Omaha Exploration

A deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich that was invented in Lincoln decades ago is another one of those Nebraska staples. Larry Price invented the sandwich which would become known as a Cheese Frenchee. Larry got his start in the restaurant business when he operated a hamburger stand at the Nebraska State Fair as a teenager. After graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University, he worked as a football and basketball coach, mail carrier and grocer before purchasing an old filling station in Lincoln at the corner of 66th and Cotner Boulevard. It was here that he opened Topper’s Drive-In in 1949 which became King’s Drive-in when he teamed up with James King in 1955.

In 1968 Larry invented the sandwich that was similar to a Croque Monsieur which was a fried cheese sandwich that originated in France. His sandwich was made with two slices of white bread, mayo and American cheese that was dipped into a batter consisting of milk, eggs, flour and dry powdered cheddar cheese and then coated with crumbled saltine crackers, refrigerated overnight and then fried until golden brown. The Cheese Frenchee was quite popular and led to other variations that included ham, tuna, hot dogs and pizza. 

The two partners split in 1960 as Larry wanted to focus on drive-ins while Jim preferred a sit-down style restaurant. After Jim left the business, Larry took over the restaurant that would become Kings Food Host which quickly expanded to 150 locations across 17 different states along with two in Canada. He sold the business around 1972 to a group of investors. Ultimately over expansion led to the failure of the popular restaurant chain in 1974 when it went bankrupt.

Investors including the family of former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey bought the recipes for Kings and proceeded to open Grandmother’s restaurant in 1973. The restaurant served the Cheese Frenchee that Larry created decades earlier. They also opened a fast-food spinoff of Grandmother’s called Don & Millie’s in 1989. While Grandmother’s would eventually close in 2014, Don & Millie’s remains open and still sells the Cheese Frenchee as does Amigo’s/Kings Classic which I don’t believe is related to Kings Food Host.

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