A Shawnee-based smoothie bowl restaurant will open a location in Norman this spring.
The Surf Bar will be located at 2180 24th St. NW Ave. and is estimated to be open to customers soon after OU’s spring break.
At 20 years old, Tyler Huebert is the current owner and CEO of the Surf Bar. By his junior year of high school in Shawnee, he knew that he didn’t want to go to college.
“I wanted to do something else, find another way to be successful,” Huebert said.
When an opportunity to become a business owner arose in Huebert’s senior year, he bought the company from a college student who was moving away.
“He came up with the idea of opening up, like, a smoothie shack out of a trailer. I was like … we could do something with that,” said Huebert.
Buying the company was just the beginning of Huebert’s journey. While still in high school, he worked before and after school every day to develop the restaurant.
“Usually whenever you buy a business they show you how to do it,” Huebert said.
“I went straight out of high school into the business world … and did what I had to do to survive.”
The menu of the Surf Bar is inspired by Huebert’s childhood travels. Multiple trips to Belize as well as Hawaii, California and Florida introduced Huebert to new foods and experiences.
“I was so attracted to (the environment), but also the food they had there,” Huebert said.
Bringing this food to Oklahoma has brought its own challenges.
“The first one I tried making I literally sawed open half of a coconut and made one in that,” Huebert said. “I had to figure out … what do people like about these bowls? There's a lot of trial and error with that.”
Coming from a family of OU fans, the move to Norman has been one of Huebert’s goals for the Surf Bar since he began in 2018.
“I would sit in our little space … it was 300-400 square feet … and I would just write on a notepad ‘how to get Norman open.’ It was the store I always wanted to do,” Huebert said.
The menu of smoothie and acai bowls is vegetarian and vegan and features gluten free granola. Smoothie bowls can currently be ordered online for pickup at the Shawnee location. The Surf Bar sells its whipped honey online, along with a variety of merchandise.
The Surf Bar OK will be located at 2180 24th St. NW Ave. and will open soon after OU’s spring break.
