TULSA, Okla. — When Mallory Massey opens Soul Smash’n Good in North Tulsa this weekend, she won’t just be opening her first restaurant. She’ll be continuing a family connection to food that stretches back decades.
Soul Smash’n Good will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, Aug. 22, at 1801 N. Lewis Ave. The locally owned restaurant will serve soul food, including oxtails, pot roast, turkey wings, ribs, mac and cheese, collard greens and yams.
Massey already owned the North Lewis building and remembered when the location drew steady neighborhood traffic.
“I felt like the neighborhood needed another place to eat, especially somewhere serving good soul food,” Massey told The Black Wall Street Times. “There really aren’t that many soul food options in Tulsa, and North Lewis felt like the right place to do it.”
The restaurant will initially employ four people, all of whom Massey said are North Tulsa residents.
Family recipes inspire Soul Smash’n Good
For Massey, opening a restaurant is new. The restaurant business isn’t.
She said her family has worked in the industry for decades, dating back to Massey’s BBQ in Okmulgee.
That family history also appears on the menu.
Massey credits her great-grandmother, Josie, with helping shape some of the flavors she grew up eating. Her sweet potato pie and yams are among the family recipes and flavors Massey remembers.
“Her fried chicken was the bomb,” Massey said.
Soul Smash’n Good’s menu also includes soul bowls, banana pudding and sweet potato pie. The restaurant’s online menu features smash burgers, wings, pork chop sandwiches and other items.
Real estate investments helped finance first restaurant
Massey didn’t rely on outside investors to get Soul Smash’n Good started.
Instead, she said returns from her real estate investments allowed her to finance the restaurant herself.
“I’ve been fortunate with my real estate investments, which gave me the opportunity to self-fund Soul Smash’n Good,” Massey said. “Now I just need to sell some food!”
Beyond serving meals, Massey wants the restaurant to become a gathering place for the surrounding community.
“I want it to become one of those neighborhood mainstays where people know they can stop by, eat, visit and catch up with each other,” Massey said.
She believes neighborhood restaurants can provide something increasingly difficult to find in a world dominated by phones and staying home.
“We’ve all become so tethered to our phones and our couches, and I think we need more local places that bring people together,” Massey said. “There’s no better way to do that than over some good soul food.”
Soul Smash’n Good will hold its grand opening and ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at 1801 N. Lewis Ave. Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper is expected to attend the ribbon-cutting, according to the restaurant.
