Lemon Tree Cafe has been one of the most beloved diners in the Omaha area since it opened in 2023. Headed by sisters and restaurant veterans Jennifer Farris (Lisa’s Radial Cafe) and Meghan McLarney (Gravy Train Scratch Biscuits & Gravy), Lemon Tree quickly became a place known not only for its fantastic breakfast and brunch, but as an important gathering spot for the Ralston community.
The city was shocked and devastated when a fire in March caused significant damage and forced the restaurant to close indefinitely. The owners vowed to bring Lemon Tree back, but no one knew when or at what level it would return.
Omahans can rejoice now, because Lemon Tree is obviously back in business. The restaurant reopened to the public on Wednesday (July 23), looking nearly identical to its pre-fire appearance. In fact, the main changes are upgrades, including an additional oven to bake biscuits and Lemon Tree’s famous cinnamon rolls.
“It’s a miracle,” McLarney said. “I can’t even imagine it. When I was trying to clean anything those first few days, I really felt helpless.”
Lemon Tree may not have been able to open again if not for the unwavering support of the community. People stopped and helped clean and rebuild. Nearby restaurants offered to temporarily hire staff and ensure the employees had jobs. The Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce held a “cash mob” with all funds raised going directly to Lemon Tree.
One of the most impactful contributions was made by The Village Bar, one of Lemon Tree’s neighbors, which hosted a bake sale and a food truck pop-up in March. EZFoodTrucks owner Jon Stastny offered his brand new food truck to feed at the latter event.
“Jon just said immediately, ‘I’ll be there. I’ll help you. Do you want to use my truck?'” McLarney said. “I can’t imagine what that cost him, for him to lose business for the weekend and loan his truck out. And then I found out it was brand new! It had just been remodeled and he hadn’t even cooked in it yet, and he just let me destroy it with brunch.”
McLarney said Lemon Tree couldn’t have reopened without the help of the Omaha/Ralston community, but she was most heartened by the way her staff came together. And while Lemon Tree is still working through some kinks, including adjusted space and a new point of sale system, she’s enormously proud of the way the restaurant’s people rallied.
“It’s a lot of work, but there’s something really special about being able to struggle in front of people,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Guys, I don’t really know how this is going to work yet. We don’t have this quite set up like we like it yet.’ As a leader in any situation, you want to have yourself organized, but we are just totally wrapped in love, humility, and a sense of humor here.
“It’s just a whole different feeling from opening a restaurant for the first time when you feel like you’re being on display or judged or you’re worried about your employees liking it. Here it’s like, we’re just excited to figure it out together. The level of humility that came from being lost like that, it’s just really comforting to know that we’re learning things together now. It’s a lot of joy. We’ve just been laughing and exploring this together and making good food.”
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