Restaurant Equipment and Supply for Omaha, Bellevue and Council Bluffs
Omaha is a meat-and-potatoes town with a long food résumé. It claims the Reuben sandwich, Swanson launched the TV dinner here in 1953, and the Union Stockyards made South Omaha the biggest livestock market in the country by 1955. Steakhouses from that era still cut steaks today, and Omaha Steaks has carried the city's name since 1966.
The dining districts are easy to name. The Blackstone District runs around the old Blackstone Hotel, Benson's restaurant and bar strip sits on Maple Street between 60th and 65th, and Aksarben Village hosts the Sunday farmers market. South 24th Street throws a Cinco de Mayo fiesta every May. Across the Missouri River, Council Bluffs runs a Thursday market downtown, and to the south Bellevue traces its history to an 1822 trading post.
Since 2015, The Restaurant Warehouse has shipped to thousands of commercial kitchens in every state. Omaha metro orders ship from our Chicago warehouse, so restaurants in Omaha, Bellevue and Council Bluffs get the same low prices and freight delivery right to Omaha, Bellevue, and Council Bluffs. The most common orders here are reach-in refrigerators, freezers, charbroilers, fryers, sandwich prep tables, and work tables.
The Reuben, the TV Dinner and the Runza
Omaha's claim to the Reuben goes back to a weekly poker game at the Blackstone Hotel, sometime between about 1920 and 1935. Grocer Reuben Kulakofsky asked for a corned beef and sauerkraut sandwich, and hotel owner Charles Schimmel's kitchen built it with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye. It went on the hotel menu. New York has its own claim, but Omaha made March 14 Reuben Sandwich Day. The poker players called themselves "The Committee," and the building, put up around 1915, reopened in 2020 as the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, whose Committee Chophouse is named for them. Omaha's C.A. Swanson & Sons launched the TV dinner in 1953 and had sold 10 million one full year into production. The runza, a bread pocket of ground beef, cabbage or sauerkraut and onions, traces to Volga German (German-Russian) immigrants and their bierock. Sally Everett started selling runzas in Lincoln in 1949 from her family's recipe.
Sandwich counters and delis grill rye and pile on corned beef all day. They run sandwich prep tables, griddles for the grill, reach-in refrigerators for meats and cheese, and ovens for baked buns and dough.
Steak Town: The Stockyards, Johnny's Cafe and Gorat's
The Union Stockyards opened in South Omaha in 1883 and took its first cattle in 1884. In 1955 Omaha passed Chicago as the nation's largest livestock market and meatpacking center. The yards closed in 1999, and the site is now the Stockyards redevelopment, with a Metropolitan Community College campus. Johnny's Cafe on South 27th Street opened in 1922 as an eight-seat saloon next to the yards, started by Polish immigrant Frank Kawa. It was a steakhouse by the 1930s and is run by his granddaughters today. Gorat's on Center Street opened in 1944, and Warren Buffett is a regular. He has said many times on television that he orders the T-bone, hash browns and a Cherry Coke. Omaha Steaks began in 1917 as the Table Supply Meat Company, started by Latvian Jewish immigrants J.J. and B.A. Simon.
Steakhouses live on heat and cold storage. They order charbroilers for the steaks, chef bases to keep cuts under the line, freezers and reach-in refrigerators for aging and storage, and fryers for onion rings and hash browns. The bar side adds back bar coolers and ice machines.
South Omaha's Cinco de Mayo and the Omaha Farmers Market
South Omaha's Cinco de Mayo festival fills South 24th Street every May, centered on Plaza de la Raza at 24th and N. La Casa de la Cultura presents it, it marks more than a century of Mexican fiestas in South Omaha, and organizers have expected roughly 100,000 visitors over three days. The Omaha Farmers Market runs two markets from early May to mid-October: the Old Market one at 11th and Jackson on Saturdays from 8 am to 12:30 pm, and the Aksarben Village one at 67th and Mercy on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Taquerias, festival vendors and market stands need food truck equipment, griddles for tortillas and carne asada, undercounter refrigerators for a tight line, and countertop display cases and glass door merchandisers for pan dulce and drinks.
