Weekly Market Report – January 5, 2023

Jan 5, 2023 | 0 comments

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Restaurant & Retail Updates

Lettuce Express has closed in the Greyhawk retail center southwest of 144th & West Maple Road. Oklahoma Joe’s will take its place this spring. Oklahoma Joe’s has an existing Omaha location at Aksarben Village. Both restaurant concepts are owned by Omaha-based Cutchall Management.

Green Beans Coffee plans to open a second location in late January or early February at 3512 Samson Way in Bellevue. A ribbon cutting with the Sarpy County Chamber of planned for February 3rd. The local coffee shop has an existing location near 168th & Harrison Street.

Scooter’s Coffee has announced an opening date of late January for its new drive-through kiosk at Regency Landing northeast of Interstate 680 & Pacific Street.

Also at Regency Landing, Clean Eatz plans to open late spring. The “heart healthy” company provides meal plans, a dine-in café, healthy catering, grab ‘n’ go meals, snacks, and smoothies.

We have an official opening date for Nebraska’s first location of Dave’s Hot Chicken: Friday, January 13th. The restaurant will be located near Chipotle and Bank of the West at 335 North Saddle Creek Road. The California-based chain has existing or planned stores in 19 states and a handful of countries.

Jazzercise is opening at 3503 Samson Way in Bellevue in a 2,400 sq. ft. space next to Asthma & Allergy Center and Beijing Tokyo, according to listing agent Gabrielle Estivo of NAI NP Dodge.

Florist of Omaha will hold a ribbon cutting January 12th for its new floral store at 15623 West Dodge Road.

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The “Restaurant & Retail Updates” section is sponsored by Anderson Convenience Market, featuring Quality AMOCO Fuels and serving Omaha since 1952, and proud to announce the return of Quality Amoco Fuels. Look for changes this Summer at Anderson Convenience Market – 8 Omaha area locations!

Learn more about Anderson Convenience market at www.Anderson1952.com

Grow Omaha Eats with
Sarah Baker Hansen

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Review: At Texas de Brazil, it’s the smorgasbord of meat that’s drawing a crowd

By Sarah Baker Hansen

At Texas de Brazil, the city’s first Brazilian steakhouse in the Capitol District, I can say one thing for sure: the meat just never stops coming.

During my two recent experiences at the downtown spot, which opened in October and has been much talked about since, I found that meat, when cooked to the medium rare promised at arrival, can be quite delicious, well executed and wonderfully seasoned. The salad bar is fun. So are the caipirinhas, the official drink of Brazil. I could eat a dozen little rounds of the Brazilian cheese bread by myself, I’m sure.

But — you knew there was going to be one — I had some challenges, too. Though I liked the majority of the restaurant’s meat, some arrived well-done. Service can be spotty and slow. And in spite of each diner having a little sign to advise the meat carvers when they’d like a break, we never got one.

The Texas-based chain restaurant has numerous locations across the United States, as well as in Mexico, South Korea and Dubai; in short, this isn’t a mom-and-pop shop. Rather, it’s a giant restaurant chain, and the experience, at times, feels like it.

The lights are bright inside the dining room, which can be packed to the gills, like it was the first evening we tried it with another couple. The staff doesn’t seat your party until all guests have arrived, and both times we visited, our wait extended several minutes beyond the time our group arrived, even with a reservation. (I wouldn’t suggest going without a reservation. This is not a “wing it” kind of restaurant, at least not yet.)

Once diners are seated, they are almost immediately invited to go to the salad bar. I’d heard about it before we went, but I have to say, it was one of my favorite parts of the experience. The lineup is vast and varied, and has some particularly interesting offerings, including a sweet, warm pineapple carpaccio; a great selection of briny, pickled vegetables; a tasty Brazilian vinaigrette packed with minced vegetables and corn; and a lovely selection of seafood, including lightly dressed cooked shrimp and smoked salmon. Matthew particularly enjoyed an herby couscous salad and I liked the colorful cuts of roasted jalapenos.

There are, of course, also lots of traditional salad bar offerings: plenty of fresh greens, croutons, various house-made dressings, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, Manchego, roasted garlic, green beans, asparagus, hearts of palm, olives, capers and bacon, among many other items.

Texas de Brazil’s website advises that the salad bar selections change seasonally. I did send an email to their corporate headquarters to see if I could chat with someone for this story, but I did not receive a response before my deadline.

