A week and a half ago, when we followed up on the news a day earlier of a barbecue joint coming to the Fauntleroy/36th building (next to Tervo’s) by talking to its proprietor, he told us he didn’t want to say too much till he’d finished up some more paperwork. Late last night, he called WSB to say his city license is a done deal and he’s ready to talk. Otis Austin also says that instead of rebranding as “Sammich Slingers,” he’s going to keep the OK Corral name by which his barbecue is well-known in the North End – the new sign in the Fauntleroy storefront’s window (photo above) is already evidence of that. Read on to find out more about his plans:
Scrapping plans for a new name doesn’t mean he’s scrapping the sandwich plan, Otis says — he’s planning catfish sandwiches and pulled pork too, among other things — but “I’m going to have to do my ribs too.”
Here’s the big thing: “What I’m going after is the lunch crowd – there’s a lot of industry around there, folks who’d like to come in and get a fast lunch for five or six dollars and get outta there.”
He’s still deciding which hours to be open for lunch — what do you think? leave a comment! — but plans “all day” on weekends. “Gotta start out somewhere,” he says cheerily.
Besides the barbecue, he’ll offer sides including collard greens, beans and rice, and hush puppies for starters; then before too long, he’s hoping to offer something he said he’s wanted to do for a long time — gumbo.
“The West Seattle place has more freezer space I can work with” for gumbo, Otis explains. “You need a place you can chill it down pretty quick.” Dessert is in the plans, too, though he doesn’t want to elaborate till he’s finalized the menu.
Focusing on lunch also will enable him to split time in the early going between the new West Seattle place and his 16-year location in Greenwood (8733 Greenwood Ave N), where he says dinner is the main focus right now. He plans to use the new store as a “proving ground” to test out that concept of inexpensive barbecue lunches, smaller portions than dinner and commensurately smaller sizes.
He’s hoping to open sometime between November 1st and November 15th, and has clearly done a lot of homework about the new location, offering answers to questions about its perceived challenges before we even ask: “I’ve had people tell me no business has ever succeeded there – People said the same thing about the place we’re in in Greenwood, that didn’t stop me.” More hearty laughter, after that.
The other notion he wants to debunk – that the location has no parking. “There’s plenty of parking in the rear, 10 or 15 cars” (from the entrance just north of Tervo’s).
While there will be a few tables, Otis says his focus will be on pickup/takeout, and you won’t have to order ahead, though he’s not ruling out a time when things are so busy he might have to take phone-in orders. First things first – he’s got some more red tape and setup to get through, and then, he’ll see how things go.
The future West Seattle home of OK Corral barbecue is the former short-lived home of Seattle Burger and Teriyaki, at 4417 Fauntleroy (map).
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