Nebraska City’s Dinty Moore’s Lunch & Beer

April 20, 2024

In the backroom of a two-story brick building in Nebraska City is the third oldest bar in the state, named after the famous comic strip character Dinty Moore.

It was founded in 1906 as Blatz Cafe, which was related to the Blatz Brewing Company out of Milwaukee. According to old town maps, people have been drinking at this very spot as far back as 1854. Newspaper archives show that J. M. T. Schneider was selling wines and liquor as far back as 1889.

The outside of Dinty Moore’s Bar in Nebraska City. It’s located at the back of the building.

In 1906, Clyde Gunn operated the small cafe that was busted for selling intoxicating liquor without a license. It was sold shortly thereafter to John Mickelson, who had worked as an agent for Blatz Brewing. Mickelson obtained a liquor license and later gave the bar the name Dinty Moore’s Lunch Room. The name is actually inspired by a very popular comic strip called Bringing Up Father that ran from 1913 to 2000. One of the characters from the long-running cartoon was a tavern owner named, of all things, Dinty Moore. The comic was so popular that hundreds of establishments adopted the name. Perhaps the most well-known was a restaurant in the heart of Broadway in New York City. The owner of that particular Dinty Moore was James Moore, who happened to be friends with the cartoon’s creator and illustrator, George McManus. The name was even used for a canned beef stew brand that was developed by a grocery store in Minneapolis. The stew and the name Dinty Moore were later acquired by Hormel.

Historic photo inside Dinty Moore’s in Nebraska City. Courtesy of Dinty Moores Facebook page.

The building was damaged in 1920 due to a lightning strike. Just one year later, Mickelson passed away, clearing the way for cigar shop owner and former city treasurer Isaac Phifer to take over Dinty Moore. During this time, with prohibition in effect, they moved to the basement where they opened a speakeasy while operating a drug store on the main floor. Phifer even installed a trapdoor leading to the basement, which had cobblestone walkways. There was also a door from the street to the basement of the drug store, which had a tunnel that led to the speakeasy. Phifer, reportedly the first automobile owner in Nebraska City, eventually sold the bar to Mason Colbert, who operated it for a short time from 1930 to 1935 before selling it himself for health reasons.

Photo looking inside the Dinty Moore’s with the old bar stools and bar. Courtesy of Dinty Moore’s Facebook page.

This marked the start of a long run for the Schreiner family. Joseph Schreiner owned it from 1935 to 1946, during which he renovated the bar. After that, his son Harry ran it until 1982, followed by grandson Steve and his wife Linda, until they retired in 2012. It briefly reopened with a new owner under the name Kaster’s Pub & Grill. After a potential new buyer proposed gutting the bar, Omaha native Tim Pendrell stepped forward to save it and even restored it so that it looked like it did in the 1920s and 1930s. Pendrell had relocated from his home in New York City to accept a job as the executive director for Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce.

Known today as a Cheers-type bar where everybody knows each other, the site was also visited by Frank and Jesse James during their time in Nebraska City. It still has the old 15 bar stools and the original bar where men would dig holes with their nickels when trying to decide whether to walk away with money in their pockets or to have another pint.

Grooves in the bar from the nickles of patrons deciding whether to leave with money in their pocket or to have another pint at Dinty Moore’s.

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