 73 years old, and I don’t know why I got back into the business,” Suzanne Rogers said Friday, one day after opening the new Nelson’s Buffeteria. “I just missed it; I missed talking to people every day.
“I’m having a lot of fun, and you’re still going to hear, ‘Hello, chicken fried!’ (when more chicken-fried steak is needed from the kitchen).”
Nelson Rogers Sr. opened the first Nelson’s Buffeteria at 13 W. Fourth St. in 1929. That place, according to his son, Nelson Rogers Jr., “served food but really was a gambling joint.”
He said when authorities cracked down on gambling in the ‘30s, his father went legit with the buffeteria side of the business.
The restaurant moved to 514 S. Boston Ave. in 1949, and Suzanne and Nelson Rogers Jr. took over the restaurant when Nelson Rogers Sr. died in 1979.
Nelson’s Buffeteria closed in 2004 due to declining sales, Nelson Rogers Jr. said at the time.
One of the Rogers’ sons, Nelson Barry Rogers III, opened Nelson’s Ranch House at 1547 E. Third St. in 2009, featuring a menu and format similar to the original restaurant.
“Barry still has his restaurant and is doing well,” Suzanne Rogers said. “I hope we do as well here as he is doing.”
She said another son, Steven Rogers, is working at the new restaurant, and a daughter, Jody Rogers, will join the staff in March.
Rogers said her menu will feature the same lineup that fed downtowners for decades — chicken-fried steak, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, fluffy dinner rolls, traditional breakfasts and meringue pies. Suzanne Rogers said she will continue to make the pies for her new restaurant.
“I also found the original sign, which had been in storage downtown,” Rogers said. “I don’t have it up yet, but we are working to get it done.”
Nelson’s Buffeteria is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The phone number is 918-236-4655.
