At least 20 restaurants have opened in the city in the past two years, and the list of eateries keeps growing, said Rickey Hayes, the city's director of economic development.

Logan's Roadhouse, Steak 'n Shake, Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, and Chick-fil-A are among the recent arrivals. Workers are trying to finish two more links to national chains -- Cracker Barrel and IHOP -- before the Thanksgiving holiday, Hayes said.

It is an old blueprint but a relatively new phenomenon, boosted by the debut of a $55 million-plus retail center, Smith Farm Marketplace, in the fall of 2005.

"It's kind of a progressive unfolding that's been in place here for 20 years," Hayes said. "That is residential growth, good safe community, great schools, quality health care."

These factors have propelled the suburb of about 25,000 people into a regional destination point for retailers, Hayes said. He estimated that 70 percent of retail sales in the city come from non-residents.

On any given Friday night, people from Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Skiatook, Collinsville, Claremore, Oologah and Kansas are in the city's restaurants, he said.

About two-thirds of Owasso residents work in Tulsa, Hayes said. But Owasso benefits from having three major employment districts -- Cherokee Industrial Park, Tulsa International Airport and the Port of Catoosa -- just a few miles away.

"Even though 65 percent of our population works in Tulsa, a lot of Tulsa comes to Owasso to have lunch," Hayes said. "It's been a good thing for us."

Locally and regionally owned restaurants such as Napoli's Italian Restaurant and Arris' Pizza have found niches in Owasso. On a larger scale, Delta Cafe and Olive Garden restaurants could arrive soon, Hayes said.

Businesses looking for new sites pay attention to what a city has been able to do -- and what it plans to do, Hayes said. One attention-getter is Stone Canyon, a 3,300-acre development just southeast of town that could have 1,800 to 2,100 homes over the next 15 to 18 years.

"When you announce a subdivision like Stone Canyon, with thousands of single-family dwellings, it lights them up," Hayes said.

Although city officials are shifting to a job-creation focus, they are not worried about saturating the restaurant market. Evidence has shown that additional choices typically increase the volume for everyone, Hayes said.

Sherry Bishop, the assistant city manager for administrative services, said Owasso's sales-tax base has increased 50 percent, from $10 million to $15 million, in the past three years.

Hayes said: "What we're looking for is an upscale restaurant. That's what we're missing.

"I think the first upscale restaurant that gets here is really going to be good."

Rhett Morgan 581-8395
rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com