Omahoma Bob’s sold, but staying in the family
Bob Workman, right, has sold the popular downtown Wooster eatery Omahoma Bob’s BBQ to Joe and Jenna Laughlin, his son-in-law and daughter.
A changing of the guard has taken place at Omahoma Bob’s Barbeque restaurant in Wooster.
Actually, make that a changing of the smoker.
Following a 50-year career in the meat industry including the last 13 as owner of Omahoma Bob’s BBQ, Bob Workman recently sold the business to Joe Laughlin and Jenna Laughlin, his son-in-law and daughter.
“I thought we had it sold in 2020, but then COVID hit and everything fell apart for the deal,” the 70-year-old Workman said. “Then I got a call from Jenna, and she said, ‘Since that didn’t work, can we talk about it?’
“I’m glad it’s worked out like this. The customers seem happy it’s staying like this, and (Jenna and Joe) are getting to know them.”
Workman owned and operated Bob’s Quality Meats on Bowman Street from 1996-2006 after purchasing it from Bob Szala.
After selling that location, Workman couldn’t sit idle. He was soon crunching numbers to plan for the opening of what became Omahoma Bob’s BBQ, 128 S. Market St., just south of the square.
“My wife Deb and I had lived out west (in the 1980s and early 1990s), and I’d worked in the meat industry and learned a lot about barbecuing,” Workman said. “The name ‘barbecue’ can be slapped on a lot of different things, but there’s one true way to do barbecue. I had never owned a restaurant, but barbecue was really taking off and I thought Wooster was ready for it.”
All that was left to do was come up with a catchy name.
“We had moved from Salt Lake City to Oklahoma City when Deb’s daughter, Elizabeth, was 3,” said Workman, a Wooster High graduate. “She couldn’t say Oklahoma, pronouncing it ‘Omahoma.’
“When we got ready to start the restaurant, Deb reminded me about ‘Omahoma,’ and I thought it was a good name.”
Workman’s Texas dry rub style barbecue menu is complete with southern sides and quickly caught on in Wooster. It has been a local favorite since 2009.
Omahoma Bob’s gets a regular lunch crowd from Wooster and beyond. It has only nine tables but also does a brisk carryout business and catering on occasion.
“I think the location is great,” Workman said. “For a startup doing something like this, it’s worked out very well for us. It put us in the hub of downtown, and it drew people to this corner of the square, which hadn’t been real busy before.”
Taking over Omahoma Bob’s has its challenges amid the pandemic — rising costs and supply issues in the food industry — but the Laughlins are thoroughly enjoying being part of the Wooster community. Jenna and Joe Laughlin have four kids — age 21, 18, 16 and 14 — who have all helped out at the restaurant.
“Being away in Maryland for many years and only coming back home to visit, now I really see the impact my dad has had on the community,” Jenna Laughlin said. “Everyone knows his name and loves him, and we want to carry on the legacy and history.”
Laughlin was a math teacher and then a stay-at-home mom in Maryland while Joe started his career in ministry before becoming a manager for Chick-fil-A.
Workman thanked City Square Steakhouse owner Mike Mariola and Broken Rocks owner Glen Grumbling for their friendship and advice over the years. All three both built popular restaurants and, in turn, several more businesses have come into their section of the downtown.
Workman truly appreciates his customers, knowing many of them by name.
“I really want to thank our customers for the support they’ve given us,” Workman said, “not only for the past 13 years, but also the 10 years before at the old store.
“We have a lot of customers who followed us from there, and we couldn’t have done it without them. When we opened the doors at Omahoma Bob’s, we had a few hundred dollars left in our account to do this, and it just took off. We’ve had steady growth ever since.”
Omahoma Bob’s is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information follow the Facebook page or go to the website at www.omahomabobsbbq.com.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.