Published: June 19, 2008 11:22 pm         

Pak-A-Sak purchased, back in business Wednesday

Pak-A-Sak is back in business and the same as ever, said Terry Washburn and Kent Crook.

Washburn and his wife, Brenda, purchased the business, located at 429 E. Maine, from Crook, who wants to pursue other interests. Crook, though, is staying around a while to help train the Washburns and show them how to do things the Pak-A-Sak way.

The official purchase date was June 10, and the Washburns opened Wednesday. The menu is the same, and the same cooks have been retained, said Washburn.

“I want to stress that the only change is ownership,” he said. “The menu is the same, the food is prepared as it was before, the same employees, everything.”

The most popular item is the onion cheeseburger, but there is a large menu of other items, from chili dogs to steak sandwiches, Washburn said.

“When we purchased it we didn’t want to come in blind, and we asked Kent to come in and bring in the same employees,” he said. “It’s the same thing they have done for 54 years.”

Crook will stay around and train the new owners.

“I’ll be here as long as they need me,” he said.

Washburn, an electrical engineer by profession, always wanted his own business. When Pak-A-Sak became available he grabbed the chance. It is an established business that has been in Enid 54 years, with the same family as owners, and Washburn is dedicated to continuing to operate the business the same way it always has been done.

“The funniest thing is seeing how excited people are to have it open. People come in cheering, and seeing Kent here they know there are no changes,” he said.

The first day was crazy and just got crazier, but Washburn said they will get accustomed to that. The really busy time is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., then just before 5 p.m. until they close at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Pak-A-Sak is closed Sunday.

Washburn and his wife are partners, and they have brought in their children, Ashley and Geoffrey, to work.

“When it became available I remembered my childhood. I came here with my grandmother, and we bought seven hamburgers for a dollar and took them to Government Springs Park and ate them,” he said.

Brenda Washburn worked at Coolidge Elementary School and was on her way to work and saw the sign saying the restaurant was closed and for sale. She called Terry, and he immediately began trying to reach Crook through the e-mail posted on the door. Within a couple of hours he received a response, and they worked out a deal. Washburn said he actually was the first to respond.

Crook has worked at the restaurant since 2000. It was started in 1954 by his grandfather and grandmother on the same location. Later, his mother, Phyllis Guthrie, and her husband, Bob, operated it, and Crook said their faces probably are the most familiar.

“I wanted someone to continue the family tradition in the business. Terry and his wife and kids fit the picture. I wanted someone to continue on the same principles,” he said.

Two men walking by Pak-A-Sak stopped Thursday and called to Crook they would be in for lunch. Both are graduates of Phillips University from different generations. Whenever they return to Enid, they said, it is a tradition to eat at Pak-A-Sak before they leave. Both now live out of state.

“This truly is a landmark institution,” one of them said.

“I’ve been looking for a family business. My future is to keep it going. Family businesses are a dying thing, but we have two children, and they may want to take it over. It would be nice to see it here another 54 years,” Washburn said.