Omaha Wants to Eat Mor Chikin

The Chick-fil-A station in the in-house café of Mutual of Omaha in downtown Omaha posed a problem: everyone wanted to eat there. Unfortunately, as a part of an onsite dining operation, the station was available only to employees and their guests.

Given that this was the only Chick-fil-A in the area, and the chicken concept seems to be very popular, Mutual employees tended to be sought-after lunch companions.

Now, outsiders have another option, as a Chick-fil-A Express unit open to the general public debuted at the end of November in the lobby of the nearby Mutual of Omaha Bank building.

Part of Mutual dining services provider Eurest's Outtakes c-store, it offers a truncated version of Chick-fil-A's full menu, serving favorites like traditional and spicy chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, salads and sides like waffle fries, lemonade and sweet tea. The Express is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 am til 7:30 pm.

How did it go over? “We had long lines stretching into the lobby in the first few days but it has tapered off some since then,” says Mutual spokesperson Jim Nolan. Lately, counts have averaged 800 to 900 customers a day, Nolan adds.