Omaha Exploration

Harold’s Koffee House is the kind of old-school diner that doesn’t exist anymore. It is the product of Harold Halstead, a small-town boy from nowhere Iowa who got his start in the prolific Harkert’s Hamburgers chain.

That town is Stiles, with a population of around 100. Harold first worked at a local shoe store where he met Pauline Palmer, a legal secretary. The two got married prior to Harold being sent off to serve during World War II in the Army Air Corps. Upon his return, he went to work for that hamburger chain in 1946. It was there that he discovered his passion for serving customers in the restaurant industry. After Harkert’s closed, he started a spinoff chain called Koffee House Systems with some partners.

The Koffee House grew to a total of five locations: 720 S. 24th Street (Leavenworth), 4515 N. 30th Street (Ames), 2904 N. 16th Street (Locust), 1824 Dodge Street, and 8505 N. 30th Street (Florence). The Leavenworth location closed, at which point the partners bought the former Florence Cafe that had been owned by Jim Washa, which Harold managed starting in 1958.

The partners eventually split and went their separate ways. Harold, however, retained the Florence location, which he continued to operate under the Koffee House name. The cafe was a family affair with Pauline in charge of the books and their children working as cooks, dishwashers, wait staff, cashiers, and bussers.

When Harold moved his business to its current location at 8327 N. 30th Street in 1968, he took the opportunity to add his name to the business. He likely did so to make it distinct from the other Koffee Houses that were still around. Taking it a step further, he added a large orange food sign so there was no mistake about what it offered. Harold eventually expanded further after acquiring two truck stops in western Nebraska. Neither remain open, as he closed them in order to focus on the original location in Florence.

Harold retired in 1982 and passed away in 1992. Perhaps most well known for the cafe that he built over a lifetime, he also served as president of both the Florence Historical Society and Florence Pioneer Days Association, not to mention serving as a member of the Ponca Hills Volunteer Fire Department. Pauline kept the family business alive, continuing to run it alongside their children until she passed away two years later.

Harold’s Koffee House remains a family-run business and an institution in the Historic Florence neighborhood where it has operated since 1958. In an interview with WOWT, Harold’s grandson, Matthew Bohnekamp, said that the cafe is the glue that binds the family together.

Harold’s still draws praise, having been recognized as one of the best breakfast joints, cafes, and diners by The Reader. Popular for its cinnamon roll, donuts, biscuits and gravy, and homemade pie, Harold’s continues to pride itself on its friendly service and cooked-to-order classic diner dishes. It’s exactly where Harold left it.

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://www.haroldskoffeehouse.com/our-story