- Owner Gladys Harrison reduced portion sizes at Big Mama’s Kitchen to maintain the quality of Southern-style meals without raising prices, addressing rising food costs while keeping meals accessible for North Omaha residents.
- Longtime customers appreciate the effort, recognizing the restaurant’s role in providing affordable dining options in a neighborhood with limited food choices. Harrison is now inviting the community to provide feedback through an online survey to help shape future menu decisions.
- Harrison is considering adding two additional catfish options, swai and basa, potentially at lower prices, giving customers more choices while responding to economic challenges and community needs..
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In North Omaha, one local restaurant owner is opening up about a decision many business owners rarely admit: she’s reduced portion sizes to maintain quality without raising prices — and now she’s inviting the community to help shape what comes next.
Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering, located at The Highlander, is known for its Southern-style meals, including fried catfish and oven-baked chicken. Owner Gladys Harrison says inflation and rising food costs have made it a challenge to keep meals both high-quality and affordable.
"And so we made the decision with the fish to make it smaller," Harrison said.
"Things are getting rough out here for everybody… and they're getting rougher every day," she added, explaining the balancing act of serving North Omaha, where income levels are lower and affordability is as important as quality.
Despite smaller portions, longtime customer Poole says she’s not bothered.
"I think it's just give and take… we support them and they support us… and we just accommodate each other," Poole said.
Born and raised in North Omaha, Poole appreciates the restaurant’s role in a neighborhood already short on food options.
"You know, as long as she's making that effort… to go the mile for the community, to make sure we can go out and enjoy a meal outside our home — that's amazing. She has my support and my effort," Poole said.
Looking ahead, Harrison is considering adding two other catfish options, swai and basa, to the menu.
"We could even offer that at a lower price… and I want to be able to give people options… you know, we are experiencing some hard times… for everybody," Harrison said.
Community members who want to weigh in can fill out a survey on Big Mama’s Kitchen website. Harrison plans to make a final decision on new menu items by Thanksgiving.
At The Highlander Accelerator, I’m Melissa Wright, reporting from North Omaha.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
