Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen opened this week – Monday, February 3rd – at 17373 Chicago Street in Village Pointe Shopping Center. The 7,500 sq. ft. building is east of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and west of Scheel’s. Cheddar’s has an existing Omaha location at 120th & L Street. The brand is owned by Orlando, Florida-based Darden Restaurants, which also owns Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris and several other brands.

Interior renovations are nearly done at Cilantro’s Mexican Bar & Grill’s new space near Oakview Mall. The restaurant plans to open in mid-February at 3309 Oakview Drive, Suite 101, which is immediately east of Reveal Salon & Spa. Cilantro's had operated at 144th & F for many years but closed that location back in October.

On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has permanently closed its only Nebraska location at 8810 South 71st Plaza in Papillion. The Dallas-based restaurant chain had opened the Papillion store in July of 2023 in a former Pizza Ranch building. On the Border has approximately 150 locations worldwide. No reason was provided for the closure, but the restaurant had a Google rating of 3.7 and a Yelp rating of only 3.1.  

Cabin Coffee has opened its first Nebraska location at 99th & Portal Road in Papillion. The drive-thru coffee chain is based in Clear Lake, Iowa and currently has 24 locations in eight states. The closest previously existing locations are in Winterset, Iowa and Savannah, Mo.

Omaha ranks #8 among the nation's top cities for growth in cybersecurity employment and wages, according to Upwind, which examined 44 U.S. cities. From 2022 to 2023, Omaha had a 10.6 percent increase in wages and 5.8 percent in employment. Here’s the top 10 in order: 1. Indianapolis; 2. Raleigh, N.C.; 3. Cleveland; 4. Kansas City; 5. San Francisco; 6. Columbus, Ohio; 7. Pittsburgh; 8. Omaha; 9. Cincinnati; 10. Seattle. Read the entire report HERE. 

The Spice and Tea Exchange plans to open this April between Chico’s and Garbo’s at Village Pointe Shopping Center. The locally owned retailer will offer more than 140 fine spices, 75 hand-mixed spice blends, 80 premium loose-leaf teas, gourmet salts, infused sugars and gift items. A tea bar will be included. The store’s mission is “to provide customers with a unique and interactive shopping experience that inspires creativity in cooking and wellness."

Caring Transitions of Greater Omaha, an estate liquidation company, recently opened a studio in Bellevue. The studio will serve as the base for their operations and online-auction services – CTBids.com. The studio allows the company to expand its consignment services for clients without a household full of items to sell or those just looking to sell high-value or unique items like jewelry, coins and art. The local franchise is part of national network of estate liquidators.

After seven readings below growth neutral in 2024, the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, began the year with an index above the 50.0 growth neutral threshold. The index climbed to 51.1 from 48.7 in December.

LaserAway plans to open its first Nebraska or Iowa location February 5th at Village Pointe Shopping Center. LaserAway offers laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, skin rejuvenation, Botox and more. The company was founded in 2006 in Beverly Hills, Calif., and has locations across the country. The nearest existing locations are in Kansas City and Minneapolis.

The Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to expand its offices at Midtown Crossing. The city council will review an ordinance to approve an amendment to the lease agreement with the bureau and East Campus Realty. The amendment includes a rental increase that will total $142,479 over the term of the lease. The allocation will be primarily funded by hotel occupation taxes paid by out-of-town lodgers. East Campus Realty will pay for the construction, which will add 715 sq. ft. of contiguous office space. – Isaiah Ang

Smokin Barrel BBQ is relocating from 13508 Discovery Drive. While the new address has yet to be announced, the restaurant confirmed it will move to a site near 120th & I Street, with details to follow once the lease is finalized. – Nicole Buntgen

A major component of the Omaha Streetcar project is starting next week. On February 3, the Harney Street bridge over Interstate 480 will be closed for demolition and reconstruction. There will be periodic closures of lanes, exit ramps and intersections around the project, including on I-480. Any closures will be announced beforehand. The Harney Street bridge reconstruction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. – Isaiah Ang

Box Lunch, a national specialty retailer, will hold a grand opening event for its first-to-market store at Westroads Mall this weekend – February 1st and 2nd. The California-based retailer donates one meal to a local food bank for every $10 spent on their pop-culture products. In Omaha, Box Lunch will partner with Foodbank for the Heartland.

Family Fare will close two of its 10 Omaha metro locations: 7402 North 30th Street in Florence and 423 Sharp Street in Glenwood, Iowa. Parent company SpartanNash has not provided a reason for the closures. – Nicole Buntgen

The iconic Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge will be receiving a slight modification due to a recent determination by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA requires installation of an obstruction light for aviation on top of the west suspension tower. Obstruction lights are used on tall structures and are generally seen as red blinking lights. The City of Omaha will hire Omaha Electric Service, Inc. and pay $50,000 to install the new light. - Isaiah Ang

The Omaha City Council approved a $2.47 million contribution to infrastructure improvements in the Builders District in North Downtown. The contribution will pay for relocations of several sewer lines, in addition to new street pavement, sidewalks and curb ramps. These improvements are related to a new city-owned parking garage at 1515 California Street that will be built by the developer. Funding will be sourced from sewer improvements bonds. – Isaiah Ang

Mio Italiano has permanently closed its location at 3001 South 32nd Avenue after nearly two years in business. In a Facebook statement, the owner shared that the family-owned restaurant did not develop as intended. The building was once home to the beloved Lo Sole Mio, which closed in 2022. – Nicole Buntgen

Cat Cow Yoga will soon open at 9831 South 96th Street near 96th & Portal Road in Papillion. Located next to Just Pop’d Popcorn and Lux American Grill, the yoga studio and event space will offer yoga, meditation and restoration sessions for all experience levels, along with space for small events. – Nicole Buntgen

NRP Construction is wrapping up work on a new location for Gameday Men's Health. The 2000 sq. ft. space is located at 18140 Burke Street and will be the second Gameday location in Omaha. The first is in Gretna’s Tiburon area. Gameday Men’s Health is the fastest growing men's health chain in the United States and is slated to open around March 1st.

Thrasher Foundation Repair is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The company was founded by Greg and Nancy Thrasher in 1974. Today the company has 150,000 customers and more than 600 employees. Thrasher is headquartered at 11844 Valley Ridge Drive in Papillion and has nine locations in six states.