Omaha Exploration

Long before it became Lisa’s Radial Cafe, the brick building that sits just south of Cuming on the east side of 40th Street got its start as a H & H Grill operated by Effie Jean Handley and Mary Ann Heaton in 1940.

One of the partners must have left the business as it was renamed H & J Grill a couple of years later. By 1949 the restaurant was involved in some racist incidents that included refusing to serve black customers and when it did serve them, the food was presented on paper plates rather than dishware. Both a customer, a student attending nearby Creighton University, and a professor caused a bit of a stir when they flipped their plate and coffee cup in an act of disgust. Fortunately, the charges against the two were dropped.

Just two years later Richard Erhart, a World War II veteran from Nebraska City took over the restaurant. First he named it Eddie’s Cafe but once Northwest Radial Highway was built to connect Military Ave to Saddle Creek Rd and Cuming St, he renamed it to Radial Cafe. Richard managed the restaurant for 30 years before retiring in 1981. He was fortunate enough to live another 18 years before passing away at 80 years old in 1999.

After Richard retired the restaurant had a few different owners including Air Force veteran Al Strong and Joe Walsh who converted the diner by day into an intimate restaurant for dinner service. At that point he dimmed the lights and offered a different, more upscale menu. Vinyl tablecloths were swapped out for cloth, candles and wine glasses were placed atop each table. The menu was even more sophisticated and included prime rib and top sirloin among other options. He referred to it as having an “Old Market atmosphere” due to its exposed brick, large windows and old fixtures. It and the surrounding historic neighborhood in which it sat offered a sense of history and charm. 

Joe was clearly targeting the well-to-do that lived in the Gold Coast neighborhood which, starting in the 1880s, was largely occupied by the likes of Offut, Joslyn, Brandeis, Mercer, Swanson and Doorly. The enormous mansions they called home were primarily built by the city’s big four architects: Thomas Kimball, John Latenser, John McDonald and his son Alan McDonald. 

Meanwhile, Lisa Schembri made her way to Omaha after having operated a restaurant outside of San Francisco. Lisa attended culinary school prior to that and later joined a rock band which resulted in her marrying its guitarist. In the 1990’s, Lisa found work as a waitress at the Radial Cafe alongside her daughter. After the new owners fired most of the staff, she relocated to Leo’s Diner in Benson. 

When the restaurant came up for sale in 2000, she and her husband Cliff jumped at the opportunity and proceeded to take out a home loan. At that point she renamed it Lisa’s Radial Cafe. She claimed not to have any experience running a business but worked seven days a week over the next three years. She loved the diner, her staff and her customer’s and it showed. She hired people that needed jobs and invited regulars to Thanksgiving dinner that didn’t have anywhere else to go. The Thanksgiving tradition started with “Old Bill” who lived alone next door. She included others including Creighton students who couldn’t return home for the holidays. 

After suffering medical issues in 2003, Lisa had to step back from managing the restaurant. At that point, her daughter, Jennifer, took over. Lisa beat an initial prognosis of five years by living another 13 before passing away in 2016. In addition to her name continuing to appear on the sign out front, Lisa is remembered as being eccentric with a larger than life personality. She was energetic, loved to laugh and have fun and generous to a fault. She often used her restaurant to hold fundraisers. So beloved by her customers, they even volunteered to keep the restaurant afloat by helping run it when she was sick. Her love for Bluejay students who frequented the restaurant resulted in it being mentioned in Sports Illustrated. 

Lisa’s legacy, despite passing away at just 55 years old, continues to live on in the cafe that she helped make into an institution in a neighborhood that has plenty other institutions to offer including St. Cecilia, Duchesne Academy, Creighton along with its stately mansions. Since I originally posted this last year, I learned that Lisa’s husband, Cliff, who was known for his bright smile, passion and musical ability and often helped at the cafe by running errands passed away in 2024.

With its friendly atmosphere and tasty food, it can get quite busy on the weekends. The cafe has long been known for its griddle cooking and huge portions including favorite, the Radial Raft, which includes crispy hashbrowns, eggs and biscuits floating in sausage gravy. Radial Cafe continues to attract people from across town including neighbors, college students, local celebrities, politicians and just about everyone else. While I have seen it referred to as the oldest diner in town, I haven’t been able to verify that fact. What can be verified is that it was named as being among the best breakfast joints in town as recently as 2023.

Content written by Omaha Exploration. Feel free to leave a comment or to let me know if there’s something you want me to explore. Until then, keep exploring!

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