Omaha Forums

ricko wrote:Does Omaha really need another chain burger/pizza/whatever joint, or a chain anything? Omaha has plenty of home grown places that are much better than In& Out, Shake Shack, etc.. Sometimes I think the people posting this stuff are really cardiologists trying to drum up business. I think Omaha is a very underrated city that is better than average at marketing itself to prospective businesses. It's just difficult to convince start-ups to move here because of a perceived coastal notion that it is a backward cow town, which is an attitude that is quickly dispelled when people spend any amount of time here. I think the thing that is really holding us back are educational institutions that lack top notch business and tech schools that feed into the local economy, although I think the Med Center's recent growth spurt is a good sign---maybe that'll have a ripple effect on some of the other schools in the area.

Brad wrote:

Omaha Cowboy wrote:But I'd take a Rainforest Cafe ...

Those still exist?

bigredmed1 wrote:

RockHarbor wrote:You're right...restaurant chains are so bad & evil, aren't they? We should just have ONE Runza in town, with lines of cars backing out into the street, and lines of people going out the door...every day....shouldnt we? (Point made. Be glad they are around, and have many locations.)

I would rather have a local place that puts a individual take on a meal than another place that pumps out cheese food product receiving burger patty meat products with 1.5 grams of lettuce, 1.5 grams of tomato, and 0.5 grams of "secret sauce". Go try Report Inn Pub for their nachos or burgers and then compare them to the nachos across the street at Taco Bell. RIP has a neat take on nachos and their burgers are great and also unique. Like Stellas, but not a copy. They make them the way they want to and we get to have two flavors of burgers, the mass produced food and the unique taste.

Would I want just one Runza store? No, for obvious reasons you allude to, but if I had to choose between Runzas and a White Castle vs what I have now, it would be no contest. I much prefer the local flavors.

Went to the Infusion Blood Mary contest sponsored by the National Hemophilia Foundation. After that, I made a point of patronizing each of the bars that participated to express my gratitude for their stepping up for my patients who get camp scholarships from this fundraiser. Just like the variety of individual bars' takes on their Bloody Marys, they all have interesting takes on their food. RIP's outstanding burgers, Beyond Golf's amazing Poblano Queso, Tracks's fried chicken, all beat their chain competitors, just by being interesting if nothing else.

buildomaha wrote:Wow I thought I cared a lot about food, but obviously some people here are willing to fight for their food!