Those interested in dining or enjoying cocktails out in Omaha pursue these interests within a bar and restaurant environment that is in a state of constant evolution. But what about a longer look back, say twenty or thirty years, or even longer?
What would this reveal about how we got to where we are today? How might one trace a thread of Omaha restaurant and bar lineage from the present back that far, and what insights might be gained in the process? Fortunately, one such time capsule exists in the person of Pat Gobel , long-time proprietor of the Dundee Dell. Pat was kind enough to sit down for an interview recently. Could you walk me through it? Pat Gobel: My sophomore year of college at Creighton in the early seventies, I wanted to bring my car to campus.
So I wanted a car and a girlfriend, and to support both of those concepts, I needed a job. The owner was a bit of a bounder and a cad, and it eventually came to no good. So I left there and went to The Observatory. One of our managers moved over to The Observatory and I kind of followed him over there. PG: That was at the old Prom Townhouse Dodge St , where Office Max is now the building was destroyed by the tornado β its wooden arches, the only structural element left standing, were incorporated into the interior framework of the Pink Poodle restaurant in Crescent, IA.
The Prom Townhouse was the bomb. Back in the day, if you wanted to go out, that was the place to go. They had a really good Japanese restaurant, a really good mainline restaurant, and a good Chinese restaurant all in one place.
So, the Prom Townhouse was the stuff. It was run by this group out of Kansas City that were reportedly the mob. I love the rumors in this industry. Anyway, it was the beginning of the disco era, may that rot in hell forever, so this was a disco kind of joint. The tables were eighteen inches or so off the ground, and all the waitresses wore were basically mini-skirts, orange halter tops and orange undies.
