Omaha Steaks

J.J. Simon and his son, B.A., came to America to escape antisemitism.[5] Passing through Ellis Island in 1898, they settled in Omaha because of the farmland's similarity to their homeland, Riga, Latvia. They worked for nearly 20 years as butchers for other people.[5] In 1917, the family founded Omaha Steaks as a cattle carcass operation at 17th and Douglas Streets.[2]

The Simon family bought a carpentry store, Table Supply Co., as the site for their meat-cutting business. To save money, B.A. moved the two letters "Co" to the right, inserted the word "Meat" and called their new company Table Supply Meat Co.[2] By 1924, the business moved to a larger building at 1211 Howard Street, in the Old Market neighborhood, from which J.J. and B.A. began selling cuts of meat to local supermarkets, national grocery chains, hotel restaurants, and institutional customers.[1]

B.A.'s son, Lester Simon, is credited with introducing Omaha Steaks across the United States, when he brokered a deal with the Union Pacific Railroad to begin serving Omaha Steaks in the dining cars of their transcontinental trains in the 1940s.[5][6] Lester Simon hand-selected the meat for the Union Pacific passenger trains that traveled between Omaha and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.[2] Train passengers who ordered Omaha Steaks in Union Pacific's dining cars prompted the company to launch its first mail order ventures – magazine ads and direct mail flyers – in 1952.[5] Lester Simon also began shifting Table Supply's focus from a butcher operation to the marketing of fine cuts of meat.[2]

In 1952, the first mail order operation was launched to serve distant customers. The meat was shipped in wax-lined cartons filled with dry ice. It was not until the early 1960s that insulated shipping containers made of polystyrene and vacuum packaging became available.[5] In 1961, Nebraska Governor Frank B. Morrison sent steaks from Table Supply to President John F. Kennedy and all of the governors in the United States. In that same year, Table Supply was involved in the Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt, Germany, at which the United States team won the Grand Gold Prize with a dish that featured aged prime ribs of beef provided by Table Supply, thereby earning an international reputation for the company.[5]

Omaha Steaks Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

In 1966, when the company moved into its southwest Omaha headquarters at 4400 S. 96th Street, the Simon family changed the name from Table Supply Meat Co. to Omaha Steaks International. The company plant remains at that site. The corporate offices are now at 10909 John Galt Boulevard.[2] In the 1970s, Omaha Steaks added inbound and outbound call centers and a mail order industry-first toll-free customer service line. An automated order entry system was installed in 1987.[2][5]

Omaha Steaks opened its first retail store in Omaha in 1976. Prior to then, buying a product from the company was limited to eating at certain restaurants that offered their products or ordering meats from its mail-order catalog.[2] Omaha Steaks underwent another expansion phase in the 1980s and 1990s, consolidating administration and marketing in two new buildings.[7]

In 1985, the company expanded beyond Nebraska, opening a retail store in Houston.[5] Omaha Steaks now has more than 85 retail stores in 29 states.[2] Another area where Omaha Steaks focused on growing was its corporate sales unit, which it expanded upon in the mid-1990s. Omaha Steaks created a separate corporate catalog that was intended to serve the corporate buyers who were already customers. The effort soon began to pay off for Omaha Steaks. In two years, the company grew its sales by 50 percent.[5]

In 2004, Omaha Steaks began selling pet food.[8]

Omaha Steaks was an early adopter of internet marketing since the 1990s, using CompuServe for online sales.[12] Omahasteaks.com, launched in 1995, and is the company's fastest growing business segment.[7] The company became part of the Microsoft Network in 1998.[5] In 2011, Omaha Steaks launched a website for mobile devices[13] and released the Steak Time applications for iPhone and iPad.[14] Steak Time features how-to videos, tips, and recipes.

In 2010, Omaha Steaks was granted a trademark for the phrase "The Official Sponsor of Tailgating."[15]

NFL Rookie of the Year (2010) Ndamukong Suh, a defensive tackle with the Detroit Lions, was named as a spokesman of tailgating for the official sponsor of tailgating, Omaha Steaks, in 2010.[16][17]

• Omaha Steaks on CNBC The Big Idea (12/5/06)
• Mentioned in Fear the Walking Dead (May 8, 2016)

• Simon, Frederick J, John Harrisson, and Mark Kiffin. The Steaklover's Companion: 170 Savory Recipes from America's Greatest Chefs. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. ISBN 978-0-0601-8781-1
  • Cookbook adapts dishes from recipes developed by James Beard, who had been an Omaha Steaks consultant for many years
• Simon, Frederick J, and John Harrisson. A year of beef recipes : beef for all seasons. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. ISBN 978-0-0601-9382-9
• Harrisson, John, and Frederick J. Simon. Omaha Steaks: Let's Grill. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001. ISBN 978-0-6096-0776-3
• Harrisson, John, and Frederick J. Simon. Omaha Steaks Meat. New York, N.Y: C. Potter, 2001. ISBN 978-0-6096-0777-0
• The Great American Grilling Book. New York: Time, Inc. Home Entertainment, 2008. ISBN 978-1-6032-0020-2

• Omaha Steaks International good life guide and cookbook, a yearly volume
• Great Gathering Guide & Cookbook, a free cookbook and cooking guide with coupons