Bulletin: The Grill on the Hill has gone dark

Capitol Hill favorite closes its doors as owners seek a buyer for the business

Multiple sources have confirmed The Grill on the Hill, 324 SW 25^th St., has closed. Tuesday was the final day of service for Happy Plate Concepts, which bought the business in 2022.

Co-owner Aly Cunningham said she hoped the closure would be temporary, pending new ownership.

Happy Plate is the third owner of the cafe, which was founded as Jamie's Grill on the Hill by Jamie and Jerry Simms. They built a nice following in the mid-aughts at the top of Capitol Hill with Thursday night catfish and an open mic for would-be country singers.

Norma Ericson and Rory Carver were looking for a space to convert into a bistro before they purchased the business in 2008. They simplified the name, and tightened up the kitchen, but then  politics took over.

"Mick Cornett was in here when he first ran for mayor and asked us if he could have his watch party at the restaurant," Carver told me in 2019. "I told him no at first."

Luckily, Norma chimed in and the next day's crowd dwarfed anything they could remember, and it never died down until the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

Before that, The Grill became the de facto town square for south Oklahoma City, holding weekly and monthly reservations for community activists and alumni groups. The result was a breakfast and lunch diner so successful Monday through Friday it took nights and weekends off.

A boating accident Rory was in  before the pandemic made running the kitchen as he had for years next to impossible. He eventually had to retire, which meant Norma often had to cede her position at the register to help out in the kitchen.

The pandemic gave Rory and Norma a chance to sell to Happy Plate. Known for founding S&B Burger Joint, and ongoing interests in Sunnyside Diners, Taqueria El Camino and The Classen Grill, Happy Plate partners Shannon Roper and Aly Cunningham entered The Grill on the Hill more focused on stewardship than ownership. They did an amazing job renovating the property, and the revamped menu was excellent. Alas, foot traffic never returned to The Grill, and the dining room has gone dark.

The news wasn’t all bad for south Oklahoma City. Signs of the return of Dan’s Ol’ Time Cafe are promising. Owner Annie Newton posted a sign on the old property stating Dan’s would reopen Sept. 15 at 10633 S Western Ave. in the Westminister Village Shopping Center. Well, we’re pretty darn close and it looks like those fried-onion burgers are just about ready to fly off the grill in their new home. Thanks to Feeder Larry Dean Pickering for the photo.