Capitol workers to get lunchime treat Monday

Workers at the Capitol won’t have to bring their lunch or go elsewhere for lunch Monday, thanks to a state employees group.

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association will provide free sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday on the 4th-floor rotunda to the approximately 250 workers at the Capitol.

A snack bar at the Capitol has been closed since May 25. It’s expected a new vendor could be in place by the end of this month, state officials have said.

Snack bar operators are selected by the Business Enterprise Program, a part of the Rehabilitation Services Department. The program provides employment opportunities for people who are visually impaired to independently run their own businesses in government buildings.

Snack bars in the basement and on the fourth floor of the Capitol are open during the legislative session; the fourth-floor operation usually shuts down when legislators are not in session.

The previous operator quit suddenly May 24, the day before legislators adjourned this year’s session.

She came in hurriedly when Lee Hutsen, who had operated the snack bars for 14 months, was booted out of the Capitol in late January just before the start of this year’s legislative session because of a dispute with a customer over chicken salad. The customer wanted the item, but Hutson said he no longer served it.