If you build it, they will come — at least if you’re Reba McEntire. The Oklahoma native wasn’t sure at first about opening her own Reba’s Place in Atoka, Oklahoma, a town that had certainly seen better days, and was slowly withering as people moved away for better opportunities — until McEntire saved the day.

“I thought it was a pipe dream,” McEntire told the New York Times, adding, “You have got to dream big to make it big.”

Lured by the idea of helping revitalize a town, and bring much-needed income to its residents, McEntire agreed to front half the money, with Choctaw Nation providing the other half. Proceeds are split between the two entities. Although NYT says that McEntire’s contribution added up to “several million” dollars, the Country Music Hall of Fame member is looking at much more than her bottom line.

“I put my money in on them, and they made things happen that I never thought could have happened,” McEntire said. Still, even she knows there is no guarantee that she will get a return on her investment, not that she is afraid.

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

The Choctaw Nation has a strong presence at Reba’s Place, with about half of the 134 employees members of the tribe, which is federally recognized. In addition, the beef served in dishes like the Choctaw Beef Brisket Burnt ends dish was raised and slaughtered on the Choctaw Nation.

“It is not quick, out of a bag, throw it in a microwave — it is quality, handmade food,” McEntire boasts.

With the addition of Reba’s Place to the once-sleepy town, there are now plans for a small airport, a small waterpark, an amphitheater, boutique hotels and more. It’s a lot of positive additions, especially since McEntire admits she might never have considered having her own restaurant if not for the pandemic.

“Well, if you remember 2020, everybody was sitting around twiddling their thumbs, and that’s when we came up with all these ideas for when we could get out there again,” McEntire told Garden & Gun. “I was back in Oklahoma for a while because my siblings and cousins still live there, and an official in Atoka named Carol Ervin gave a presentation about how much a project like Reba’s Place could benefit the town.

“That community always has been very supportive of me, and I wanted to give back,” she continued. “So we partnered with the Choctaw Nation, and it all came together amazingly well. You can’t go into a town that small and do something like this project without the full support of everyone who lives there.”

Find more information on Reba’s Place at RebasPlace.com..