How the Simon Family Built Omaha Steaks

January 5, 2024

One of the city’s most famous brands was founded by Latvian immigrants fleeing their homeland more than a century ago to avoid religious persecution.

J.J. Shames fled nearly 50 years after his father, Lazar, founded a packing house and meat market in Riga, Latvia. The Shames family, including J.J., wife Ethel, and son B.A., were part of the third wave of Jewish immigrants to pass through Ellis Island in 1898. Upon arriving in America, they selected Simon as their new surname.

Photo of Omaha Steaks location when it was called Table Supply Meat Co. Courtesy of Omaha Steaks.

From New York, they boarded a train headed west to Omaha, which saw its population increase due to the development of the meat packing industry. It was a familiar trade to the Simon family, as father and son worked side by side as butchers back home. The meat packing industry in Omaha reminded them of the homeland they left behind.

In 1917 the Simon family founded Table Supply Meat Company, which would later become known as Omaha Steaks. Located at 14th and Jackson Street, the building was previously occupied by the Table Supply Company, which made tables and chairs. The Simons altered the sign by moving “Co.” to the right and adding “Meat” before it. They opened the doors to the business after installing a cooler and freezer.

1942 photo of Omaha Steaks bound for Dallas being loaded onto a train car. Courtesy of Omaha Steaks.

The small shop earned a reputation for its fine cuts of meat, and by 1924 it relocated to 1211 Howard Street in an area that had long operated as a warehouse district and later transitioned to a produce market. B.A. took over the family business once his father passed away in 1925.

From its earliest days, the business supplied restaurants and institutions with high-quality meat. It eventually expanded to local supermarkets and then national grocery chains and hotel restaurants. The third generation of the Simon family, Lester Simon, joined in 1929. A deal brokered with the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1940s changed everything. The ability to serve its steaks on trains traveling between Omaha, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle not only expanded its distribution, it put the company on the map.

1964 Durham Museum photo of Omaha Steaks downtown location. See below for recent pic of these
buildings.

At the request of customers who wanted to send its steaks to friends and family across the country, the company began taking mail orders in 1952. Shipping its meat required packing it in containers with dry ice before loading them onto the trains. B.A. passed away in 1955 before it ran its first ad for mail-order steaks in The New Yorker three years later. Today, the company is the longest-running advertiser in the publication.

The company further expanded its mail order business in 1963 when it shipped catalogs to its customers. By that time, they had expanded their meat selection to include poultry, pork, and seafood in addition to sides and desserts. As it continued to grow, the Simons changed the name to one that would help enhance its brand as Omaha became known as the steak capital of the world. The company, now named Omaha Steaks International, opened a new plant in southwest Omaha at 96th and I Street in 1966.

1976 photo of Omaha Steaks first retail location. Courtesy of Omaha Steaks.

Until 1976, customers could only get Omaha Steaks by eating at restaurants or ordering it from the catalog. To further expand its customer base, Omaha Steaks opened its first retail store in Omaha that year. Today the company operates nearly 70 stores throughout the country.

Omaha Steaks continued to operate as a privately owned family business as the fourth (Alan, Fred, and Stephen) and fifth generations (Bruce and Todd) of the Simon family led it over the following decades. The company continues to source its beef from farms throughout the area rather than from cheaper alternatives such as South America and Australia. It also remains local with its two meat processing plants, a distribution center, and headquarters all located in Omaha. The company formed a partnership with McCarthy Capital in 2023. While the Simon family no longer runs its day-to-day operations, it retains a significant ownership stake.

Omaha Steak retail store on 4400 S 96th St.

Today the company has grown to become Omaha’s 24th largest employer with more than 1,500 permanent workers and 3,000 temporary workers during the holidays. It is a remarkable story for a company founded by Latvian immigrants in search of safety, which they found in Omaha. Even more impressive is the fact that their descendants made Omaha known across the world.

I’d love to hear what you have to say so please feel free to comment. Until next time, keep exploring!