Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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nativeomahan
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by nativeomahan »

I finally ate at Parker's, with 10 friends. Everyone seemed to like their meals. My smoked chicken was a bit overcooked, but still good. The pulled pork was decent. Good sweet potato fries, baked beans, and mashed potatoes. I give the food and atmosphere a B+.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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nativeomahan wrote:I finally ate at Parker's, with 10 friends. Everyone seemed to like their meals. My smoked chicken was a bit overcooked, but still good. The pulled pork was decent. Good sweet potato fries, baked beans, and mashed potatoes. I give the food and atmosphere a B+.
How was the service?
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nativeomahan
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by nativeomahan »

The service was pretty good. A bit slow at times, but friendly.
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Brad
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by Brad »

Dining review: Parker's Smokehouse can build on base of great prime rib

http://www.omaha.com/living/dining-revi ... 5dd42.html
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

Seems me and that World Herald reporter shared many of the same opinions about Parkers. I think both the reporter and I wanted to like Parker's but it just was not happening. You get hearing talk about Parker's being the greatest BBQ around and you start licking your lips in anticipation. You are looking forward to it. And then you get there and they cant dance. :evil:
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nativeomahan
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by nativeomahan »

I didn't sample the ribs, which are what make a BBQ joint sink or swim.
The whining I saw from the owner in the W-H review is very classless. Quit blaming your own inability to hire and train a competent staff, and competent kitchen help, on "we've been having problems with our staff." If you don't have the people you want and need hired and trained to a necessary level of competence, then don't open the fricken restaurant! They opened in March, and this is now September. There is absolutely no excuse for serving burned ribs! None. The pit master needs to know what is coming out of the pit. In the restaurant business, you seldom get a second chance to make a first impression.
While my experience at Parker's was better (service and food were worthy of a B+), maybe I just hit them on a good night. They don't ever seem particularly busy when I drive by.
All of this points out the desire of many of us to have one of the quality BBQ places from KC open up in Omaha. It may never happen, but it would be great if it did. It would serve to give the local BBQ joints a needed kick in the pants to clean up their acts.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Parkers in Greenwood is reliably good. Been twice to the Omaha location and have decided that it is take out only. I have had better food than the critic had both times I was there. Can't say that I put much faith in her as many of her slams have been places where we have had the very same food and had better results than she reported.

We have also gone to places she raves about and had crappy food.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

Went to Parker's on 74th & Pacific for lunch Saturday and they were dead. 12:00 noon and there were 4 or 5 tables full max. Bad for them but good for me because I love eating in peace without wall to wall people. Had the French Dip with onion rings for 9.99 along with a side of 2 ribs for 2.99. The ribs were ok and certainly cheap enough at 2.99. The French Dip was ok certainly better then what you get at Subway or Jimmy Johns for about the same price. It was a Rotella's bun with some mediocre sliced beef. For dessert I had the mug cake going for 5.99 which was a small beer mug stuffed with cake and vanilla ice cream topped with Hersheys syrup. I will be back in a couple of months if they are still there!
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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We went there for lunch last month once and they were actually quite busy.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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I drive past this area every M-F on my way home from the office and forgot it was even there. I'm going to give this place a shot for lunch some weekend day soon...

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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by Omababe »

Omaha Cowboy wrote:I drive past this area every M-F on my way home from the office and forgot it was even there. I'm going to give this place a shot for lunch some weekend day soon...
I definitely get vibes like it's a spinoff of Famous Dave's. Similar style of BBQ but more variety to the menu.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Omababe wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote:I drive past this area every M-F on my way home from the office and forgot it was even there. I'm going to give this place a shot for lunch some weekend day soon...
I definitely get vibes like it's a spinoff of Famous Dave's. Similar style of BBQ but more variety to the menu.
Maybe inspired by it, but this place is owned by the Parker family who have previously established local places in Lincoln and Neb City, then Greenwood before Omaha. I do think that the food in the Omaha location is not as good as the food in Greenwood.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Omababe wrote:
Omaha Cowboy wrote:I drive past this area every M-F on my way home from the office and forgot it was even there. I'm going to give this place a shot for lunch some weekend day soon...
I definitely get vibes like it's a spinoff of Famous Dave's. Similar style of BBQ but more variety to the menu.
Interesting. Of course, the last I ate at this location, it was McKenna's.. Once I hit this place up, I'll post a brief review...

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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by nativeomahan »

We've eaten at Parker's 3 times now and the food is pretty darned good. Not KC quality BBQ, but they hold their own by Omaha standards. And they do have a large and interesting menu.

The atmosphere isn't anywhere near as nice as when it was McKenna's in my opinion.
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Brad
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by Brad »

Well this sucks...

Now called "Parker's Lucnchenette" and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. All other days are 11-3

We can't we have a decent sit down BBQ place in this town.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Brad wrote:Well this sucks...

Now called "Parker's Lucnchenette" and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. All other days are 11-3

We can't we have a decent sit down BBQ place in this town.
Some people on this forum like Dickey's
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Coyote wrote:
Brad wrote:Well this sucks...

Now called "Parker's Lucnchenette" and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. All other days are 11-3

We can't we have a decent sit down BBQ place in this town.
Some people on this forum like Dickey's
Which is sad because Dickey's is average at best.. I prefer Famous Dave's over that place. And that's not saying much...

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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by NEDodger »

This is incredibly disappointing. I love this place and just cannot understand why it hasn't taken off - great food, reasonable prices, central location and a full bar. Omaha's just not a BBQ city.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Coyote wrote:
Brad wrote:Well this sucks...

