Omaha Exploration

Long before the building that served as the home to 11-Worth Cafe became the epicenter of protest and controversy, it served a variety of purposes and businesses. This is the story of 2419 Leavenworth Street.

Constructed in 1910, it was home to an ordinary enough business, Sewing Machine Exchange. The business, which remained there through the 1920s, rented, repaired, purchased, and sold sewing machines. After it closed, Ed McCoy opened a meat market that sold fresh meats and homemade sausage. From there, the building on Leavenworth spent a couple of years as a wallpaper and paint store called Anderson-Dorance Company. The revolving door of occupants continued with Lanphier Electric Company opening in 1937, followed by Interstate Body Works in 1943.

It found new life in 1949 as Garrotto Pool Hall. By 1953, Fred “Turk” Abboud opened a pool hall called Turk’s Billiards. Turk’s operation was notorious and was repeatedly busted for gambling and bookmaking. It became Omaha’s best-known bookie joint, and after multiple arrests, its phones were removed. By 1961, the operation was being run by Joe Digilio who, like Turk, had a reputation for being one of Omaha’s most arrested bookies. After Digilio was evicted in 1961, it returned to normalcy with more reputable businesses including Midwest Roofing Company and Guyett’s Auction occupying it.

Meanwhile, the adjacent storefront at 2417 had been home to restaurants since at least the 1940s. Some of them included Your Cafe, Rainbow Cafe, Terry’s Cafe, Baileys, and Chuck Wagon Cafe. By 1977, the two storefronts were merged to become 11-Worth Cafe, opened by Tony Caniglia, a distant cousin to the Caniglia family that operated many of Omaha’s most popular restaurants including Mister C’s and Venice Inn.

Tony named his restaurant after the street that runs out front: Leavenworth. As with the other Caniglia restaurants, this one too proved to be quite popular due to its generous portions and tasty but traditional breakfast fare. The restaurant operated around the clock until 1995, when it switched to the more standard 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. hours.

Sitting just outside of downtown proper, 11-Worth Cafe was a reflection of the neighborhood in which it was located. Its share of poor and homeless neighbors didn’t impact its business, as it drew a diverse clientele from city council members, mayors, judges, city workers, priests, professionals, and retirees.

By the time the founder’s son, Tony Caniglia Jr., took over in 1992, the restaurant had expanded greatly and had seating for 146 within its 4,000 square foot space. A newspaper article from 1996 documented two people being injured inside the restaurant when old plaster and lathe from the ceiling weakened and collapsed. While a new suspended ceiling was installed in recent years, it was screwed directly into the old ceiling rather than wooden beams. The restaurant otherwise seemed to avoid bad press.

In fact, 11-Worth remained popular well into its 40th year of operation. In 2020, however, Tony Jr. abruptly closed its doors amid protests taking place outside. The protests were the result of violent social media posts directed at people protesting the murders of George Floyd and James Scurlock, the 22-year-old father who was fatally shot in the Old Market while protesting police brutality. It didn’t take long to connect the posts to the author, who happened to be the son of the owner. It only made matters worse when it was discovered that the restaurant had named its biscuits and gravy dish after Confederate Civil War General Robert E. Lee.

To his credit, Tony Caniglia Sr. initially agreed to meet the protesters’ demands, change the name of the menu item, and donate to the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation. Regrettably, negotiations broke down when additional demands were made, triggering threats against both the owner’s family and the organizers of the protest. Tony Jr. cited those threats and safety concerns when he decided to close the restaurant permanently.

After its closure, Together Omaha, whose mission is to prevent and end hunger and homelessness, purchased the building. From there, Together launched its Housing Stability Clinic in 2024. It addresses the need for housing assistance, which increased dramatically following the pandemic after public resources were phased out. The need is best illustrated by the fact that the clinic saw more than 3,200 people during its first 90 days.

It seems a fitting next chapter for a building that was once the source of anger and frustration, now sitting at the center of the community it serves.

Please feel free to comment respectfully and share your memories.

Until next time, keep exploring!

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• New York Times, The Battle Over Biscuits and Gravy at the 11-Worth Cafe, 2020.
• https://theclio.com/entry/148137
• Housing Stability Clinic | Together
• In It Together: Omaha Nonprofit Builds Collaborative Hub to Provide Housing and Healthcare Services – Nebraska Department of Economic Development