Taste Local

PHOTOS AND STORY BY ROB MORRIS

PICKERMAN'S DELIVERS DELICIOUS SOUPS, SANDWICHES, AND DESSERTS FOR DECADES

ADDRESS: 8916 S. Pennsylvania Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73159 PHONE: 405-685-0000 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Pickermans-Soup-Sandwich-116298731727971/ HOURS: Monday – Friday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

In 1999, David Waters and his wife opened a new Pickerman’s franchise sandwich shop on the corner of Southwest 89th and Pennsylvania Avenue. Even though the franchise went under, Pickerman’s Soup & Sandwich is still going strong in 2022. Waters says that the restaurant is still open is a testament to their customers.

“We have really loyal customers who understand that we’re a family-owned business,” said Waters. “Especially during COVID, they were coming in and buying gift certificates to give people, telling us, ‘We just want to help.’”

Waters also says it helps that the only two employees are he and his wife. That’s a blessing right now in a time when so many businesses find themselves having trouble finding employees.

“My wife and I work really well together here,” said Waters. “She is a fantastic cook and handles most of that side of things. I like talking to and dealing with people, which makes this really easy for me. I also do the tasting, which might be the best part of the job.”

And it’s a tasty menu that has created great loyalty among Pickerman’s customers, beginning with their sandwiches.

“Honestly, we’ve kept most of the basic sandwiches all along,” said Waters. “We add specialty sandwiches like Reubens or cheesesteaks now and then. People will also come in from time to time and ask if we can make a sandwich they’ve heard of or seen, and we’ll figure out how to do that. But most of our menu is the same one we’ve had for the last 20 years.”

Waters says the Numero Uno is their best seller. It features smoked ham, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a homemade herbed olive oil dressing.

“That Italian-style olive oil dressing might be the big key,” said Waters.

Pickerman’s also serves fresh, homemade soups, as the name clearly states.

“My wife makes the soups from scratch, so they’re all pretty tasty,” said Waters. “People come in daily to buy them by the quarts. Sometimes they’ll just ask how much we have left and buy it all.”

Waters says the chicken noodle soup is on the menu daily. They also rotate through different soups to keep things interesting, including tomato-based options and chicken dumplings and Spanish soups like chicken enchilada and tortilla.

Pickerman’s also offers catering options, although the pandemic has slightly impacted that side of the business.

Another critically important factor in Pickerman’s success is its commitment to providing excellent value to its customers. That includes using the best and freshest ingredients while keeping prices low.

“We haven’t raised our menu prices in a long time,” said Waters. “And we’re a family and locally owned company, so the money stays here. We just like to keep it fair for everyone.”