Ricky Reyna has worked for three years at Braum’s, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. He has witnessed many changes in his time there.
Forty years ago, an ice cream and dairy savior changed the face of Oklahoma’s eating scene.
Bill Braum opened the first Braum’s in Oklahoma City in 1968.
Braum’s has more than 280 locations.
Braum’s stores have visibly changed, as its employees have seen.
Ricky Reyna, a night manager at the store on Perkins Road in Stillwater, can attest to the changes the company has made in the past three years.
“The grill area has changed three times, the menu has changed twice and the prices have gone up two times,” Reyna said.
Originally from out of state, Reyna brought an external view with him to the Oklahoman ice cream and dairy store when he began working for the company in Shawnee 3 1/2 years ago.
“I moved from Texas to go to [Oklahoma Baptist University],” Reyna said. “[Braum’s] was right across the street, and I had worked in fast food before so I figured ‘Why not?’
“What I see from customers is whenever they come to Oklahoma they see [Braum’s] as a part of Oklahoma.”
A manager for the store on Sixth Avenue said he also has seen changes, such as a kitchen renovation, during his 15-month tenure.
Gregory Wilson said he hopes his career will lead to traveling opportunities.
Braum’s incorporates its Oklahoma roots into all aspects of its business.
The milk used for ice cream and general dairy sales comes from cows raised on Oklahoma farmland, according to a news release.
“It makes us feel homey,” Reyna said. “It’s a really good place to work.”
The occasional appearance of someone from the Braum family checking in on their stores adds to the ‘homey’ feeling.
“It seems more like a new Wal-Mart,” Reyna said. “Here people stay longer, shop around, talk to employees. That makes it a lot less stressful of a place to work.”
Besides the family aesthetic, customers can enjoy the youthful energy employees such as Reyna add to the company.
“I am probably one of the youngest managers at Braum’s,” Reyna said.
When asked how the upward transition was made, Reyna said the steps involved were quite simple — to work his way up.
“Being loyal, being here, being dependable — after doing that for six months, I started asking for stuff, and I moved up,” Reyna said.
Reyna is in his second year of taking business classes at OSU.
For Reyna, his involvement with the Braum’s family does not stop in Stillwater.
“I’d like to work for the corporate office,” Reyna said.
“[My favorite aspect is] the way they handle employees,” Reyna said. “They treat us really good.”
Wilson said his appreciation runs along similar lines.
“The people I work with is why I keep coming back,” he said.
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