Downtown Oklahoma City Restaurant Offering Meals During Bicycle Helmet Drive

Five years after an Oklahoma City chef was hit and killed while riding his bike, a restaurant in the city's downtown will be collecting helmets to protect others.

Vast, located inside the Devon Energy Center, will be honoring Chad Epley's legacy with a bicycle helmet drive and menu inspired by him.

"Chad was like sunshine, any room he walked into he lit up the space," Epley's friend Isabelle Young said. "He was truly a friend to everyone."

Chef Epley was riding his bike around Northwest 16th Street and North Classen Boulevard in March of 2019 when a black sedan knocked him off and dragged him for 10 blocks.

The driver responsible for hitting and killing Epley has still not been found.

Five years later, Vast kitchen staff are keeping his legacy alive by debuting this helmet drive, and hoping it’ll save other cyclists across Oklahoma City.

Every day this week, if guests bring in a new bicycle helmet to Vast, you’ll be handed a free lunch buffet voucher.

"We only have one life and it's worth protecting, our brains are the most fragile thing we have," Young said. "With this helmet drive if we can prevent just one accident like Chad's from happening, that's a win in my book."

The menu for this week includes items that Epley loved to make, such as garlic butter baked salmon and crab salad.