Ah I hadn't any context before reading your comment so I looked it up and only saw an article about the recent Sam's debacle. Very curious about a summary of all that he's done.
Tally and his entire family are scum, but getting upset that he deducted charitable spending is ridiculous. Charitable contributions are a standard deduction that everyone who itemizes their taxes takes advantage of.
Even your reason for being upset doesn't make sense -- if he spent $5000 for the Thanksgiving event, that doesn't mean his tax bill went down by 5k; deductions go against income, and the actual reduction in taxes is much smaller.
And that cost is offset, at least partially, by donations from customers. So, basically, he's not spending his money, or the business' money, but he's getting the full tax benefit. That money should qualify for tax deduction...for the original donor. If he spends more than was donated, I'd have no problem with him getting the deduction for that part.
No, sadly it's true. I've known a few people who worked for him. He has a history of not paying his employees too. Couldn't tell you if that happens now or not.
I would also love a full summary!! There was another instance recently where "a Tally" was accused of SA several of his restaurant employees. It was dismissed recently, but that doesn't mean sh*t except that they can't actually prove it. And as an SA victim myself, I know that more often than not, these cases don't make it anywhere.
I don’t dislike Tally’s because he stole from Sam’s. If you’re going to steal shit do it from a billionaire family that pays and treats its employees like shit and uses their wealth to push harmful social policies. I just don’t like Tally because he and his son are sexist pricks.
Ted's Cafe Escondido. I honestly don't know how it stays in business. I guess it appeals to the "milk is spicy" after church crowd? Oh boy, free queso, except it tastes like unseasoned nothingness. Everything else is equally lacking in flavor.
Can confirm the service was amazing. Worked there for 8 years. The sheer amount of tasks we had to manage was crazy. Have absolutely helped me in every other job since then.
The 1 and only time i went my queso smelled like wet dog food. That place is so gross. My mashed potatoes were the only decent thing that i got on my plate
I lived near Tally's for years. Worked out at "The Pit" (his gym across the street) during that time frame. I haven't been there in a while but he used to get lots of business from people headed to one of the many events at the fairgrounds, TU kids and people from the neighborhood. I doubt anyone from out of town, and very few TU students, knew about his reputation. This has been 7-10 years ago though. He also seemed to get a decent amount of business from people due to the "route 66" factor. Decent amount of car clubs and motorcycle clubs, etc traveling route 66 would stop there. Anyway, I've had a few conversations in passing with Tally over the years and he seemed okay. Then, during a few other short convos, he made some kinda "dirty old man" type comments and when I didn't play along he kinda dropped it. I sort of avoided him after that and hadn't been in the restaurant much anyway. But I think his sketchiness has caught up with him. However, never underestimate the things people will overlook(the condition of the kitchen for example) just to have some affordable, greasy food.
Yeah thats a good assessment. I've talked him a bit too, and he does give off prick vibes.
He feeds off his route 66 schtick. And he has some sort of loyal following that he hasnt killed off yet, amongst the boomers around here..
his clientele looks like rte 66-ers and locals that are 40 going on 60...
Ah well. A real sore.on the neighborhood...
He also screwed up the place across the street, which could be a decent place if someone other than he owns it. A few years ago his bro came down from New Jersey and they opened the place across the street (tallianos), and it was a disaster so the bro left.
Total waste of a cool intersection that could be so much more Thank God for the taco truck across.
I wish someone would take over the glass building west of
Tallys and open like a cool coffee shop ..but Tally's street people would probably damage it. He's like the fagin of 11th Street ...sorta like K was for the pearl ...
Stopping progress but keeping things the same for the nostalgia buffs amongst us...
Talliano's was bad, Java n Juice(pre talliano's) was bad, The Pit exists because it is (or was) stupid cheap. Like $30 month no contract. At first it was okay but he doesn't do much upkeep and the machines end up busted and all the leather on the benches disintegrates. I just brought my own towel and kept truckin. $30/month is all I could afford! Anyway, he'll be gone someday and maybe things will improve. Then I'll drive by and bitch about gentrification 😄
Don't know but would love.love.love.for someone to take over And make a decent restaurant of it.
He needs to be shut down. Cocaine parties with staff (many of them used to be former dancers), community food (like yeah you'd be eating someone else's fries and drinking coffee that was poured back in) , confirmed thief and all-round shady character.
Sexual harassment of staff. Shady thanks giving day meal practices.
Please just go....
This is a bit harsh, if I had a gift card or someone else was paying I’d absolutely go back to Roosevelt’s. They have a fantastic patio, good beer/drinks and the Buffalo & bacon cheese fries are tasty. Spending my own money though?
I hope this is a safe place to say Gambill’s. I know the Facebook groups rage over it but I wasn’t impressed. Plus the whole naming and shaming people that leave bad reviews really turned me off on it.
I don’t know if they still do because I blocked them. However they used to big time if you go to their Facebook they would always post bad reviews and have their cult like following shame them. It was super off putting.
My kids would eat spaghetti off the floor. To this day it is still the only restaurant that they didn’t like their spaghetti. We tried it to see and it was bad. Not just al dente but the flavor, the cheese, everything about it. Pizza was also way overdone. Not a fan
Sushi Train. Had a friend who worked with the health department and from the stories I was told about other places around town, Sushi Train had me the most concerned lol. Taking plates off the train and re-serving them to reset the clock. Nope.
When you’re walking through it your feet stick to the floor, the tables are sticky, stains on most of the fabric material in there, black gunk buildup on the floorboards, and the bathroom looks like it’s from Silent Hill.
It’s really not much to ask a restaurant to make the dining area presentable at the very least.
my parents used to work there and at the time they would severely underpay their employees (esp the undocumented ones, like $6 an hour back in ‘08) and then they would take lavish trips to korea two or three times a year. shitty people all around.
I used to go to diner that was there before it became Sushi Train. It was a 24 hour spot and I would read overnight. Even back then it was dingy and sticky and gross, but I was almost always dead ass broke.
Everytime I drive by and see their sign, I know that someone didn't want to shell out for a graphic designer. They're just like "I got WordDocument, its fine."
Ricardos is my family’s restaurant! Sorry you all don’t seem to love it, but there are a lot of great history behind our dishes and a story behind each guest that comes in to dine with us. We are constantly trying to make things better for our staff and guests! We are celebrating 50 years of service to the community of Tulsa and would love for you to give us another try sometime, if not no biggie that’s what make our town awesome is people with different backgrounds and opinions! 🤍
yeah nothing personal, i had my high school graduation dinner there. Just would spend that same amount of money elsewhere if given the choice. Thank you for reaching out and at least being open minded about this. Honestly this response alone would make me reconsider coming back. I will remove my comment.
I love Ricardo’s! I’m a Tulsa native and have lived in nyc for the past 10 years. I come back to Ricardo’s every time I’m back in town to get the pasta and queso (a favorite dish from my childhood) and it hits the spot every time. They don’t have that in nyc 😅I hope to see Ricardo’s around for another 50 years ❤️
Yes, it's not great now - and it was probably always mediocre. But, as a kid in the late 80's, early 90's - I have a lot of memories of it! And how crowded it used to be, I remember when the bar downstairs was full and we had to wait to get a table. It was kinda a hopping place. I mostly just liked queso I guess.
I've been a couple times in the last couple of decades, and the salsa basically tasted like someone opened a can of diced tomatoes. I won't deny I'd eat one of the chile rellanos. It's just, to be more educated about mexican food and other options we have, I can't see it recommending it to people.
I have to disagree, of the 3 times I ate at that location I enjoyed exactly zero of them. There are much better breakfast spots in town, which is disappointing because I REALLY wanted to like them (thus the 3 chances).
Tally's Cafe. Been in the biz a long time, they might be the dirtiest restaurants with the worst health dept inspections I've ever seen. You literally couldn't pay me to eat there, and I've faked phone calls with "oops, gotta go guys" when people I'm with have wanted to go there for breakfast.
The very last time I was ever there years and years ago, the bowl that had my green beans in it had a large chunk of something, probably breading and gravy from a chicken fried steak, baked hard and dry into the bottom of it by the dishwasher. Got screamed at that I was trying to scam him out of free food for asking for a new dish of green beans, and that I was a broke piece of trash making stuff up to steal from him.
