On the outskirts of town, friends Ken Bliss and Gayle Gainsforth opened a restaurant selling loose meat sandwiches in 1953. The sandwich consisted of finely ground beef cooked loose in sauce and pressed between two buns. It had been invented nearly 100 miles north in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1924 at Ye Olde Tavern, and gained popularity across the Midwest after Maid-Rite opened in 1926.
The two friends had previously worked together in Fremont before moving to Omaha to open their restaurant next to a golf course at 84th and Dodge Streets. The building had formerly been home to Nelson Tastee Treet, which likely sold loose meat sandwiches as well. When Nelson closed, B & G Tastee Treet opened in the small shack, which had no indoor seating. Employing carhops, the restaurant was renamed B & G Drive-In by 1958. By the time the popular eatery moved to Beverly Hills Plaza in 1973, it had adopted the name B & G Tasty Foods—likely reflecting its transition from a drive-in to a sit-down restaurant.
At one time or another, nearly everyone in both families worked at the restaurant. After Ken passed away in 1977, Gayle continued cooking six days a week, often working 12-hour shifts. He was described as “a lively man who loved to greet customers, especially children, as they entered his restaurant.” Known for striking up conversations with anyone on the street—whether they said hello or not—Gayle finally retired in 2000. The co-founder, owner, and longtime cook passed away in 2004.
The restaurant struggled under two different owners over the next five years. It wasn’t until 2009 that it was revitalized by former employee Eddie Morin. Morin refreshed the space by installing a new counter, repainting the interior, and decorating the walls with advertisements from the 1950s in addition to old bicycles.
During the decade that Eddie owned the restaurant, he managed to triple its sales. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to save it. There was a persistent perception that loose meat sandwiches should cost less than hamburgers, despite costing more to make once labor and ingredients were factored in. When Morin decided to close the restaurant in 2019, he told Omaha Magazine that despite a loyal customer base, the business was no longer financially sustainable.
While Eddie received multiple offers to buy the restaurant, he declined them until he was approached by someone interested only in the brand and recipes. Previous offers had come from buyers who wanted to keep everything the same, despite the model being unsustainable long-term. In addition to rising food costs, the location carried extremely high rent, operated with a single cash register, and lacked a drive-through window.
B & G Tasty Foods managed to reopen at Nebraska Crossing in 2023 after its new owner, Nick Bartholomew, successfully replicated original recipe—an effort that took several years and the assistance of the former owner and chef. Unfortunately, it closed just four months later due to irreconcilable differences with its landlord.
In recent months, various establishments have hosted B & G pop-ups, including Beyond Golf, Hyde’s Slyde’s, and most recently The Daily. The event featured the original B & G sandwich, loose meat by the pound, chili, and chili dogs, along with French fries, chili cheese fries, and onion rings. As a side note, The Daily has also hosted Grisanti’s pop-ups for those that may be interested in future events.
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