A century of sauce and stories: The legacy of Pete’s Place in Oklahoma’s Little Italy

Early 1900s: An Italian Immigrant’s American Dream Begins

At the turn of the century, Pete Prichard left San Gregorio Magno, Italy, and made his way to the town of Krebs, Oklahoma. At the time, Krebs was booming with coal mining jobs and Italian immigrants.

“As he became an adult, a young adult, he went to work in the coal mines,” Joe Prichard, Pete’s grandson, said. “It attracted all the Italian immigrants to southeast Oklahoma.”

Pete went to work in the mines until an injury forced him to find a new way to support his family.

“Well, no one knows the real story of Choc Beer, but the history tells us that the Choctaw Indians taught the Italian immigrants how to make beer,” Prichard said.

1920s: Brewing Beer and Breaking the Law

Pete took that knowledge and started making CHOC Beer from his home. He served it to the coal miners in a room of his house, alongside meats and cheeses.

“He was an enterprising guy,” Prichard said. “One thing led to another, and he ended up with a restaurant. A hundred years later, we’re still sitting here.”

Prohibition didn’t slow Pete down either. Prichard recalls tales of the sheriff arresting Pete.

“My favorite story is the local sheriff at the time would come and arrest my granddad, put him in jail, when his family would come to town, so my grandad would cook for his family, and then he would let him out of jail when his family left town and let him go on about his business,” Prichard said.

1920s–1960s: Italian Cuisine Served Family Style 

The house slowly transformed into a restaurant.

Pete’s son Bill and his wife Mary took over in 1964. By then, the house had become a community hub, where birthdays and celebrations took place.

Many things have stayed the same over the years, including the private dining areas.

“It’s got all the little private dining areas that were like rooms in his home,” Prichard said. “We kept that theme, and as we expanded through the years, we kept adding little private dining areas, so there’s a myriad of those private dining areas, and the banquet room is larger now, too. We could do banquets of 300 people; you could be in a room with 300 people or two people.”

1980s: Joe and Kathy Take the Reins

In the '80s, Pete’s grandson Joe and his wife Kathy stepped in. Over the next 40 years, they expanded the restaurant and added a few modern staples.

“Chicken Parm pays the bills,” Prichard said.

But the real favorite is the Lamb Fries: thinly sliced lamb, breaded and deep-fried, served with a lemon wedge.

Every entrée still comes family-style with ravioli, spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic bread.

“Most people have something to take home,” Prichard said.

2024: A New Generation Steps In

Now, the future of Pete’s Place is in the hands of Joe’s daughter Katie Walters and her husband.

Katie grew up in the kitchen, vacuuming the dining rooms and stocking condiments.

“We were here a lot growing up, and then when I was 14, I got a work permit and started working here, and I have been here ever since,” Walters said.

Her husband started working there at 16, and the two have been married nearly 20 years. Even their 7-year-old daughter helps today.

“It’s pretty amazing, I mean unbelievable, there’s not that many restaurants in the United States, let alone Oklahoma, that have been around a hundred years, and they are still owned and operated by the same family, which I think is extremely rare to us,” Walters said.

100 Years in Business: A House Full of History

The walls are lined with black-and-white photographs of Pete, Joe, and countless memories. Kathy, the family’s historian, can point out everyone in the pictures, including celebrities and politicians who’ve dined at Pete’s.

Today: Why People Keep Coming Back

People from all over the country make the trip to Krebs just to eat at Pete’s Place. Regulars like Buddy Neal say they’ve eaten there “hundreds” of times.

“This is such a good restaurant. People come from all over the country to eat here, as you can see, we have plenty of food, and they are just great people,” Neal said.

For more information about Pete’s, click here.