Three sisters and a veteran local chef have combined to create one of the most ambitious restaurant projects that Oklahoma has seen in years. Located in Norman, OK and known as Local, the 10,000 sq. ft. restaurant offers a farm-to-fork concept with a unique emphasis on family dining.

With seating for 200, the restaurant offers modern cuisine with ingredients that are nearly 100% local and prepared in a dramatic open kitchen. Uniquely, Local includes a dedicated and supervised children’s area known as Localville that offers playhouses, a screening room and infant area. The idea began when one of the owners visited a hotel restaurant that included a children’s club.

Design for the highly contemporary restaurant was created by Architectural Design Group, Inc., Oklahoma City, and includes dramatic radiuses and curved structures that appear to float below an open ceiling area with exposed mechanical ducts.

Approximately 150 pieces (1,200 linear feet) of Flex-C Trac and Flex-C Angle from Flex-Ability Concepts were utilized to implement the concept.

The framing contractor on the project was Mitchell Acoustics & Drywall, Inc., Oklahoma City. “This was a fun job that went really well,” said Tricia Mitchell, president and owner. “The design called for lots and lots of curves and, frankly, the general contractor wasn’t sure how best to handle them. He was originally planning on building all of the curves from wood. But we showed him a sample of Flex-C Trac and he was blown away by it! ‘We can do anything with this stuff,’ I told him.”

Mitchell also commented on the quality of the finished job when using Flex-C Trac. “The sheet rock goes on so clean. I can always tell if the framer didn’t use flexible track - there’s always a sharp edge at some point,” explained Mitchell. “So you get a better job and save labor costs, too.”

The Flex-Ability Concepts distributor on the project was Building Specialties, Oklahoma City.