City of Sand Springs officials held a formal ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday morning at the site of the future Colton's Steak House and Grill. Also on hand was franchisee Mark Dean and representatives from the Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce. The restaurant will be located on the Southeast corner of the intersection of Alexander Boulevard and Booker T. Washington Avenue, across the street from El Maguey Mexican Restaurant.
"This is a big day for Sand Springs," said Mayor Mike Burdge. "We were given charge several years ago by the population of Sand Springs. They told us what they wanted and it wasn't an easy task. Most of the kudos goes to staff. They were the ones who really went to work on this and worked with the developer and put this thing all together."
"We're real excited about coming here," said Dean. "We looked at several towns here in Oklahoma and thought that this was the best fit for sure...We're going to come here and do you a good job."
Dean said that they would be breaking ground next week with the expectation of opening in mid-March.
The upcoming Sand Springs location will be the second in Oklahoma and 37th location overall for the eight-state franchise. It is the fifth eatery to join the River West development, following McDonalds, IHOP, Starbucks, and El Maguey. Other businesses in the development include Holiday Inn Express, O'Reilly's Auto Parts, CVS pharmacy, and Centennial Baptist Church.
Colton's Steak House was founded in 1996 in Conway, Arkansas and is named for Texas Ranger J.T. Colton, a character created for the Colton's brand. The steak house traces its fictitious roots to the late 1800s when Colton won the Tin Star Saloon from Sheriff Matthew Dillon in Dodge City, Kansas during a game of poker.
Two other businesses are currently under development in River West. Warren Clinic's existing Sand Springs offices will join a brand new minor emergency clinic when construction is finished in River West. Groundwork on a new ALDI grocery store also began recently.
The Sand Springs Retail Market Area encompasses more than 104,000 people, 40,000 households, and a Median Disposable Income of $38,583, according to a report generated by the Indian Nations Council on Government (INCOG). The Sand Springs population was 18,906 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, and INCOG reports more than 5,000 commuters to Sand Springs from outside communities.
