Edmond Restaurant Owner Passes Away, Leaves Behind Rich Legacy

A man, who many say introduced the “hoagie sandwich” to the state of Oklahoma, was laid to rest Thursday, July 18 in Edmond.

George Hobson opened “Hobby’s Hoagies” in Edmond in 1991.

Hobson moved his family to Deer Creek from the East Coast in the late 1970s to take a management position at the Oklahoma City General Motors plant. Frustrated that he couldn’t find anywhere locally that sold Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, he started making his own, and selling hundreds of them to co-workers every week. 

A hoagie is basically an East Coast term for what we know as a sub sandwich.

Hobson opened a second Hobby’s Hoagies location at 3^rd and Walnut in downtown Oklahoma City a decade ago.

“It was just the East Coast you know, he just got in your face and told you what you needed to hear and what you were gonna order,” Hobson’s daughter Kim grinned. “He was 100 percent confident.”

Hobson’s youngest son Danny has his own restaurant “Dan’s Pizza” at Waterloo and Broadway in Edmond.  It’s pretty obvious he idolized his dad.

“He was a very genuine person, and he had a big heart, and enjoyed making people laugh,” he said. 

Hobson was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2013. While he died of natural causes, his family wants people to know there is help out there for people who suffer from depression.