I didn’t try the soup, though the lobster bisque seems popular, if the busy soup station adjacent to the salad bar was any indication. And I tried to keep my salads reasonably sized, though you can take and eat as much as you like, because I knew what was coming next: meat.

Each diner receives a small round card at their seat. One side is red, the other is green. When you want meat, turn it to green. If you would like to pause, turn it to red. In theory, this should be an easy system. In practice, it didn’t work.

Both times we visited, the moment we sat down with our salad plates — in one instance, before we even had a second plate for meat — the gauchos, who carve the meat, started asking us if we wanted any cuts. Mind you, all the cards at the table were turned to red. So we said no while we ate our salads.

It’s a small complaint, I suppose, but also, if the carvers aren’t going to take note of the color of a table’s card, what’s the point of the card? With some training, I think this could be fixed, and it’d improve the customer experience, which can feel like a race to the finish once the meat service begins.

The meat can be absolutely delicious. There’s more than a dozen varieties, and the selections vary by evening. I found some favorites, including a wonderfully executed filet, which we received the second evening. I’d have asked for another slice, had I known how good it was going to be.

Another favorite is the Picanha, a little-known cut here but one that’s popular in Brazil. Known as a rump cap or sirloin cap, the meat comes either plain or spiced and is ultra-flavorful. Ours, again, arrived cooked to a nice medium rare. The spice blend, heavy with garlic, is tasty.

The bacon-wrapped chicken breast and Parmesan crusted pork, two non-beef cuts the restaurant seems to always offer, are good, both juicy and flavorful. Ribs, covered in a sweet barbecue sauce, were tender one evening, but drier the next. A bite or two of roasted rack of lamb had plenty of flavor and a juicy finish. Little Brazilian sausages have a snappy casing and a spicy kick. A slab of New York Strip, cooked closer to medium, was one of Matthew’s favorites.

As the dinner went on, I noticed that some of the meat — another slab of the Picanha, a bacon-wrapped filet — had cooked to a brown center instead of the pink center we’d tried earlier. This happened during both our visits, and I suspect it’s because as the carvers walk around with meat on long metal skewers, it continues to cook. So just note: some pieces of meat are going to be more well-done than others. Depending on what you like, that might be ok.

Service outside of the gauchos can be spotty. At some points, even on a less busy evening, our server disappeared for long stretches, and we had to wait for things like side dishes and plates. I’d advise patience.

Of the complimentary sides that come with the experience, the rounds of Brazilian cheese bread are easily my favorite, and I had a hard time stopping. They have a pleasant, crisp outer crust and a stretchy, cheesy center with a salty-savory flavor that is just outstanding. Also good: the sweet roasted plantains, which are caramelized and warm and have a pleasing texture and flavor just sweet enough to be a nice contrast to all the savory choices.

Mashed potatoes and French fries, the other two sides, were fine, but I simply didn’t have enough space in my stomach to enjoy them that much.

All four of us liked the caipirinhas, which resemble a margarita, but are made with cachaça, which is Brazilian rum, and have a nice balance of sweet and tart. One of my friends, a sommelier, appreciated the Brazilian wine selections on the menu, and the one we tried, a dry red, paired wonderfully with all the meat.

Of note is the price: Regular dinner, which includes the meat and salad service is $49.99 per person. The salad area only option is $29.99. For the price, a diner that eats a lot can certainly get their money’s worth. But with cocktails and a tip, the experience can get expensive. Our second visit, with two diners each having one drink and adding a 20 percent tip, stretched to nearly $150.

I like that Omaha now has a Brazilian steakhouse; it’s long been a hole in our city’s restaurant offerings, and I like that much of what I tried, meat especially, arrived well seasoned, medium rare and flavorful. But I think the restaurant needs to work on its service, and I wish the atmosphere could be a bit more inviting and a bit less “chain restaurant” feeling.

Will I return? Probably. Texas de Brazil is certain to remain a dining destination, and with time, and some training, the stumbles we saw could be solved to make the experience live up to its much-discussed menu.

Texas de Brazil
https://texasdebrazil.com/locations/omaha/
1110 Capitol Ave.
402-783-8777

Hours:
Monday through Thursday: 5p to 9p
Friday: 5p to 9p
Saturday: 4p to 9:30p
Sunday: 4p to 8p

Grow Omaha Eats with Sarah Baker Hansen is sponsored by Cheer Athletics, one of the largest and most respected All-Star cheerleading programs in the United States. The Omaha location is at 14620 Gold Coast Road, near Highway 370 and 144th Street. Learn more HERE!

