What’s Eating Norman

The Service Station

Photos by: Mark Doescher

When it was first constructed, the building at 502 S. Webster Ave. served as a Conoco station. But since 1978, it’s been home to a restaurant named, for obvious reasons, The Service Station.

The original owners, Phil and Jerry Crewson, also ran Crosby’s, a restaurant that had an antique store at the end of it. The pair needed storage space, so they purchased the defunct gas station before deciding to open another restaurant there. In August 2001, Jeff Crabtree and Kenton and Betty Johnson purchased the location. Crabtree retired in September 2019, and the Johnsons have continued management duties since.

The Service Station’s history can be seen on its walls through antique decor and in its menus, with carthemed names for the food items, which range from burgers to salads to steaks, along with frequent specials.

“No matter how old I get, I will never ever think of a bacon burger as just a bacon burger. It’ll be a Bentley for the rest of my life. And okra is lugnuts. I will never be able to see a bowl of okra as anything but lugnuts,” shared Kenton Johnson, adding that throughout the years, he has given away many menus to people who get a kick out of the names.

As one of a few restaurants in Norman that has been around since at least the 1970s, The Service Station features a loyal clientele. Johnson said he enjoys when not only the children but now also the grandchildren of some of these consistent visitors come by for a meal.

There are also special guests who stop by too, like mayors and governors. One couple, who had its first date 40 years ago at The Service Station, often returns to dine at the same table. Recently, a man came in and shared pictures of when he worked at the Conoco station as a 17-year-old in 1953.

For people who have never been to The Service Station, Johnson wants them to know the food is made to order when ordered, and the staff tries its best to accommodate those with special requests.

“The clientele and how loyal and nice they are is what makes it worthwhile,” Johnson stated. “I love to meet new people. I’d totally be in the wrong business if I didn’t. It’s fun, and we just try to make sure you have a good time.”

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant closed completely for five weeks before offering just take out for a while. The restaurant is now fully open, but due to staffing issues, Johnson explained there are about 15-20 seats inside and about a dozen on the patio that they have not been using recently. Like with others in the food industry, Johnson said they are facing challenges when trying to hire staff right now.

Looking forward to the fall, Johnson admits he isn’t sure what it will look like at the restaurant. For example, he said that with his current staff size, if there were a football game day tomorrow, he would not open the restaurant. Right now, he’s still taking things day by day.

“It’s going to be really tough to make big-time plans,” Johnson explained. “I’ve condensed my menu through all this, there’s 15-16 items that we completely took off for now. We’re still doing a paper menu, and we’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to come back with when we do the permanent menu. If I was to tell you exactly what was going to happen on Labor Day, I’d be lying because I have no idea.”

Both of the Johnsons’ daughters have worked at the restaurants, including the youngest one still while she’s going to school. A couple of the other waitresses have been with The Service Station for 10 years, and there’s even a pair of cousins who work at the restaurant, whose grandparents the Johnsons have known for a long time.

“You can’t get any more mom and pop than we are,” Johnson said. “We’ve tried to give them a family atmosphere to work in. You wouldn’t believe the weddings we’ve been to for people who have kids now. I mean, there are kids who started when they were 18 or 19, and now they’re 35 and have a couple of kids and still stay in touch. My contact list is full of kids who worked for us over the years, and that’s awesome. That’s what we shoot for whenever we’re hiring. It’s been a family affair in this place for 43 years.” – BSM