This June issue is all about food. In past years, this issue has been one of our most popular.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when my children were very young, we seldom went out to eat as families do now. Some of their favorite homemade meals were hamburger pie, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti with meat sauce, and fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.

I remember when the first McDonald’s in Omaha opened at 80th and Dodge streets. It was in February 1960, and the restaurant was very noticeable with its golden arches and a big sign that said “One Million Hamburgers” had been sold.  A hamburger from McDonald’s was 15 cents, which was a great price even then.

Bronco’s has claimed to be Omaha’s first locally owned and operated fast-food restaurant. They opened in 1959 at 30th and Fort streets and are still famous for their french fries.

Once these fast-food restaurants opened, it didn’t take long for families with young children to start going out to eat more often. Now you can find one every few blocks.

Omaha has so many wonderful restaurants. Whether you are looking for an upscale, elegant one to celebrate a special occasion or a family place in which to sit down with menus for children, you will find it in Omaha.

Bon appétit.

This article first appeared in the June 2019 edition of 60PLUS in Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.