Omaha's Time Out Foods owners hope for seamless transition for famous fried chicken
For Time Out Chicken, it's business as usual.
North Omaha's famous chicken restaurant remains open despite being up for sale. The owners hope for a seamless transition to the next buyer.
Operations manager Ronnie James has been coming here for years.
"I don't know how many times I sat in this lobby as a kid. I mean, I remember coming up here and just trying to save up enough money just to get me some chicken," James said.
The staple on 30th and Evans streets has been around since the late 1960s and owned by the same family for 50 years.
"We like to say we're the best fried chicken in town," James said.
But after owner Steven Mercer passed two years ago, the family is ready to sell.
"It's time to let someone else carry the torch and to live on a particular legacy," James said.
Michael Maroney, president of the North Omaha Economic Development Corporation, is watching the business closely.
"I think it'd be someone who understands the history of that business, its importance to the community and what it means to be there, and who has a passion and a commitment," Maroney said.
Originally listed for $4 million, James said it's not just about the money.
"It's no particular person. It's just the person that basically has the right idea and really has a business mindset. So we just don't want to just give it away to someone who's just going to just run it into the ground," James said.
Maroney said a business with that kind of success needs to stay open in north Omaha.
"It's always sad when a business leaves that community. Not only does the actual product leave, but then you've got you have lost jobs. So it has a kind of a ripple effect," Maroney said.
James offered advice for the next owners.
"So for the next person, this one thing they all know it's hard work. It's not easy, but it is rewarding," James said.