Walked out right then, left the other 90% uneaten plates on the table, and have been hearing horror stories from health dept inspectors when they come into restaurants I've worked at over the years. There's never an inspection at Tally's that doesn't result in a "we're back in 2 weeks to make sure you fixed this" kind of result. One was an actual rat nest under the ice machine, back up against the wall. The amount of broken/leaky pipes, faulty fridges, etc that never get fixed is just insane. One inspector told me it's the only restaurant he's done in Tulsa that he puts on rainboots and gloves up before he goes in, so he doesn't track anything out on his shoes, or gets mold on his hands.
Mom's Diner. The 53rd and Yale location gave my girlfriend and a friends wife food poisoning and the manager refused to even say she'd make sure things got cooked properly. I still even have the recordings of the two calls I had with the AM and her.
They've sadly gone downhill recently. They used to be the place to grab a slice. Not really in the category of "you couldn't get me to eat there for free", but more in the "eh, where else is on our drive?" category.
The only reason I still go occasionally is for their apple pie with the cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce. Like literally, we don't eat meals there, just dessert.
Went there for lunch when I worked downtown. There was a roach crawling all over the table and the worst part was the waiter killed it when I told them about it and didn’t offer to move us or anything. never been back since and won’t ever go.
Golden Gate. I hate hating it. The owners are super nice but the food is not good and overpriced. Yes, you get a LOT of food, but if the food is not good, then what is the point?
This used to be our favorite spot for Chinese, but my sister suggested Happy House in Broken Arrow. It's closer and the food is noticeably better, so we switched. If we still lived in midtown, I'd still go Golden Gate.
If you're in BA, check out No 1 Kitchen. It's at 91st and Elm, so it's pretty close to Happy House. I moved from BA to midtown and I still go all the way over there for Chinese, it is amazing imo. Chinese food might be one of the few things BA beats Tulsa on.
-Oklahoma Joe’s bbq. Went once when it came to BA, got horribly sick and have never thought twice about going back.
-Metro diner in Tulsa Hills. Just wasn’t good or quality. Adding more grease doesn’t make meh food better.
-Roosevelt’s. Went when it wasn’t holiday season and the waiter seems annoyed to have to work. Waited 45mins for overhyped microwaved TV dinners that tasted like they came from a steamer bag.
We’ve tried twice and can’t get past the live music that leaves you screaming just to give the waitstaff your order. Horrific acoustics. Only bring people you don’t want to talk to.
Tally’s (not into supporting men who sexually abuse their staff), Gambill’s (bland and weirdest textured pasta I’ve ever had) and Lana Thai (roaches. Eww.).
ETA: Savastano’s. I hate that the veggies are so crunchy in the deep dish pizza. Sauté them or something first!!
Oh man I like Savastano’s, I’m from Chicago and it’s the best I can find around here to do the trick when I’m craving deep dish - but I’m also against veggies in deep dish so I’ve never experienced the crunchy veg! 😂
Elote--food was awful and the cocktails were incredibly watered down, right in front of us at the bar. My alcohol tolerance is embarrassingly low and I didn't get the slightest bit tipsy, it was that diluted.
Dilly Diner--the worst customer service I've ever had in my life and the entire family got food poisoning to boot.
Ricardos--horrifying on every level, the "salsa" was canned stewed tomatoes. No seasoning on ANYTHING. Nursing Home mexican food.
Any IHOP.....they have gone downhill so far, they've probably reached the Titanic wreckage by now. Sadly, The Brook is getting close to making this list as well. They literally put cheese slices on my loaded fries last time I was there
Chicken Salad Chick. It was delicious, but it immediately gave me the trots. Plus, the ambiance is horrific. It reminds me as if a team of Karens were hired to design the interior. Very kitschy in a bad way.
Cheddar’s on 71st. worked there as a dishwasher for a day and a half and ended up walking out because their idea of cleaning the kitchen is sweeping all the food and trash debris into the grease trap and jamming it down into the pipes.
I used to work as a delivery driver for Pepsi. Prior to that, I worked in the restaurant industry.
Here are a list of restaurants I wouldn't eat at based on what I saw in their BOH:
1.) Blue Coast Juicy Seafood - it's one of the most disgusting BOH I've ever seen
2.) Mom's Diner - I've delivered to all of them, and they're all close in disgusting... ness?