The Big Story

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Rendering provided by TACKarchitects courtesy of CSI

Changes Proposed at North Omaha Airport

Many Omahans probably know very little about the North Omaha Airport if they even know it exists in the first place. The privately owned general aviation airport is located at 72nd & Highway 36, about a mile and a half north of Interstate 680.

The sleepy little airport on the edge of the Ponca Hills is poised to undergo an ambitious metamorphosis. It opened in 1945 and became a popular place for aviators, but it has declined in recent years.

The North Omaha Airport’s new ownership wants to create “a unique destination for leisure pilots and members who share the intrigue of aviation.” Part of the plan would involve the construction of a 76-room hotel and a private restaurant clubhouse on the grounds.

The investments are intended “to pave the way for a sustainable and growing airport facility well into the future.”

The planned facility upgrades include the new aviator’s hotel building, new hangar building, an airport-operations building addition, extension of the runway by more than 400 feet to the north, an upgraded self-service fuel station, airport perimeter fencing with security gates, and remote video security.

The new North Omaha Airport would be designed for those in the aviation community and would be a strict membership-only model. Think of it as a country club for aviators.

According to the airport’s owners, the improvements solve the five biggest reasons leisure pilots don’t fly to new locations: 1. The logistical challenges of overnight hangar availability; 2. Lodging accommodations; 3. Transportation; 4. Things to do; and 5. Itinerary planning makes it difficult for pilots to explore new cities.

The plans must first win City of Omaha approval.

This section is sponsored by RENZE. For over 128 years, we have been providing our clients with innovative solutions for interior corporate and retail branding, as well as unique exhibits and graphics for tradeshows and events. With leading-edge equipment and quality craftspeople working out of our 90,000 sq. ft. facility, we partner with you to help create your vision. See a wide variety of our work HERE!

Grow Omaha Snippets

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Google is expanding its northwest Omaha data center campus before the first buildings even go up, according to Nebraska Examiner. Google plans to add 187 acres to its 270-acre site under development near 114th & State Street. Building space would total more than 2.2 million sq. ft.

In addition to the new campus, Google continues to expand its Papillion and Council Bluffs data center sites. The Omaha metro area is believed to be home to the largest Google operational presence anywhere in the United States.

The Omaha Planning Board approved tax increment financing for a 17-unit riverfront condominium development at this week’s meeting. The $12 million, 5-story Riverplace project would be constructed at 520 Riverfront Plaza, next to two existing 12-story condo towers. Completion is planned for 2024. The project still needs city council approval.

The Builders District continues to move forward in North Downtown. Planning is underway for the Park in the Builder’s District, which will include a restaurant pavilion. Additionally, the 4-story, 115,000 sq. ft. hybrid-timber building at 1501 Mike Fahey Drive has broken ground. The first floor will be retail or office space and the three upper floors will be office. The 33-acre development is bounded by Cass, Cuming, 14th and 17th streets.

Grow Omaha has added a new feature to its website: “Grow Omaha Certified Podcasts.” We have identified high-quality, Omaha-centric podcasts that provide value to our followers. We launched with three podcasts: “Restaurant Hoppen” with Dan Hoppen; “The Omaha Podcast” with Matt Tompkins; and of course, The “Grow Omaha Show!” The site updates these podcasts automatically every time a new episode is dropped. Click HERE.

Grow Omaha Snippets are brought to you by Omaha Car Care with four metro area locations – 131st & Dodge, 58th & Center, 85th & L and 144th & Harrison.

Omaha Car Care “We’ll be along for the ride.”

Business News

Local Business News Sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland:

Real Estate News from CoStar – Mortgage applications continued a downward trend in the face of high interest rates, declining 13.2% from two weeks earlier for the week ended Dec. 30 and hitting lows not seen in 26 years.

The latest application volume numbers, adjusted to account for the holiday season, showed refinancings down 16.3% from two weeks earlier and declining 87% from the comparable week of 2021. Purchase applications dropped 12.2% from two weeks earlier and were down 42% from year-earlier levels.

FNBO will hold a ribbon cutting January 24th for its newest branch office at 20640 HWY 370. That’s on the northeast corner of Highways 6 & 370 in Gretna.

