Omaha’s B&G Tasty Foods knows how to make a good loose meat sandwich
Iowa has been credited as the home of the loose meat sandwich. You may recognize the term from the television series “Roseanne,” when she and her sister operated a loose meat restaurant. If not, hopefully you just learned something that may help you win a trivia game down the road.
What is a loose meat sandwich? It’s unseasoned ground beef on a bun. It isn’t packed like a hamburger. Think of a Sloppy Joe without the sauce. It’s sometimes joined by sautéed onions and topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard.
Where can you get one without traveling to Iowa? Well, in Omaha, you can check out B&G Tasty Foods. They’ve been in business since 1953. I’ll be honest – I hadn’t heard of them until Lisa mentioned wanting to try the food there. After visiting, I look forward to our next trip for a loose meat sandwich.
B&G was started in 1953 by a couple of friends from Fremont (about a 30-minute drive northwest of Omaha). Ken Bliss and Gayle Gainsforth had an opportunity to buy an Omaha drive-in that had closed. They took the chance and 63 years later, B&G Tasty Foods is still going strong.
They operated out of the drive-in for 20 years before moving to the current location at Beverly Hills Plaza in 1973. Eddie Morin took over the business in 2009. Morin worked for B&G prior to buying it.
The food at B&G is delicious. Lisa and I both had a loose meat sandwich. I added pickles, ketchup and mustard to mine. She went sans the pickle. She added fries and a root beer float. I went with a bowl of chili as a side.
The sandwiches were good. We both liked our choices. The fries were decent. I really liked the chili. It was just spicy enough without being overpowering. I thought it complemented the sandwich.
Lisa loved the root beer float, B&G has a reputation for great root beer floats. She believes they lived up to it during our visit. I tried a couple of tastes of it. I agree with her assessment.
The restaurant is decorated with a nostalgic feel. Old bicycles line the walls. I saw a bike with a banana seat that took me back to my childhood.
The counter – which dates back to 1926 – once belonged to an old Ben Franklin store in Omaha. It’s now home to the Mangelsens hobby and craft store. B&G owners bought the counter and stools when Ben Franklin stopped serving food.
The party room features old menu boards for B&G – each from 1953 and 1973. You could get a loose meat sandwich for 20 cents in 1953. Today, it’s still reasonably priced at $3.99.
Clown paintings used to dot the walls of the restaurant. In the early days, Gainforth’s aunt used to paint oil renderings of clowns. The original clown painting still hangs on a wall at B&G.
We really enjoyed out visit to B&G Tasty Foods. The food is delicious and the décor nostalgic. We recommend visiting the restaurant for a good loose meat sandwich (or burger) and a root beer float. You can’t go wrong.
For more information on B&G Tasty Foods, please visit www.bgtastyfoods.com.
