How A Game Of Dice Transformed An Oklahoma Steakhouse

Cattlemen's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City's oldest continuously operated restaurant, has a history as wild as the West. It was first opened in the Stockyards City area during 1910 and went on to survive the Prohibition Era and both World Wars. However, in 1945, the restaurant experienced a dramatic change in ownership when veteran Gene Wade bet all his money on a dice roll against Cattlemen's owner Hank Frey. 

As Cattlemen's current director of operations David Egan said in an interview, this was not a sensible bet for Wade to make. Aside from the small chance of him rolling a hard six (which means two threes) to win the bet, Wade knew nothing about the restaurant business or Cattlemen's itself. However, against all the odds, Wade did manage to roll a hard six. True to his word, Frey handed over the keys; Wade was now the owner of Cattlemen's.

When Wade took over Cattlemen's, it was a modest, quiet place, with space for between 40 and 50 guests. Over the approximately 45 years he owned the business, Wade steadily expanded, taking over nearby buildings and spaces whenever they came free. It is partly thanks to his hard work and ingenuity that Cattlemen's Steakhouse now boasts multiple rooms (including a banquet hall that can seat 170 people) and is perennially busy.

Although the oldest steakhouse in America is found in New York, being known as Oklahoma City's oldest continually operated restaurant definitely helped Cattlemen's Steakhouse find success. However, it had to build its reputation just like any other restaurant. The fact that the odd celebrity, including Ronald Regan and Gene Autry, had paid a visit to Cattlemen's also helped the steakhouse gain fame. Despite this, when current owner Dick Stubbs and director of operations David Egan took over Cattlemen's in 1990 (via a traditional business transaction), the restaurant was not in a brilliant state. 

Thanks to polishing up service and conducting a robust marketing campaign, Stubbs and Egan got Cattlemen's back on track, and the accolades soon started rolling in. Of further benefit was the media attention that followed President George H. W. Bush's visit to the steakhouse in 1992. (With two former presidents among its clientele, Cattlemen's is only a few behind the historic Colorado steakhouse where six presidents have dined.) Despite not serving the state's famous Oklahoma burgers (which many Americans are falling in love with), the steakhouse was even featured in "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Thanks to all this attention, and the hard work of its owners and staff, Cattlemen's Steakhouse was inducted into the National Steak House Hall of Fame during 2024. Given the steakhouse's huge success, we think it's fair to say that Wade's gamble more than paid off.