The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, fell below growth neutral for a second straight month. The index, which ranges between 0 and 100 with 50.0 representing growth neutral, sank to 47.1 from 48.0 in November.

Valmont® Industries, Inc. of Omaha has completed the previously announced sale of Valmont SM®, its offshore wind business to Euro Steel of Denmark.

Ovation Heartwood Preserve, a senior living property located near 144th & Pacific Street, has added a female-only memory care unit known as Meadowlark.

Sower Investment Partners plans to open in the fall of 2023 at Regency Landing northeast of Interstate 680 & Pacific Street, according to ACCESS Commercial LLC. The company serves as sponsor or key investment partner to a family of investment funds, syndicated investments, and direct investments.

This section is sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland, the local, trusted franchise experts. They are “in the business of helping you get into business!”

Grow Omaha University

Leadership & Sales Insights for Ambitious People

Compiled by Grow Omaha co-founJeff Bealsder and sales trainer 

Sponsored by MyStaff, Inc.

Leadership & Management

As we start a new year, be prepared: economists say there’s a decent chance we will experience a recession in 2023. As a leader, you have to stay focused and confident while keeping your team on track.

The challenge in a time of uncertainty is keeping the fire in your soul, says business author Anthony Iannarino. You must constantly renew your goals, ambitions, and passions.

One way to kindle the fire in your soul is by being other-oriented, focusing on the people you care about. Every person in our personal and professional lives benefits by the work we do and how we do it. When we do good work, we benefit personally. The people our lives benefit too.

“We may find ourselves in difficult waters for some period,” Iannarino says. “If you listen to the news, you are likely succumbing to the fear they continually feed you. The impossibilities vanish only when you feed your soul with your fire instead of your fears.”

Sales

When encountering deal objections (these can be concerns, objections and/or stalls), there is a four-step process for resolution, according to sales expert Lee Salz, author of Sales Differentiation:

Step 1 – Show empathy – “I appreciate you bringing that up.”

Step 2 – Ask questions – You want to completely understand the issue

Step 3 – Share information – Verbally and visually as needed

Step 4 – Check for acceptance – “Does this address your concern?”

Salz says that many salespeople tend to skip steps 1 and 2, choosing to jump to step 3. That’s creates what Salz calls a “sales flaw.”

Showing empathy and asking questions lays the foundation to effectively address the prospective client’s concern.

Wisdom

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Sir Winston Churchill

Grow Omaha University is sponsored by MyStaff Inc, a locally owned staffing firm whose purpose is helping Nebraska companies recruit for corporate office positions.

My Staff Inc – Our team helps you find yours!

Upcoming Events in the Metro

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Millwork Moves | Yoga with Lizzie on January 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th: Come out to The Dock every Thursday at 5:30 pm in January for a FREE yoga class that will challenge your mind, body, and breath! Located inside the Ashton Building, you’ll be able to connect with yourself as you practice your yoga skills. Don’t forget to bring your mat and a water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the class.

Introduction to Podcasting on January 8th: Are you ready to share your story, discuss your ideas, and promote your business through the power of podcasting? In this introductory workshop, you’ll get all the resources you need to get your podcast off the ground. You’ll learn about the history of podcasting, how to develop your idea, and the best recording and editing resources. We’ll also cover hosting, RSS, and how to measure the success of your podcast. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to join the podcasting community!

Modus Coworking Happy Hour on January 12th: Looking to network and have a good time? Then head to Modus Coworking on the second Thursday of every month at 4pm! Not only will you be able to enjoy complimentary wine and snacks, but you’ll also get to listen to DJ Bez spin some tunes and have Kristin May with ROAM serve you wine. Plus, there will be light appetizers available from some of the best restaurants in Omaha. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to mix and mingle with like-minded professionals.

Omaha Singles Mixer on January 12th: Looking to meet other singles for fun activities? Then join Smitten Singles for their monthly mixer! This party is specifically curated for singles, so you’ll be sure to meet like-minded people who are also looking to mingle.

Omaha Network-Wide Coffee & Connections: Coffee is always better when shared with friends, and what better way to make new friends than by networking with local business professionals? Join this networking event hosted by Mutual First Federal Credit Union. This is a great opportunity to make new connections and possibly even find new business opportunities.

This Upcoming Events section is sponsored by Eagle Mortgage Company, is a locally owned and full-service mortgage company in Omaha.

