LEMUEL B. LEGEND'S, LTD. began as a pizza delivery service on Norman's South Navy Base behind the laundromat in 1967. Originally, dialing LEGENDS on the telephone dialed our phone number, and Lemuel Legend was an imaginary portly little man in a chef's toque delivering pizzas from the rumble seat of an antique Rolls Royce roadster.
The business was so successful that after its first year we moved into a new building at our present location on Lindsey Street. Here the menu was expanded to include salads, steaks and sandwiches in a Gay Nineties atmosphere decorated with artifacts and furniture from Oklahoma City's historic Huckins Hotel. Each table had a telephone which was used to place food orders and could be used to talk to guests at other tables.
In 1972 we took out the pizza and the phones, changed to a more contemporary decor, began serving a more evolved menu, and changed our name to LEGEND'S RESTAURANT. We acquired a private club license, opened a closet-sized package store on the premises, and built wooden bottle storage lockers to ease the burden of Oklahoma's then restrictive liquor laws on our customers. Today the lockers house our winelist inventory.
Our name changed to LEGEND'S TIMES TWO in 1975 when we assimilated THE TIMES TWO ESPRESSO BAR.
In 1977 we again became LEGEND'S RESTAURANT since the name, LEGEND'S TIMES TWO, confused people and everyone called us "LEGEND'S" anyway.
In 1998 we acquired the building next door to our main restaurant building for use as a banquet facility, and attached to it the ressurected name LEGEND'S TIMES TWO .
We hold a THREE STAR RATING in the Mobil Travel Guide and THREE DIAMONDS in the AAA Travel Guide. Our homemade desserts have been recognized by Bon Appetit Magazine and Southern Living . We are a recipient of the Oklahoma Beef Commission's "Silver Knife Award". In various newspaper polls we have been voted BEST NORMAN RESTAURANT, BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH, BEST DESSERTS, BEST CHOCOLATE, MOST ELEGANT RESTAURANT, BEST WINE LIST, BEST GOURMET RESTAURANT, BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF TOWN GUESTS. BEST FIRST-DATE RESTAURANT, and BEST CATERER.
LEGEND'S is proud to have employed more than 3000 Oklahomans in its fifty-year history. Many have been O.U. students who after college ventured into every pursuit imaginable, including distinguished achievements in the restaurant industry.
Our goals are to serve delicious, healthy, artfully presented food at a reasonable price, provide a positive working environment for our staff, and to be instrumental in the healthy, positive growth of our community.
With the philosophy that a restaurant is only as good as its most recently served meal, we invite your comments and suggestions.