Now called "Parker's Lucnchenette" and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. All other days are 11-3

We can't we have a decent sit down BBQ place in this town.
Some people on this forum like Dickey's

I don't mind Boyd and Charlie's in Elkhorn. That's a sit down... Haven't been in a while though.
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Brad
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Coyote wrote:
Brad wrote:Well this sucks...

Now called "Parker's Lucnchenette" and they are only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. All other days are 11-3

We can't we have a decent sit down BBQ place in this town.
Some people on this forum like Dickey's
Dickey's changed their menu, its now totally À la carte... Two meats and Two sides is now close to $20. Seems high for Fast Food (Order at the counter). They also don't all the delicious local craft beers on tap like Parker's did.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by Omababe »

Cutbacks in hours are seldom a good thing! I wonder if this is an omen to a closure? :(
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Just this location for the Parkers change or others too?
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by omaha79 »

That's too bad about Parkers. ugh. I like Parkers food, but I've felt the service and food at the Omaha location simply hasn't measured up to what I've had in Ashland. I know they've had a number of issues with service and it's been more of a revolving door which has certainly affected the consistency.

My guess is that this would have to be the first step towards a closure. I can't imagine the rent is cheap on that corner. It certainly must be more expensive than their other locations from that perspective. If it's not working, they may just want to cut their losses and go back to doing what they do best in Lincoln and Ashland.

I would agree, to an extent, that Omaha isn't a BBQ city, but we've never had truly stellar BBQ as long as I've been alive. Parkers is solid at the other locations, but it probably didn't overwhelm enough in Omaha. I'm not sure what their marketing campaign really was. I heard a few ads on sports radio, but never saw billboards or coupons...things that would really get the word out there and make people in Omaha think about this place. I think part of the deal is that many just never thought about it...and some who did had initially mediocre service. That's tough to overcome.

As for Dickey's, it's ok for $10. For $20 for 2 meats and a side, you should run away, far away. That's highway robbery. You can go get a nice steak dinner someplace for that price. Dickey's quality is middling fast food at best. The best thing it had going for it was the prices compared to places like Parkers and Famous Dave's.

I think I need to give Swine Dining another chance. I was there 3-4 years ago...maybe when it first opened. I wasn't impressed enough to give it another shot, but recent reviews have been pretty positive.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by omaha79 »

I'll also add that the radio ads I heard from Parkers on 1620 were....odd, at best. All that stuck with me is that the "Parker" in Parker's Smokehouse was talking about Parker's Smokehouse winning the coveted Parkers Smokehouse "Best Barbeque Award".

Huh? How do you think that's going to play when you came up with that in your head? To me, it comes off as saying that there's all these big national BBQ awards, but the only thing you can tout on the radio is your restaurant winning an award you came up with to give yourself?

I know it's all in jest, but there was nothing about that ad that would entice me to check the place out if I hadn't already tried it.

It seems like somebody thought they were really funny and no one had the heart to tell him the joke was pretty lame.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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omaha79 wrote:I'll also add that the radio ads I heard from Parkers on 1620 were....odd, at best. All that stuck with me is that the "Parker" in Parker's Smokehouse was talking about Parker's Smokehouse winning the coveted Parkers Smokehouse "Best Barbeque Award".

Huh? How do you think that's going to play when you came up with that in your head? To me, it comes off as saying that there's all these big national BBQ awards, but the only thing you can tout on the radio is your restaurant winning an award you came up with to give yourself?

I know it's all in jest, but there was nothing about that ad that would entice me to check the place out if I hadn't already tried it.

It seems like somebody thought they were really funny and no one had the heart to tell him the joke was pretty lame.

I too thought that ad was in poor taste. They got some flack on thir facebook page about it and actually defended it.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Going, going....
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by GRANDPASMUCKER »

Went to Parkers on 74th & Pacific again today and they surely are a dead man walking. It was 12:30 on a Saturday and there were maybe 6 or 7 tables full. I went there a couple of months back and they were dead on a Saturday as well. I asked why they cut the hours and they said because business was slow! As I looked around the place I can see they did not spend that much setting it up. They can fold that operation down when the lease is up like a folding table. The ribs were ok but the ones I had at the Texas Roadhouse Thursday night were sure much better. I'll ride this horse until the end just the same as I love a place that isn't full of people.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by Uffda »

Was told yesterday by a worker from Parkers that the Pacific street one has close.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by bigredmed »

Uffda wrote:Was told yesterday by a worker from Parkers that the Pacific street one has close.
If this closes, it would not be a surprise. The food is not as good as their Ashland location. The interior design is truly unpleasant. Frankly, this location seems cursed. McKennas failed as a BBQ joint. It failed as a Blues Bar. It failed as a retooled BBQ only joint. Now this.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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McKenna's -> Parker's --> and now ---> Yamoto Sushi, by the same Fellman Family Properties.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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Coyote wrote:McKenna's -> Parker's --> and now ---> Yamoto Sushi, by the same Fellman Family Properties.
Make that Yamato Sushi.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

Post by nativeomahan »

I drive by all the time and have not noticed anything having opened in the place of Parker's. Two days ago the Parkers sign was still up.
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Re: Parker's Smokehouse Replacing McKenna's!

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nativeomahan wrote:I drive by all the time and have not noticed anything having opened in the place of Parker's. Two days ago the Parkers sign was still up.
Not open yet, they just started the renovations...
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