Tim Rucker wants folks to feel like they’re sitting at Grandma’s table for breakfast when his new restaurant The Helen opens May 6.
It is, after all, named after his late grandmother.
“It’s unusual, and it has an elegance to it, too,” Rucker said, sitting in his restaurant weeks before it opens on Route 66 at 1306 E. 11th St.
Over the past few decades, Rucker has opened and operated a lot of restaurants. Their locations have ranged from New York City to Austin — all on behalf of others like Bobby Flay, Michael White and Geoffrey Zakarian. Now he’s using all that knowledge to open his first eatery.
To start, Rucker is focused on breakfast. While it’s an industry norm for breakfast spots in Tulsa to have big menus with loads of options, Rucker is going small. There will be 10 things to choose from, including pancakes, French toast, a couple of omelets, eggs Benedict and a couple of sandwiches, with Executive Chef William Glowacki overseeing operations in the kitchen.
Hours will be 7 a.m. to 2:29 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. If diners show up and there’s demand for longer days, Rucker says they’ll expand hours. He’s planning on some special pop-up dinners to test some dishes and diners’ responses to coming to the Meadow Gold District in the evening before he expands to dinner service.
“First we have to master the omelet,” Rucker said.
It’s a homecoming and a new endeavor for the native Tulsan, who began his restaurant career as a T-Town teenager.
His first restaurant job was in the late 1980s at the Chili’s at 51st and Harvard. His job was to prepare salads and nachos. It’s the only kitchen job he’s had — Rucker is a front-of-house guy.
He left for New York City in 1992 to become an actor. Instead, he learned every restaurant is a stage and he spent a lot of time giving his best performance.
After 33 years in New York’s restaurant industry, Rucker relocated to Austin to be CEO of Veneto Hospitality. While the job wasn’t a great fit, the move made it easier for him to travel north on Interstate 35 to see his family — and become reacquainted with his hometown.
That’s what led him to Meadow Gold Mack’s Outpost on a recent trip. He made small talk with an employee and learned a restaurant space was available on the corner.
He contacted landlord Aaron Meek and arranged a tour. In talking with neighboring business owners, Rucker learned the departure of Wildflower Cafe for a new location greatly impacted foot traffic and sales for nearby shops.
Wildflower’s departure had been contentious, and Rucker says he is ready to fill the gap created from it in what is essentially a turnkey operation. With seating for 60, he anticipates diners will stop by neighboring businesses while they wait for a table.
Rent in New York City for a similarly sized restaurant is $30,000 a month, Rucker says. That’s roughly what he’ll pay for rent at the Tulsa space over the next year.
Here his new restaurant is joining less than 1,000 others. In New York City there are more than 28,000 restaurants, so there’s a little less pressure, he says.
Staff have spent weeks prepping for the opening. Lots of dishes have been cooked, with some going in the trash and many going in employee bellies as they learn the menu.
Then there’s Rucker, who is still getting used to being a restaurant owner.
“It’s a lot easier to spend somebody else’s money than spend your own, but again I can go and buy something and know that it’s mine,” he said. “If I need a couple of eggs to bake something at home, I can take them. That’s nice.”
An assortment of lamps from his extended family’s longtime business, Rucker Lamps, are hanging over gray tables with colorful seats. The drinking glasses with various cartoon characters are on the shelves, as is an eclectic collection of dishes and coffee mugs — just like his grandmother’s home.
The question marks that previously filled the windows have come down now that shades are in place. The neon sign is going up on the corner of the building.
His grandma’s legendary quotes, “It’s an extravaganza!” and “Hot zingy!” are on the wall and on the servers’ shirts. Portraits of the-one-and-only Helen Covington hang in the entryway.
The servers are ready to deliver those perfectly-cooked omelets. Now all they need is the open sign to be turned on and “it’s an extravaganza,” Rucker said.
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