The Standard — Restaurant in Norman

TLDR: Food was meh, service was downright disrespectful. We were out of town for a soccer tournament and popped in for lunch since it was close and had great reviews. Two adults, 4 kids, $130 after tip (you have to tip at the counter when ordering before you receive any service, then you also have to bus your own table…) We get our number marker and go sit down. We were not told to stay and wait for our two drinks from the bar. So we went to fill our waters. Several minutes later we hear a woman yelling “someone left their drinks at the bar!” “Did someone order a beer and spritz?!” It was us, so I approached her to say it’s ours and sorry we didn’t know we needed to wait but she immediately cut me off and rudely said “if you leave your drinks, then idk where they go” loud enough that everyone turned to look at me which was humiliating. Then she stormed off. I sat back down shocked and we waited for our food. First came the green beans, good. Ranch was decent too. Then she brings everyone’s meals except mine, when she finds us and comes over. She slams my kid’s wings on the table and says oops… gets everyone their food and before I could ask about mine she rushes off. A few more minutes pass by and she comes back with my salad. This time setting it down but still no interaction, just rushes off. She never came back after that to check on us or the table. To the food, The $12 cheeseburger my husband ordered was about 3.5in wide… looked sadder than a kids meal. The $22/doz garlic Parmesan wings came out hot and looked great. Unfortunately there was no flavor at all to them. The meat was cooked well and you could see the Parmesan coating but when you took a bite, no flavor at all. I didn’t believe the girls until I tried one myself. What a waste. The two other kids got chicken tinders. Neither of the kids ate their tenders after the first bite. Not even with ketchup. They had fruit and fries. Which were fine. Nothing special. We didn’t even take them with us. Finally my salad. I asked for an extra cup of dressing. Glad I did since both cups weren’t filled all the way. The chicken was grilled well and the salad was fresh and the dressing was tangy and good. More like a balsamic and not the classic champagne dressing I expected. Just watch your teeth on the pecans. They’re not picked clean enough and you’ll hurt a tooth on them. Overall I don’t recommend this place at all. It looks like a cool spot. And maybe just for a beer would be a good hang it’s just not worth getting...

Short summary: Great food, decent drink options, chill vibes with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, good enough service, but overly expensive for what it all adds up to.

Food: Very good. I ordered the House Burger, and in all fairness it was one of the best burgers I've had in a long time, the flavors were really good. My girlfriend's wings were great too. We both agreed the fried green tomatoes could've been sliced a bit thinner, but that's minor.

Drinks: My girlfriend's drink (Blueberry Fizz, we think?) was great, perfect for chilling on the patio on a nice day. You'd think the beer selection they have here would be great, and they do have a lot of options, but it was heavy on sours and dark beers, and a few IPAs. The options for lighter beers were surprisingly minimal, comparitively. So that just depends on your personal taste.

Service: Mid. Nice enough.

Atmosphere: Big space, lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating is largely covered. It is almost entirely picnic table style/communal seating, or bar stools at the bar. Definitely a group hangout kinda place, it works.

Prices: Expensive for what it is, and the biggest reason for the three star rating instead of four. We got one app (fried green tomatoes), two entrees (a burger and wings), and two drinks (a cocktail and a beer). Our total, with a standard tip, was right about $70. Yikes. It didn't feel like a $70 experience by any means. At that price, it's definitely not somewhere we can just peg as a go-to casual hangout. Not...

I ate at the Standard twice, once with my father and once with colleagues.

The food is amazing. As a mac and cheese connoisseur, their offering is splendid. It possesses a creamy taste without being too rich. I also had the buffalo chicken wings, which were also superb (the cool ranch took it to the next level).

The staff were very friendly and swiftly delivered the food. The only compliant I would have is that the option to tip comes at the beginning, when you are ordering the food. While this saves time (and prevents outdoor customers from walking off), it prevents customers from leaving a tip for excellent service.

The interior atmosphere is interesting. It looks like a clean-up garage and is wide and spacious. The latter is particularly important for those who use a walker or a wheelchair for mobility. Exterior seating is also splendid, offering spacious seating at wooden tables with an awning to protect from the Sun. It is best to come here during the Spring.

The serving size is reasonable, unlike most restaurants these days. It is large enough for a normal adult, minimizing food wastage. The pricing is a bit high for the serving size (esp. the mac and cheese bowl). The only other major downside is The Standard's use of Styrofoam bowls. This is particularly wasteful and anti-environmental and I wish they would reduce...