Occupying a cozy corner spot in the heart of the Plaza District, The Mule has become one of Oklahoma City’s favorite destinations for unique gourmet cuisine. Known for their collection of “sandies” (insanely good twists on classic sandwiches) and hand-crafted cocktails, The Mule bucks trends when it comes to food. Turns out, they also bucked trends in the kitchen when they first arrived on the restaurant scene.
It’s hard to create great food without quality equipment. The Mule’s co-owners- John Harris, Cody Rowan, and Joey Morris- dismissed the traditional route of using an equipment dealer or online supplier to outfit their kitchen. Instead, they bought their wares at a local Dakil restaurant auction. Locally purchased goods plus creative flair and local flavor? Sounds like a recipe for success.
Joey Morris: The main reason? We were on a budget. When you’re trying to start a restaurant on a budget, you can’t always hire an equipment broker to find pieces for you. You want to find stuff that’s newer, just not at full-price, and an auction offers that. Ninety percent of the big ticket items in our kitchen, we got from the auction.
JM: I had just driven by their warehouse [so I was] aware of who they were, but their postcards really got my attention at the time we needed equipment. We got a postcard saying they were having an auction with restaurant equipment, and we needed restaurant equipment, so we decided to try it. We’ve now been to two of their auctions.
JM: We mainly go for refrigeration equipment. We’ve also gotten small wares, and we’ve bought an oven before. They had tables and chairs, but since our restaurant had a custom design we didn’t need things like that. If you needed it, though, you could really buy almost anything you need, top-to-bottom.
JM: I had never been to an equipment auction before, so it was something new for me. There were definitely people trying to get you amped up, but it’s not intimidating if you’re really in the market for what they’re selling, which we were. You learn the system quickly.
The Mule’s co-owners Cody Rowan, John Harris, and Joey Morris (L-R)
JM: I would. It’s good because you’re able to get really good equipment at less than you’d pay for it if you used a normal broker or dealer. In our case, we actually met the former owners of the restaurant our stuff came from and we’re still in good contact with them. So really, we got some mentorship too. There is an emotional aspect to it, because you’re buying equipment from a restaurant that maybe didn’t do very well, so you have empathy. I think all restaurant owners feel that empathy. The Mule, for me, is like one of my babies. It means that much to me, so it’s a little weird knowing where the equipment we bought came from. But it’s getting another chance and getting put to good use.
JM: If you like owning your restaurants yourself and not having them financed by investors, auctions are a good option because you can really save some money. You’re getting good equipment that’s been cared for, rather than just using any online supplier or equipment dealer where you’re paying full price.
Equipment doesn’t make a restaurant— heart and soul does. But when you can acquire the equipment you need from a local, trusted source, and save money in the process, you’re setting your business up for success. Check out more success stories in our Client Spotlight Series, and refer to our listings to see when our next Oklahoma City equipment auction will take place.
Images via Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