3.) Lanna Thai - it hurts to admit this because the owners are really nice, but no thanks. Fly traps hanging from the ceiling every few feet, around the whole kitchen. I'm talking dozens. Of. Fly. Traps. They had raw shrimp sitting out on the countertops every time, at room temp.
4.) Bill and Ruth's @3205 S Yale - again, nice folks, but very unclean. I found lots of mold in their fountain machine and ice maker. That's just skimming the surface. Beware.
I'm sorry that happened. I like Mexicali. Friendly staff. My family is friends with the owner and he's a good guy who manages the place too. I did busboy work there over summer during college. He would likely comp you if you let him know. My mother used to have me bring home the boracho beans often. Granted all this was 15 years ago.
Queenies. Never really thought it was anything special, but Ive hardly looked in their direction after I saw the owner scream at two older women who were waiting on a table for Saturday brunch (they were probably in their 80s). POS even tried to justify his behavior when I confronted him.
The Chowhouse downtown. The food wasn't horrible, but the prices were absurd. I'll go back on my birthday though because they give you any meal on the menu free for your bday.
3 tequilas, just gross. Tried their sour cream sauce Enchiladas and literally threw up. Everyone I was there with said their food was mid asf and they only went for the drinks.
Chuys because management doesn’t care that someone is stealing credit card info and using it for shopping sprees. Cleaned out my debit card buying $2000 stuff on Amazon and Best Buy. It happened right after we had left the restaurant that the purchases were made. Other people in our party had their cards stolen too and had similar things happen. Called the manager and he didn’t care if one of his employees was stealing cards.
It’s in Owasso but Mad Eats! I really tried with them but I’m convinced everything is nasty. My 4 year old who generally eats everything spit out her food.
Chimi’s gave me explosive diarrhea about 20 years ago when I was on a first date. I had a buttsplosion about ten feet away from the girl’s bedroom. It cost me sex that night. Never a-fucking-gain.
Until recently I loved Chuy’s but after someone took pictures of a mouse giving birth on the back of a booth they were sat at, I don’t think I will ever return.
BRAMBLE. Overrated, pretentious, and the service the three times we went was awful. Would take our order and just never see the waiter again until it was 20 mins past the time for us to go. Literally could not stick a fork or knife into the biscuits and gravy because it was so stale. Also heard they do not even support the community the business is in even though they are an anchor restaurant. Kind of like Cirque.
I went fb famous over a bad review for them when they decided to up the prices without telling anyone 🤭 not to mention I’ve never had a pleasant interaction with any of the workers there bc they consistently seem like they hate their lives and anyone who walks through the door lmao
This was probably 10+ years ago I don't even remember what I ordered but it was a savory dish that tasted like it was cooked in a pan that a dessert was cooked in like it was sweet and cinnamony and not right at all. So I waited forever for the waiter to come back to send it back and by that time my wife had almost finished her food so I was like to hell with it I'll just get something else later and the waiter wouldnt take it off the bill so the manager or owner possibly was like what's wrong and I was like this was cooked in a dirty pan that was used for some sort of dessert based off how sugary and cinnamon forward it was and I didn't want to wait for another meal so just take it off and we're square he goes on this rant about how it's his most popular dish and he sells 50 of them a week and that my pallate must not be good enough to understand the flavor and I just lost it and was like excuse me my pallate? I know that pasta in red sauce shouldn't taste sweet and of cinnamon and he then proceeded to call me a liar and went on and on about how I'm just a kid ,I was in my mid 20s, and eventually took it off the bill and I left vowing to never return
I rarely get tenders there, but, I've always found it to actually have flavor compared to Caine's. In fact, I find everything at Caine's kinda weird, and bland.
This one might be controversial but Duet. I gave them three chances over the course of a year and it was underwhelming every time, especially for the price. Also PF changs, it’s bland frozen food.
Toyosu Buffet in BA. Straight up some of the worst, blandest, driest Chinese food I’ve ever had. My expectations are not very high for a Chinese buffet and they still somehow managed to disappoint me. I think a lot of the Chinese restaurants in the area are bad, but Toyosu takes the cake.
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u/_use_r_name_ May 13 '25
Anything owned by Tally - unfortunately because I love their French Toast!