Stella Francois’ Bar & Grill

Stella Francois’ Bar & Grill

Category: Restaurants, Bars, & Local Business

Tags: Bellevue Nebraska, Bellevue University, Francois and Sullivan, Nebraska Beef Council, Offutt Air Force Base, Stella Francois, Stella’s Bar and Grill, Stellanator

Published October 17, 2023 | Updated November 5, 2026

October 17, 2023

When I think of old-school burger joints, two places come to mind: Dinker’s and Stella’s. Those two and a handful of others always come up when talking about the best burgers in the metro area. I set out to learn the story of each, starting with Stella’s in Bellevue.

When Estelle “Stella” Francois moved to Bellevue in 1936, she couldn’t have known that it would start a legacy that continues to this day. Before then, the daughter of Belgian immigrants, worked as a mail carrier between Greeley and Spalding. It was a route she took over in 1929 after her father, Edmund Francois, passed away.

After secretly getting married, Stella moved to Bellevue with her husband, Al Sullivan, and their children. While they operated a service station at the intersection of Betz Road and Lloyd Street, she converted one of the three rooms in their home into a small tavern she called Francois and Sullivan.

Stella Francois courtesy of Stella’s Bar & Grill.

When Al Sullivan Sr. passed away in 1939, the couple had four children. At that point, Stella faced the difficult task of raising the kids while operating two businesses. After selling the service station, she moved the building that housed the tavern to an old dairy farm on Galvin Road that she purchased in 1949. By this time, she had changed the name of her business to Stella’s.

This photograph shows Stella’s in the 1940s or 50s. This appears to be the building that was relocated to the current site in 1949. Photo courtesy of Stella’s Bar & Grill.

With her children grown, Stella married Dean Tobler in 1959 and continued focusing on her restaurant, which proved popular with local residents and airmen stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. Due to health concerns, she turned day-to-day management of the bar and grill over to her son, Al Sullivan Jr., and his wife, Mary Sullivan, in 1974. Even though she was not as actively involved, she famously climbed onto the roof at the age of 71 and put out a fire in 1976.

Stella’s in the 1970s after it moved to its current location. Courtesy of Bellevue Times.

According to Stella’s website, its founder was described as “a remarkable lady who built a successful business based on integrity, hard work, and a willingness to serve others.” Stella passed away in 1985. The business continued to thrive under Al Jr.’s management for 33 years until he retired in 2007 before passing away in 2021. Stella’s remains a family-owned restaurant that is operated by relatives Stephanie, Pam, and Gene Francois.

2023 Omaha Exploration photo of Stella’s atop its hill on Galvin Rd in Bellevue.

While the building remains the same, nearly everything has been replaced over the years, including windows, bathrooms, and tables. Outside, they added new landscaping, planted a garden to provide fresh vegetables for the burgers, and replaced the gravel with concrete.

In recent years, the restaurant has become known for its Stellanator challenge, in which participants attempt to eat a nearly five-pound burger consisting of six hamburger patties, twelve strips of bacon, six eggs, peanut butter, cheese, and some other toppings, plus a side of fries. Finish it all in 45 minutes and your picture is posted to the Wall of Fame. Fail, and it ends up on the Wall of Shame.

2023 Omaha Exploration photo of Stella’s. From this angle you can see the original building from the first photo.

Nearly 50 years after Stella climbed onto the roof to put out a fire in 1976, the restaurant faced another. In February 2026, a delivery driver spotted smoke coming from the building. The fire started in the basement. While no one was hurt, the damage caused the building to close. The restaurant served a limited menu out of the Bellevue Eagles Club while repairs were being made. To assist in its reopening, a community fundraiser was held. Stella’s reopened in the same location in November 2026, almost nine months later.

Looking inside Stella’s towards the bar.

Ninety years later, Stella’s burgers, which start as fresh, never-frozen beef shaped by hand and pressed on the old cast-iron grill, remain just as popular as ever. They have been named the best by Omaha Magazine, the Nebraska Beef Council, and others. The restaurant still operates under the same philosophy: good food doesn’t need to be fancy. That’s why its legendary burgers are served on paper napkins.

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