Old Chicago

[bbinks]

There's a post on the Omaha sub on Reddit that says there's a rumor that both Omaha locations will close on December 1st.

My thoughts, it's Reddit, so take that for what you will. And, nothing has been mentioned here.

Has anyone heard anything more?

[Brad]

The realtor representing the strip mall where the Eagle Run location is located, made a social media post saying the spot is for lease. Sorry, can't remember the realtor at the moment.

[skinzfan23]

I remember when the Old Chicago in the Old Market was one of the places to be....that seems like so long ago.

[nativeomahan]

We used to hit up Old Chicago every few months. The pizzas were good and the beer selection very good. Plus they were located all over town. I have no idea but has the entire chain just sort of collapsed, or is it more of a local phenomenon?

[Brad]

We used to hit up Old Chicago every few months. The pizzas were good and the beer selection very good. Plus they were located all over town. I have no idea but has the entire chain just sort of collapsed, or is it more of a local phenomenon?

Looks like they still have 65 Locations:

https://oldchicago.com/locations/

Also hired a new CEO earlier this year.

[djc311]

We used to hit up Old Chicago every few months. The pizzas were good and the beer selection very good. Plus they were located all over town. I have no idea but has the entire chain just sort of collapsed, or is it more of a local phenomenon?

Looks like they still have 65 Locations:

https://oldchicago.com/locations/

Also hired a new CEO earlier this year.

Must be per new CEO... Omaha is a no go. Sucks they can't stay in the market. But, I will say, the last time I ate at the 144th & Center location it seriously took them over 1.5 hrs to bring our food... and that was with us asking where it was multiple times.

Not sure what happened, but obviously something isn't going right. I always liked their pizza. Guess if I want some I have 2 months to do so.

[Brad]

Not sure what happened, but obviously something isn't going right. I always liked their pizza. Guess if I want some I have 2 months to do so.

I believe back in the day (late 1990's) the Omaha Stores were corporate owned. Some time later they sold them off to a franchisee...

[nebugeater]

I am probably partially to blame. I used to go there on a regular rotation of places to go. It fell off the list; it has been over five years since I have been to one.

[djc311]

I am probably partially to blame. I used to go there on a regular rotation of places to go. It fell off the list; it has been over five years since I have been to one.

Well thank you for that! Now I can't get my OC pizza

[jimjam]

When I check their website, only Lincoln comes up for Nebraska. Did they close already?

[nebugeater]

I am probably partially to blame. I used to go there on a regular rotation of places to go. It fell off the list; it has been over five years since I have been to one.

Well thank you for that! Now I can't get my OC pizza

Sorry!

[BRoss]

Drove by the 144th and Center location a little after 8pm and the signs were off and the parking lot was empty. Google says they should be open til 11. Seems like they've closed.

[nebugeater]

Go to the Old Chicago website and search locations, and it shows nothing for Omaha.

Still shows the Lincoln Location

[Stan]

I used to work with a regular Old Chicago patron like 15 years ago that had his mug and everything. We stopped in on the Maple location last winter and he was still there. Hope Joe finds a new place to enjoy a beer.

[nebugeater]

I moved this out or the Rumors section

[ChadJK]

Where do all of the World Beer Tour plaques with the engraved customer names go when an Old Chicago closes?

[Brad]

Where do all of the World Beer Tour plaques with the engraved customer names go when an Old Chicago closes?

I wondered that too. My "Home Store" was Cass, and I'm not sure they ever updated mine after the first or second tour. I asked about it once and they told me they had dozens of the plaques in back that needed to be updated, but just never had the time...

Just another reason they closed. They gave up on finding good/unique beer, and they gave up on their loyal customers.

[omaha79]

old Chicago was the place to be in the late 90's to early 2000's. Downtown and Cass were always packed. Cass was the pre/post game spot for UNO hockey fans. The pizzas were great and the beer selection was amazing at a time when finding craft beer on tap at a bar or restaurant in Nebraska was almost unheard of. "Craft Beer" was Sam Adams or Corona in the late 90's.

But, somewhere along the way, it all changed. They went from quality food to mediocre. I remember being excited they were opening a Papillion location in 2007, went there a couple of times, and it wasn't the same. The crust was sub par, the toppings less plentiful. The service went down. The Papillion location limped along about 10 years, but then locations started closing. old market, cass, papillion. It's really just been a long march to the end.

I've debated this with people. I've had it argued to me that the place was probably never actually good and it was just good because there was nothing better int he market, but I still think it once was really good and just fell apart as the corporation chased profits over quality. they went from being a cloth napkin to a restaurant to a paper napkin restaurant around 2005, and it showed.

[Brad]

I've debated this with people. I've had it argued to me that the place was probably never actually good and it was just good because there was nothing better int he market, but I still think it once was really good and just fell apart as the corporation chased profits over quality. they went from being a cloth napkin to a restaurant to a paper napkin restaurant around 2005, and it showed.

It was better. Back in the late 90's nearly everything was made from scratch, in house.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I think too, the Omaha craft beer/food scene has changed so much since about 2015..

I used to enjoy Granite City- their free standing restaurant at Westroads. I was a Mug Club member. The food and beer was good..and for the 2006 to roughly 2012 time period, the place was a regular weekend hang for me..Then the quality started going to he!l around 2015/16, and the Pandemic finally killed it in 2020 (the place used to have a KILLER Sunday brunch as well back in the day)..

I think Old Chicago, which I agree with Brad, back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, the food and beer selection was good. I can’t remember the last time I ate or drank beer at Old Chicago. I do have a recollection having dinner and beer with Brad at his old Cass St location back in 2016 (time files)..

Today, I can go to Omaha Tap House, Casual Pint, Multiple local craft beer breweries which brew outstanding beer, and either have their own kitchen with good food- or food truck ready to serve..I believe this contributed to killing off places like Old Chicago..In Omaha at least..It’s a by product of Omaha and Nebraska having a fantastic craft beer and taproom food scene..

RIP Omaha area Old Chicago’s…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[nativeomahan]

I agree Cowboy. Old Chicago filled a need for craft beer and good food under one roof back in the 1990s and probably past 2010. But by that point in time a hundred Omaha area restaurants and bars had 10, 20, 50 beers on tap, and the local brewing scene had exploded in both popularity and variety. That’s about when Old Chicago ceased to be relevant. We can thank the chain for being here when we needed them, and wish them well in their apparent sunset years.

[Greg S]

I noticed there was some construction (or inside demolition) going on at the former Old Chicago location on Maple yesterday.

[Brad]

I noticed there was some construction (or inside demolition) going on at the former Old Chicago location on Maple yesterday.

Two different building permits for that building.

One for:
Veterinary Emergency Group

Another for:
A Zen Massage

[Greg S]

I noticed there was some construction (or inside demolition) going on at the former Old Chicago location on Maple yesterday.

Two different building permits for that building.

One for:
Veterinary Emergency Group

Another for:
A Zen Massage

My best is the Veterinary Emergency Group is going into the Old Chicago Space and Z Massage in a smaller bay just to the south.