How Reba McEntire’s Partnership with the Choctaw Nation Helped Save a ‘Dying’ Oklahoma City

Oklahoma native Reba McEntire teamed up with the Choctaw Nation on a project that helped rejuvenate a dying city. Before a family restaurant called Reba’s Place opened in Atoka, buildings began to decay as businesses moved away, taking jobs with them. Residents moved out in droves, and unemployment and poverty were high.

The new venue and the legendary name that came with it brought along an interest in the city that is breathing some life back into Atoka. Furthermore, revenue is helping fund crucial initiatives for the Choctaw Nation Reservation. Here’s what we know.

Reba McEntire partnered with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to open Reba’s Place

According to a news release from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, McEntire partnered with the Nation and the city of Atoka to introduce a dining and entertainment venue. She grew up in Atoka County and fondly recalled her rodeo-romping childhood in her autobiography, Reba: My Story.

Reba’s Place opened in 2023, and the country music icon was on hand to present it to the world proudly. “Music and the fans helped build this place and get it all together. And that’s what a restaurant is all about, where people can come in, visit and eat,” McEntire said at the opening (per the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma).

She added, “It’s exciting to work with people who have a passion for this town and for creating jobs, tourism, and new opportunities in southeastern Oklahoma, in the community where I grew up.”

Reba McEntire’s ‘pipe dream’ led to a partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

As successful as McEntire is, she knew that there was some risk in investing in a place like Atoka. “I thought it was a pipe dream,” she told the New York Times, adding, “You have got to dream big to make it big.”

The city was once booming with business, but Atoka County had high unemployment and poverty in the years before Reba’s Place opened. Carol Ervin, the city’s economic development director, said, “A city is a living, breathing entity … And we were dying.”

McEntire returned home during the pandemic to help care for her ailing mother before her death. And officials eventually approached the superstar with a business proposal. She agreed to provide half the money needed, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma provided the rest. “I put my money in on them,” she said, “and they made things happen that I never thought could have happened.”

The Nation’s retail, brand, and merchandising executive director predicted, “This is not going to be a big moneymaker.”

“I know it is a very tough industry,” McEntire agreed. “There is more to life than money.”

Notably, half of the business’s 134 employees are members of the Choctaw Nation, and the Nation “plans to spend the earnings from Reba’s Place on health, education and housing initiatives for the reservation.”

Despite the hours-long wait times, Reba’s Place made about $130,000 weekly in February (NYT). The venue created the spark officials needed to bring other business interests back. Now, they are making more big plans for the city’s future.

Reba’s Place is bringing more new business to Atoka, Oklahoma

Approximately half a million people visited Reba’s Place over a span of two months. According to NYT, “In coming years, if all goes according to plan, Atoka will get an airport, a small water park, an amphitheater, and boutique hotels. Several manufacturing and green energy companies are already setting up headquarters here.”

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma also hopes to spread more Reba’s Place locations to other parts of the reservation.

When asked if she thought the endeavor could eventually end up on par with Dolly Parton’s Dollywood, McEntire said, “I don’t know if I could ever touch that.”