An aroma of homemade tortillas, fresh chips, queso and sugar-coated sopapillas welcomes every customer into Ted’s Café Escondido, an Oklahoma-based Mexican food chain.
The first Ted’s opened on Oct. 3, 1991, in Oklahoma City, with the vision of creating a Mexican restaurant in Oklahoma that honored hospitality, handmade meals and happy guests.
Since then, Ted’s has opened 10 total locations across Norman, Oklahoma City, Lawton, Del City, Edmond and Tulsa. In 2007, Ted’s opened its location on North Interstate Drive in Norman.
General Manager Kyle Wolfe told the OU Daily that the restaurant has gone through a meticulous process of trial and error to craft drinks that pair wonderfully with their food menu.
Wolfe was part of a team that flew out to a Patrón distillery and handpicked a barrel for the restaurant that was best suited to the flavor profile of Ted’s dishes. The restaurant features their selected Patrón in their “Perfect Margarita,” a guest favorite on their cocktail menu.
Happy hour features select cocktails, Bud Light bottles, Coors Light bottles, house margaritas and margarita-sangria swirls.
The most popular Ted’s happy hour drink in Norman is Tecate, a beer which can come plain or “Ted’s style,” dressed with lime pulp, a salt rim and a lime slice.
Alongside the delicious food, Ted’s is known for their servers with selfless attitudes and impressive customer service skills.
“Ted’s is very much the customer comes first,” Hannah Ivy, an employee at Ted’s, said. “If someone is unhappy with their entree, we will do everything possible, … anything we can do to make their experience a five out of five stars.”
Being located near OU impacts the environment and sales tremendously, according to Wolfe. Some weekends bring in significant profits. Home football games, move-in weekends and national championship games make the most money.
Being located near a college town introduces many well-versed customers from all over the world. The employees work harder to ensure that everyone feels satisfied.
“I like being pushed by not only my staff but also the guests. If we can give them a pleasant experience, we get returning guests,” Wolfe said. “And next thing, you know, you see them coming in repeatedly. It just gives us a sense of pride, and we’re doing something right.”
Ted’s Café Escondido is located at 700 N. Interstate Drive and happy hour is from 2 to 5 p.m. every Monday through Friday.
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard and Emma Blakley. Zoe De Leon, Avery Avery, Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
