"That's what makes it work,” says Mercer. Three generations of family work there, including Steve's mother, Jean. So do the pies supplied by an outside vendor. The classic crinkle-style fries also have many devotees. Lines form year-round every Sunday as the after-church crowd dressed in their finest patiently wait for a down-home fix.Ĭhicken is the star, but cheeseburgers and other hot sandwiches are plenty popular, too. She and other ex-pats in town for Native Omaha Days flood the joint for its familiar comfort food. "Time Out is a must-stop when we come to town," she says. Living in Atlanta, Georgia, hasn't dulled Omaha native Cheryl Berry-Neal's passion for poultry. They all admitted to a hankering that keeps them coming back for more. Whatever the secret ingredients, he notes "all the customers say it makes them have a craving for it." Regulars dining there one recent morning raved about the moist, tender meat and crispy, never-greasy crust. He won't share the savory spicy recipe for his lip-smacking, mouth-watering chicken, but does reveal the battered bird is deep-fried in peanut oil. That’s when he devised the chicken recipe that has made Time Out a hit. Mercer, who had worked there since age 12, bought the business in 1982 when he was only 22. Mercer's parents saw opportunity and secured a loan to buy it. But north Omaha struggled, and so did the restaurant. Local sports legends Bob Boozer and Bob Gibson lent celebrity status. The Swanson Corp., the TV dinner pioneer, opened Time Out in 1969 to develop a model for black-owned fast food franchises. Though chicken is clearly what keeps folks coming back, it was not the house staple when his parents bought the place in 1972. "There's so much more going on in north Omaha than ever before.” “This is a good ride.” With many north O revitalization efforts underway after years of stagnation, his timing seems good. "I feel like this is just the beginning of something else to happen,” he says. He says business keeps growing and he's considering expanding and adding new locations. “It's the people that buy it all the time that make it our signature. "We didn't just create this ourselves,” Mercer says. With a sign proclaiming "Omaha's Best Fried Chicken," it's no surprise what the signature dish is at this north 30th Street landmark.Ĭredit for this grassroots branding, he says, goes to the restaurant’s fans. "But Time Out Chicken is what everybody tags us as," says owner Steve Mercer. I always thought Blimpie had the best meatball sub (when compared to Subway, for example).The official name of this long-lived north Omaha business is Time Out Foods. That location closed up within the last year, I believe. He opened a bunch and they seemed to do well - then they all closed up except for one in old Millard. That first store was in front of the Albertson's on Saddle Creek by California St. Kinda reminds me of what happened to Blimpie - I know the guy that opened the first one in Omaha (which ironically was also close to Saddle Creek). But even that one fell apart and went by the wayside. Unfortunately another one of those chains that had a few around the metro that seemed to all close down at once, except for the lone store on 114th and Dodge. Was the Church's/Popeye's also in the same spot where Boston Market was located on Dodge? That would have been just west of Saddle Creek's bridge, maybe closer to 45th? I actually miss Boston Market - their mac n cheese was tasty. Shortly after Church’s pulled out of the Omaha market in about 1990, that 40th & Dodge location became a Popeye’s for several years… I wish they’d re-enter the Omaha market at some point. I do remember going to Church's at 40th & Dodge back in the late 80s. I can even remember what the store looked like. I think it was on the west side of 72nd between Dodge and Pacific. I tried it when I lived in Texas, but it probably wasn’t that special, because I don’t remember going back. Are peoples’ lives that empty that they feel like they have to wait forever in their cars for fast food chicken? It’s chicken, not a cure for cancer, cripes. I always scratch my head when mobs of people show up to try these places. There's a certain floor that fast food fried chicken can't go below, so I wonder if Church's is really that far above and beyond KFC for instance? I don't know if that was coordinated by staff or if it was just a free-for-all. There were literally double lanes of traffic into the drive thru coming from both directions, wrapped around both streets at 10 PM!. Where were they?Īs to this location, as I said in the Fast Foot Talk thread, I went by there just to go to the Walmart last night, and I could barely get through all the muck. I thought I heard Church's has been here before.
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