Eagle Mortgage can help you realize your dream of owning a home.

People in the News

Sponsored by Baird Holm Attorneys at Law

a beautiful blue and white house with a green lawn
digital rendering of Flatiron District project buildings

WoodmenLife has promoted Nic Olari to vice president, chief compliance & privacy official. Olari joined WoodmenLife in 2011 as law clerk. In 2013, he was promoted to staff attorney. In 2017, he was promoted to assistant general counsel, followed by a promotion to director and associate general counsel in 2020. Most recently, Olari has served as director & senior associate general counsel as of 2021.

ACCESSbank has added Elizabeth Whited to its board of directors. She currently serves as executive vice president, sustainability and strategy at Union Pacific. Since joining Union Pacific in 1987, Whited has held several positions, including executive vice president and chief marketing officer, as well as executive roles in strategic planning, investor relations, finance, and sales.

The Greater Omaha Chamber has hired Melissa Glenn as senior director of small business education & development. She was previously vice president and commercial loan officer at First Nebraska Bank. She received an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Angela McGraw has been named executive director of Girls Incorporated of Omaha. She will succeed retiring executive director Roberta Wilhelm beginning January 17th. McGraw was most recently director of the DoSpace technology library at 72nd & Dodge Street.

The “People in the News” section is sponsored by Baird Holm LLP. Baird Holm’s dedicated team of real estate lawyers has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law, including purchases, sales, zoning and land use, leasing, and dispute resolution. Click HERE for more information.

Wall Street: The Week in Review

with George Morgan

The author is founder of Morgan Investor Education of Omaha.

Sponsored by Baird Holm Attorneys at Law

Views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author.

I am sure that the first thing that comes to investors’ minds about the 2022 stock market is, “Thank God it’s over.” Depending upon your haystack of choice, the market ended the year down between 20 and 35 percent. The bond market had a similar experience with a decline in the 15-percent range.

The market peaked on January 1st, and it was all downhill from there. Instead of crying over spilled milk, I suggest taking the lemons-to-lemonade approach. The way to do this is to review 2022 and learn from what happened.

First, the professionals got it all wrong. Well, sort of all wrong. The high muckety-mucks of Wall Street did an excellent job of parsing and predicting the earnings of the S&P 500 – somewhere between 5 and 7 percent. Mr. Market said “BFD.”

One of the tenants of the Wall Street-West paradigm is that the market is random and unpredictable. Even a blind squirrel can see the whopping discrepancy between Wall Street’s prognostication and Mr. Market’s response.

Both mom and pop and Wall Street were caught off guard by the decline of bond values that followed the Fed’s actions to fight inflation by raising interest rates. Since the beginning of time, Wall Street and academia have preached that proper diversification requires some money in stock and some money in bonds. The older you get, the more you need in bonds. To add insult to injury, the Wall Street yahoos who design robo accounts made this a cornerstone of their construction handbook. Problem is, history has proven that when the peanut butter hits the fan, all asset classes turn to poo.

Last, but not least, we must note Mr. Market’s treatment of the big cap tech stocks that dominate the Nasdaq index. They had acceptable earnings, and Mr. Market rewarded their success by crushing their stock prices by as much as 50 percent. Another smack in the mouth for the Wall Street prediction gurus.

But…be not faint of heart. Some great man once said, “This too shall pass.” Investors should take solace in the fact that the professionals are pessimistic about the market’s prospects for 2023. This is encouraging news. To quote Harry Truman: “Economists have predicted 10 out of the last seven recessions.”

The gnomes and I are preparing to hold a workshop in first part of February to discuss what we can learn from market year 2020. Our intention is to provide individual investors with a variety of perspectives from both professional and individual investors. I will be providing updates through my weekly comments or you may contact me at george@morganinvestoreducation.com.

Have You Watched Grow O on Video Yet?

Jeff Beals, Trenton Magid and a guest in the KFAB 1110 Radio Booth

The Grow Omaha radio show broadcasts live every Saturday morning at 9:00, but now you can watch videos of each episode instead of just listening.

Grow Omaha’s brand-new website features video footage shot inside the radio studio during each week’s show!

Videos include News of the Week, Lightning Round, guest interviews, and “Grow Omaha Uncut,” a behind-the-scenes look at what happens during commercial breaks.

Support the Grow “O” Mission

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