June 28, 2021

‘O’ So Good is partnering with Wileys to bring its comfort food with a Southern flair from Garretson to downtown Sioux Falls.

Head chef and owner Omar Thornton announced the development on Facebook after saying last week he planned to leave Garretson for Sioux Falls.

The restaurant, which was visited by Guy Fieri a year ago to be featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” will take over the kitchen of Wileys this summer. In a Facebook Live announcement, Thornton said the two businesses will remain separate entities. The new partnership will be known as ‘O’ So Good at Wileys. While he said the official opening date is to be determined, he told SiouxFalls.Business last week he hopes they will be ready by mid-July.

Thornton said the menu will be reduced at Wileys, which is at Sixth and Main, but will still include all of its fan favorites on a rotational basis. He told SiouxFalls.Business that this new location will allow him to expand his catering services. 

‘O’ So Good’s location in Garretson will fully close by the end of July, Thornton said, adding the restaurant will continue to operate out of the town for a few weeks and will fulfill all its current catering orders. It also won’t turn down new catering orders in coming weeks, but customers should expect slower turnarounds as he makes the transition. 

Thornton expressed sadness for leaving Garretson, the town his restaurant brought a national spotlight to through “Triple D.”

“We live in Garretson, we love that town,” he said on the livestream. “We definitely have done a lot to make that work there, but it’s at a point where, through my own personal things that, hey, it didn’t work.”

Since appearing on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the restaurant has experienced a wave of increased demand, according to Thornton. A major staffing shortage, however, led to the restaurant seeking new options. On the livestream, Thornton said he needs kitchen workers at the new location. He said interested applicants can contact him via social media for information. 

Even though ‘O’ So Good will be in a new location, Thornton said customers can expect the same flavors that made the restaurant so popular once it makes the move into Wileys.

“We got to make sure that we continue to stay focused on who we are,” he said “Chef Ryan (Tracy, culinary directory at Fernson Brewing Co.) said to me: ‘Omar, no matter what, make sure you do you. You stay with your flavors. If you want to be a chef that … goes into a place that has their own stuff and style, that’s fine. But if you want to be yourself and you know you have a good product, stay with it.’”

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