OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Despite the hardships of the pandemic, The Corner Kick is expanding to northwest Omaha.
“We make everything from scratch,” Paul McCrae, The Corner Kick Owner said. “Every sauce, every marinade, everything we do is from scratch. Made here in this restaurant. Best fajitas, best street tacos, best wings.”
March was difficult for them in Millard when they had to shut down due to the pandemic. Eventually they opened back up for take-out.
“We got to go down to four people, we had to do that,” McCrae said. “Over the first week it was like wait a second, we brought back a couple of more kitchen people. And then, ‘Oh wait, we need more people.’ It changed our model of what we were. It was all takeout at that point. By the end of March we were almost staffed 100 percent again.”
Others were hit harder. Julios Tex-Mex closed in June after only doing take-out and delivery left them in a tight spot.
“It's been a long time, it's been 44 years in the marketplace, 42 for this restaurant,” Dave Mainelli, Julios Tex-Mex owner said. “It's been a staple I know, it doesn't mean it's the end of Julio's. You never know. But it's a weird time."
Dundee Dell, another favorite, closed in July.
"We thought it was going to blow over and be just fine and pass through in just six weeks,” Greg Lindberg, Dundee Dell owner said. “Well obviously it's not that. But I think that the big deal for me was that it looks like it's going to hang on for too long and the overhead is too much for me to just keep writing checks when we don't have, we have great customers, great staff, just not enough people."
McCrae feels fortunate his business survived the pandemic and credits the support he's had from the community.
“I believe in our product,” McCrae said. “I believe in our team, and the community has loved us and that was evident from March 18 through now. We couldn’t be doing the stuff that we’re doing without the community. It’s just been a lifeline.”
He doesn't think expanding his business is a risk because they'll continue offering takeout if the pandemic closes restaurants again.
The Corner Kick opens in northwest Omaha, at 162nd and Maple, on October 5th.
