Nothing but smiles came from the crowd outside Norman Othello’s as a giant pair of scissors snipped the ribbon strung in front of the doors, marking the official reopening of the Italian restaurant on Campus Corner.
Sixteen months after the building caught fire and sustained serious damage, Norman Chamber of Commerce president Scott Martin, Norman Mayor Lynne Miller, ward 4 councilman Bill Hickman and Othello’s staff gathered on Sept. 4 to commemorate the restaurant's reopening.
“Our community has been long waiting for Othello’s to open back up,” Martin said. “This is really monumental for Norman.”
Much of the restaurant's interior has transformed through the rebuilding process. What was once red paint and wooden trim has become a full-scale Italian mural painted by artist and University of Central Oklahoma professor Bob Palmer.
A private dining area and covered patio have also been added, but some familiar items still remain. The Table of Truth, known as Barry Switzer’s spot, is still located in its original spot, along with its original copper plating and name plate.
Othello’s hours will resume from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
The restaurant will also resume its traditional open mic nights on Tuesdays, steak and potato nights on Thursdays, jazz nights on Sundays and local music nights on Fridays and Saturdays.
Jennifer Dennis, who is the owner and manager of Norman Othello’s, said the road to reopening has included many twists and turns since lighting struck the restaurant on April 29, 2017.
Dennis said she had originally believed the restaurant would be open in October 2017, but delays in the construction process due to weather and other outside factors set back the opening.
Although Dennis said she wasn’t sure the restaurant would even be able to reopen this early, the restaurant was given the green light to open its doors on August 30.
“It’s been a very emotional experience. It’s been up and down the whole last week, not sure if we were going to open,” Dennis said. “Halfway through the day it was like, ‘Well maybe we’re not going to open, we haven’t gotten all of the final things done’ — and then all of the sudden, we open.”
From the day Othello’s reopened it has been flooded with customers, many of whom are regulars who have been keeping up with the restaurant's progress, Dennis said.
“Everyone who walked through the door on Thursday hugged us and they were excited to be here,” Dennis said. “There were tears, people were crying, I was crying. It was just a very emotional experience for everybody.”
A Campus Corner landmark, Martin said Othello’s holds a special place in the heart of many in the Norman community.
“This is a favorite for many,” Martin said. “Lots of people, myself included, have had monumental things — whether it be first dates — all kinds of things that have happened here that have been long lasting.”
A bond just as strong exists between the Othello’s ownership and staff, said Patrick Murray, returning employee and the restaurant’s manager.
Although many former staff members had to move on to different jobs due to the lengthy construction process, Dennis said about 30 percent of the Othello’s staff is returning.
“Right when it burned down we were starting to hit our stride as a staff — it just fell at a really inopportune time, but luckily we’ve come through it all and here we are,” Murray said.
Murray said he had worked for Othello’s for about 3 months alongside his girlfriend, who had been with the restaurant for about six years before the building burned down.
Murray and his girlfriend received a call from Dennis around 6 a.m. on the day lighting struck the building.
“I ended up coming up here that afternoon and my girlfriend couldn’t do it, it was too hard for her,” Murray said. “We knew it was lost, but we wanted to be here for the family because it is that kind of environment where everyone is treated like family.”
It was that close-knit feeling that Murray said brought him back to Othello’s. When Dennis asked Murray if he’d like to return, accepting the offer was a “no-brainer.”
“We burned down, and we did lose some old things,” Murray said. “The old Othello’s had that reputation but we’re still Othello’s, we’re still going to be bright and shiny and we’re still going to be able to give great service at great prices and in a great environment right here on Campus Corner.”
