Runza
Company typePrivate
IndustryFast food
FoundedLincoln, Nebraska (1949 (1949))
Founder
  • Sarah "Sally" Everett
  • Alex Brening
Headquarters
Lincoln, Nebraska
,
U.S.
Number of locations
86 (as of July 2020)[1]
Area served
  • Nebraska
  • Iowa
  • Colorado
  • Kansas
Key people
Sally Everett, Alex Brening & Donald Everett, Sr.
ProductsRunza sandwiches, chili and cinnamon rolls, hamburgers, chicken strips
ServicesFast food
Websiterunza.com
Runza Restaurant in Papillion, Nebraska, October 2009

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 outside of Nebraska 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.[8] 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.[8]

Promotions

Runza is a vendor in Memorial Stadium, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team,[citation needed] 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.[12] 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,[14][15] as the runza is strongly identified as a Nebraskan dish, and students felt that it should be sold at Nebraska's flagship university.

References

  1. ^ "Lincoln Runza locations & employees earn top honors". Lincoln Journal Star. 12 July 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 19 Nov 2020.
  2. ^ "Runza Drive - Inn Opens in Aurora". Omaha World-Herald. 31 March 1991.
  3. ^ "Omahan Charged In Armed Robbery". Omaha World-Herald. 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. ^ Krohe, Kalin (9 May 2018). "Runza Coming To Chadron". Panhandle Post. Alliance. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  5. ^ Garcia, Maria-Emilia (13 Feb 2020). "Runza Fans, Rejoice: The Franchise Will Open a Second Location in Colorado". Our Community Now. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 16 Nov 2020.
  6. ^ "Company Overview of Runza National, Inc". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  7. ^ Mayfield, Trevor (23 September 2016). "Chili and cinnamon rolls: The murky origin of the nostalgic food pairing". Archived from the original on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  8. ^ a b c Smith, Mitch (15 August 2011). "Epilogue: Three hours south of Lincoln, an edible bastion of Huskerdom". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Runzas Pass Soviet's Test". Omaha World-Herald. United Press International. 4 May 1989.
  10. ^ "Runza Drive - Inns Bet on Las Vegas". Omaha World-Herald. 28 November 1989.
  11. ^ "Runza Opens Two New Stores". Omaha World-Herald. 21 October 1990.
  12. ^ a b O'Connor, Michael (5 June 2018). "Food fight: Omaha Runzas will face Green Chile Cheeseburgers at Werner Park this weekend". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  13. ^ Korbelik, Jeff (9 Dec 2004). "An end of an era': Rock n' Roll Runza set to close". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  14. ^ a b Larsen, Ben (3 May 2018). "Employees, final customers react to the Nebraska Union Runza closing its doors". The Daily Nebraskan. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Fast-Food Chain to Leave University of Nebraska-Lincoln". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. 6 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2021-09-19.

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