Bronco's Burgers

Bronco's Burgers has been an institution in Omaha since 1959. Bronco's original location was on 30th and Fort St. in the northern section of Omaha. After the success of that location, the company started to expand, and three years after the original location was opened, the second store was opened on 45th and Leavenworth Street. Like the other Bronco's, this location features a neon sign which has become an iconic landmark for Omaha residents.

The restaurant was founded by William T. Barnes who was born in Omaha in 1921 and worked at several area quick service restaurants before establishing his own. Following a trend towards simpler menus and low prices that led to the success of White Castle, a fast-food chain that had its origins in Wichita, Barnes decided to build a western-themed quick self-service, and the first of several Bronco's locations opened in 1959. The company franchised several locations beyond Omaha for a time, but today, this location and one further west are all that remains.

The original location of Bronco's was at 30th and Fort St. in the northern section of Omaha and opened in 1959. After the success of the original location, a second store was opened on 45th and Leavenworth. Like the other Bronco's, this new location had a neon sign that has become an icon of local fast food culture.

The initial success of the restaurant garnered the attention of investors, and franchises soon popped up in the states neighboring Nebraska and around the Omaha metro area. While most of those locations have closed, the founding Barnes family still successfully operates two locations in Omaha.

In an interview by the author of this Clio entry, the current owner of Bronco's Burgers, Blake Barnes, attributed the success of his restaurant to the continued consistency of his staff and the quality of the ingredients that the company has right from the beginning. This includes long-term employees like Henry Rice who has been with the company since its inception. While McDonald's was marketing itself on serving millions and millions, the Bronco's staff calculated that Rice alone had served at least one million burgers. The restaurant has never used frozen ingredients, and Barnes seeks to create a product that is more similar to a diner than typical fast food. The restaurant is known for large portions of french fries- so much so that they tend to load to-go bags with extra fries.

broncoburgers.com. Accessed December 4, 2019. https://www.broncoburgers.com/.

Barnes, Blake. Interviewed by Paul Magnuson. Phone interview, December 9, 2019.

Chapman, John. “Bronco's Celebrates 50 Years.” Omaha Breaking News, Weather and Sports. Nebraska News. | WOWT.com. Accessed December 9, 2019. https://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/57616782.html.

Grace, Rachel P. Omaha Food : Bigger Than Beef. Charleston, SC: American Plate, 2015.

Jakle, John A, and Keith A Sculle. Fast Food : Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. The Road and American Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.