Restaurant Supply Store in Omaha
We ship straight to your Omaha restaurant. Most Omaha metro orders arrive in 1 to 3 business days from our Chicago warehouse, with free freight and free lift gate service. Will-call pickup in Chicago is available for verified restaurant businesses, but most kitchens skip the drive to Chicago and let us ship it. Most calls from the metro are for a fast swap, like a reach-in or freezer that quit before a Friday rush, or a full package for a new steakhouse, taqueria, deli or food truck. Tell us what you cook and how much room you have, and we will help you size the line.
Why Omaha Restaurants Buy From The Restaurant Warehouse
Every piece of new Atosa equipment we sell is run-tested for 24 hours at the factory before it ships. It carries Intertek's ETL Sanitation and cETLus listings, which certify it to the NSF/ANSI food equipment standards and US and Canadian safety standards that inspectors from the Douglas County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Iowa DIAL look for. Refrigeration comes with a 3-year parts and labor warranty and a 5-year compressor warranty, gas cooking equipment comes with a 1-year parts and labor warranty, and extended warranties are available.
- Free freight on qualifying orders, no lift gate fees
- Built for scrappy startups, food trucks and independent kitchens
- Founder Sean Kearney answers calls, texts and email at (206) 419-5801 or therestaurantwarehouse@gmail.com
Serving Omaha, Bellevue and Council Bluffs
Omaha is our hub for the metro on both banks of the Missouri, from Douglas County to Sarpy County in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. Every kitchen gets the same equipment, free lift gate freight and warranty, and talks to the same team.
Omaha
From the Old Market and the Blackstone District to Benson, Aksarben Village and South 24th Street, Omaha kitchens order charbroilers, reach-in refrigerators, sandwich prep tables, and pizza prep tables. Benson's bars add draft beer coolers and bar refrigeration.
Bellevue
The 1822 trading post built by Joshua Pilcher makes Bellevue, in the city's words, "the oldest and most widely known settlement in the territory," and Fort Crook, later Offutt Air Force Base, drove its biggest growth. Catfish Lake has been frying fish since 1986, John's Grecian Delight has been at Southroads for nearly 40 years, and Roma Italian sits on Fort Crook Road. Bellevue kitchens order fryers, freezers, ovens, and work tables.
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Across the river, the Council Bluffs Farmers Market sets up at 100 Pearl Street on the north side of Bayliss Park on Thursdays from 4:30 to 7:30 pm, early May to late September. Council Bluffs restaurants, cafes and market vendors order reach-in refrigerators, griddles, ice machines, and food truck equipment.
Omaha Restaurant Equipment FAQ
Do you ship restaurant equipment to Omaha?
Yes. The Restaurant Warehouse ships commercial restaurant equipment to Omaha and the rest of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro by freight, with lift gate delivery to your door.
Do you deliver to Bellevue and Council Bluffs?
Yes. We deliver across the Omaha metro in Nebraska and Iowa, including Omaha, Bellevue and Council Bluffs.
How fast is delivery to Omaha?
Most Omaha metro orders arrive in 1 to 3 business days from our Chicago warehouse, depending on item availability and carrier routing. Contact us if you need equipment urgently.
Do you offer free freight?
Yes. Free freight is available on select models and qualifying orders. Contact us to confirm freight options for a specific item.
Do you charge lift gate fees?
No. We do not charge lift gate fees.
What types of restaurant equipment do you sell?
We sell commercial refrigerators, freezers, prep tables, griddles, charbroilers, deep fryers, ovens, ice machines, bar refrigeration, and food truck equipment, plus many other categories for professional kitchens.
Can I get help choosing the right equipment?
Yes. If you can't find what you need, call or email us and we'll help you source the right product for your kitchen.
Can I pick up my order?
Yes. Verified restaurant businesses can arrange will-call pickup at our Chicago warehouse. But why lose a day renting a truck, strapping it down and unloading it yourself? With free freight and free lift gate service, most Omaha metro orders arrive at your door or curb in 1 to 3 business days. Call (206) 419-5801 to set up either option.
West on I-80, our Lincoln page covers Lincoln, Grand Island and Central Nebraska, and up the Missouri our Sioux City page covers Sioux City and Siouxland.
Restaurant Equipment Across Nebraska and the Midwest
The Restaurant Warehouse delivers commercial restaurant equipment across Nebraska and the Midwest from our Chicago warehouse. Find the page for your region: