Runza (restaurant) explained

Runza
Type:Private
Industry:Fast food
Foundation:Lincoln, Nebraska
Location City:Lincoln, Nebraska
Location Country:U.S.
Locations:86 (as of July 2020)[1]
Key People:Sally Everett, Alex Brening & Donald Everett, Sr.
Products:Runza sandwiches, chili and cinnamon rolls, hamburgers, chicken strips
Services:Fast food

Runza Restaurant (formerly called Runza Drive-Inn[2] and Runza Hut[3]) is an American fast food restaurant chain in the Midwestern United States whose flagship menu item is the runza sandwich.

History

Founded in 1949 by Sally Everett, the chain began its expansion under Sally's son Donald Everett Sr. in 1966, and started franchising restaurants in 1979. As of November 2020, there are eighty-six Runza restaurants operating: eighty in Nebraska, two in Iowa, two in Colorado, and one in Kansas.[4] [5] The restaurant chain is still owned by the Everett family, and Sally's grandson Donald Everett Jr. serves as President.[6] In addition to the namesake sandwich, the chain serves chili and cinnamon rolls[7] (another Midwest dish), as well as other fast food staples like hamburgers, french fries and onion rings.

The chain attempted to expand beyond the region in 1989. Executives tried to open a restaurant in the Latvian republic of the Soviet Union,[8] going as far as shipping two hundred frozen Runza sandwiches to the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture as a part of its negotiations.[9] The deal fell apart after Latvia was invaded by the Soviet government in an attempt to keep it in the Union. Stores did open in the Las Vegas Strip at the Fashion Show Mall's food court[10] and a mall food court in Moline, Illinois[11] but both failed to gain traction and closed within a few years.

Promotions

Runza is a vendor in Memorial Stadium, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, In 2017, the Omaha Storm Chasers, Omaha's Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball team, rebranded themselves as the "Omaha Runzas" in a cross-promotional event.[12] The team's rebranded uniforms featured a cartoon runza sandwich and shared the green and yellow livery of the Runza restaurant chain. Runza operated a 50s themed Rock n' Roll Runza featuring memorabilia, vintage automobiles and roller skating carhops out of downtown Lincoln from 1991 to 2004.[13]

Nebraska Union controversy

The Runza restaurant operating out of the Nebraska Union, the student union at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, closed in 2018 after a decade of operating in the location.[14] The Runza was outbid by a combination of two vendors (Steak 'n Shake and Chick-fil-A franchisees) bidding together.[15] There was public outcry from the student body, as the runza is strongly identified as a Nebraskan dish, and students felt that it should be sold at Nebraska's flagship university.

Notes and References

  1. News: Lincoln Runza locations & employees earn top honors . . 12 July 2020 . 19 Nov 2020 . 31 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200831204158/https://journalstar.com/business/achievements/lincoln-runza-locations-employees-earn-top-honors/article_93bd0702-1244-512e-9684-2e53b978b8e4.html . live .
  2. News: Runza Drive - Inn Opens in Aurora . . 31 March 1991.
  3. News: Omahan Charged In Armed Robbery . . 31 May 1987 . Robert Benford, 33, 1825 Northwest Radial Highway, was charged Saturday with the armed robbery of Runza Hut, 1325 Northwest Radial Highway..
  4. News: Krohe. Kalin. 9 May 2018. Runza Coming To Chadron. https://web.archive.org/web/20181126092740/https://www.panhandlepost.com/runza-coming-to-chadron/. Panhandle Post. dead. November 26, 2018. Alliance. 25 November 2018 .
  5. News: Garcia . Maria-Emilia . 13 Feb 2020 . Runza Fans, Rejoice: The Franchise Will Open a Second Location in Colorado . Our Community Now . 16 Nov 2020 . 23 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923214216/https://ourcommunitynow.com/restaurants/runza-fans-rejoice-the-franchise-will-open-a-second-location-in-colorado . live .
  6. Web site: Company Overview of Runza National, Inc. . . 2021-09-19 . 2019-05-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190502145659/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=4304060 . live .
  7. Web site: Chili and cinnamon rolls: The murky origin of the nostalgic food pairing . Mayfield . Trevor . 23 September 2016 . 2021-09-19 . 2019-04-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190428124402/https://q13fox.com/2016/09/23/chili-and-cinnamon-rolls-the-murky-origin-of-the-nostalgic-food-pairing/ . live .
  8. News: Epilogue: Three hours south of Lincoln, an edible bastion of Huskerdom . . Smith . Mitch . 15 August 2011 . 19 September 2021 . 15 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210815072707/https://journalstar.com/news/local/epilogue-three-hours-south-of-lincoln-an-edible-bastion-of/article_52a219ee-97dd-5caf-866c-a4723a3080a1.html . live .
  9. News: Runzas Pass Soviet's Test . . . 4 May 1989.
  10. News: Runza Drive - Inns Bet on Las Vegas . . 28 November 1989.
  11. News: Runza Opens Two New Stores . . 21 October 1990.
  12. News: Food fight: Omaha Runzas will face Green Chile Cheeseburgers at Werner Park this weekend . O'Connor . Michael . . 5 June 2018 . 19 September 2021 . 15 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210815072650/https://omaha.com/sports/chasers/food-fight-omaha-runzas-will-face-green-chile-cheeseburgers-at/article_9f525c35-1bfa-5383-9c61-0d038c9d2c40.html . live .
  13. News: An end of an era': Rock n' Roll Runza set to close . Korbelik . Jeff . . 9 Dec 2004 . 19 September 2021 . 15 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210815072705/https://journalstar.com/news/local/an-end-of-an-era-rock-n-roll-runza-set/article_a0792fe8-3012-554f-a31c-6807b4bd7a71.html . live .
  14. News: Employees, final customers react to the Nebraska Union Runza closing its doors . Larsen . Ben . . 3 May 2018 . 19 September 2021 . 28 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200728193338/http://www.dailynebraskan.com/news/employees-final-customers-react-to-the-nebraska-union-runza-closing/article_46cadada-4f28-11e8-8aba-73446c410517.html . live .
  15. News: Fast-Food Chain to Leave University of Nebraska-Lincoln . . . 6 April 2018 . 2021-09-19 . 2020-08-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200829185634/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nebraska/articles/2018-04-06/fast-food-chain-to-leave-university-of-nebraska-lincoln . live .

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