A 110-Year-Old Oklahoma Diner and Its Two-Time State Champion Chili
“You know one of my favorite things about doing Triple D is cruising Main Street — Main Street of small-town America.” That’s how Guy Fieri kicked off his visit to Norman, Oklahoma, just 25 miles south of Oklahoma City and home to OU and the Sooners. But the real draw here? A diner that’s been serving customers for over a century, where the chili has won the Oklahoma State Chili Championship twice.
The Story Behind the Diner
This joint nearly disappeared. When the previous owners couldn’t make it work, manager Mark Patcher came to work one day and found the door locked. “Felt like a loss in the family,” he recalled. But attorney and regular customer Ben Benedum saw an opportunity. He made Mark an offer: if Ben handled the legal work, would Mark consider buying the place? “I said you got a deal,” Mark told Guy. Almost two decades later, folks are still piling in for Mark’s diner classics.
Building a Championship Chili
The star of the show is Mark’s Championship Chili, a recipe handed down from his dad and grandad. When Guy asked if they cook the meat first, Mark’s answer was simple: “No, it’s all going to mesh together.” That’s the approach — dump everything in and let time do the work.
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The build starts with 5 pounds of ground beef (80/20), diced tomatoes, dark chili powder, ground chili pepper, and paprika — “mainly for color, that’s where they call it the bolara,” as Mark explained. Fresh diced onion, pureed garlic, and cumin go in next. “You can’t make chili without some cumin,” Mark noted, and Guy agreed: “I like where this is going.”
The heat comes from crushed red pepper flakes, added with what Guy called “real precise scientific measurement” — a generous, eyeballed pour. Salt, black pepper, and a little sugar round it out. “Put the buffer on it, smoothing it out,” Mark said of the sugar’s role.
The chili simmers on low, covered to retain flavor and steam, stirred every 15-20 minutes. About 2 hours in, Mark adds a couple more tablespoons of each spice. “We’re going to hammer it home to be sure it’s nice and tasty.” Three hours total cooking time produces the finished product.
Guy’s verdict? “It’s dynamite, man. The key to this is it’s cooked down so well, it’s just got a really nice gentle texture. Little bit of heat in that — that’s really good chili, bro.”
Where That Chili Goes
Regulars put this championship chili on everything. Guy sampled the chili fries and heard testimonials about hash browns covered with chili and cheese, the “fro chili pie,” and the famous chili dog. As one customer put it: “It’s got famous chili on it.” Guy’s response? “That’s winner winner hot dog dinner.”
The diner also serves up a stellar Beef and Bean Burrito topped with green chili sauce — made with frozen green chilies from Albuquerque, crushed tomatoes, cumin, coriander (“the seed from cilantro,” as head cook Julio Herrera explained), onions, garlic, chicken stock, and oregano. That sauce simmers for 3 hours until the onions turn “nice translucent.” The burrito gets filled with chili, tender pinto beans simmered overnight with onion and spices, cheese, and jalapeño, then topped with ranchero sauce.
Guy praised the whole package: “Your beans are nice and tender but not falling apart, and the ranchero sauce not too spicy. The leading character in this of course is that chili — two-time state champ. This is like diner fare plus.”
If you’re exploring Oklahoma’s food scene or hunting for authentic regional chili like you might find at spots serving Fried Chicken and Greens in Albuquerque, this Norman landmark delivers. Customers summed it up perfectly: “The best place in town, hands down.”
Find more Triple D destinations in our restaurant directory.