"We do have options," Waverly City Council member Abbey Pascoe told the Waverly News, "but we do need more."
She said it just after HoneyCreek Dining closed. HoneyCreek had been open since 1976. On its last full day, the dinner wait was close to an hour, and owners couldn't staff the full-time positions they needed. It closed for good after the first of the year. KOLN had reported the coming closure on December 29, 2021, so the story and Pascoe's quote date to early 2022. The story, which the Lincoln Journal Star also ran, counted the local places to eat "on one hand": Vike's Corner Kitchen, Trackside Bar and Grill and Great Wall. After those came McDonald's, Runza, and the quick-food counters at Casey's and Mammoth Station.
Nearly five years later, every name on that list still shows up in 2025 and 2026 Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department inspection records. A few new names have joined them. Waverly didn't make room for them by building new commercial space. It filled bays in the strip centers it already had, and when no bays were left, food businesses showed up on wheels or on 30-day permits. Today you can map nearly the whole dining scene from a few street addresses.
The problem the city named in 2022 never went away
The same 2022 story named the real constraint. Mike Palm, Waverly's building and zoning administrator, said there were very few openings in the town's strip malls or in areas zoned for commercial use. "We can't really force the (property) owners to create more buildings for small businesses and whatnot," Palm said. "We're just a little limited right now."
Pascoe added a second constraint: location. Waverly is "five to seven miles away, on a quick-access street" from Lincoln, so someone opening a restaurant has to weigh a Waverly lease against a larger customer base down the road.
Both constraints explain the current map. With little open space, a new business takes over an old one's bay. And with Lincoln so close, the businesses that come tend to be owned by people with a personal reason to be in Waverly.
How 13220 Callum Drive filled up
The clearest example is one building with several suite numbers. In 2026 inspection records, four food businesses share the 13220 Callum Drive address.
- Runza, #1. Runza sandwiches, burgers, chicken, sides and salads. Last inspected August 10, 2026.
- MIX THE, #5. On record as operating as of a December 19, 2025 inspection. The record doesn't say what it serves, so check on it before you plan a visit.
- Patina Joe, #6. A coffee shop combined with a women's clothing boutique. Inspected June 22, 2026.
- El Portal Mexican Restaurant, #8. Inspected February 18, 2026.
Patina Joe's story shows how tight things were. Natasha Hoyer first opened the shop in Eagle. She moved it to Waverly in April 2021 because she lives in Waverly and wanted a shorter commute. She had hoped for a space with a drive-thru window. With so little retail space available, she took two bays next to the former Subway and set up app ordering for quick pickup. In her first few months, supply chain problems sometimes left her pouring coffee into cups with yellow Subway lids.
Subway had closed its U.S. 6 location the June before the story ran. Hoyer asked about the space, but another business had already claimed it. That business was El Portal Mexican Restaurant, which also had locations in Auburn and Nebraska City. In early 2022 its opening was on hold while it waited for heavy-duty kitchen equipment. Pascoe predicted it could set off a domino effect. "I anticipate lines forever when they get here," she said.
By June 2024, The Voice News Nebraska reported that the Ayala family was several months into running El Portal in Waverly, and that the Waverly Community Chamber of Commerce had held a ribbon cutting. In 2026, El Portal sits two suite numbers from Patina Joe.
Guildford Street carries the rest of the original list
The other cluster is a short run of Guildford Street addresses. Most of the names the 2022 story counted are still here.
- McDonald's at 13821 Guildford St #A, inspected June 26, 2026.
- Great Wall Chinese Restaurant at 13851 Guildford St, Suite C, inspected February 12, 2026. Its menu runs from beef with broccoli to sweet-and-sour shrimp and chow mein.
- Trackside Bar & Grill at 13901 Guildford St, Suite H, inspected August 27, 2026. The menu includes pizza, salads, sandwiches, burgers and entrees. The city calendar also lists a Kiwanis meeting at Trackside on Saturday, October 10.
- Russ's Market Express at the same 13901 Guildford St address. It's a grocery store, but its deli and bakery departments make it a food stop too. Its most recent inspection on record is from October 13, 2025.
Inspection records also list Cubby's at 13821 Guildford St #B, next to McDonald's. Its most recent inspection on record is April 9, 2025, so its current status is unconfirmed.
Along U.S. 6, Casey's General Store at 13941 Hwy 6 and Mammoth Station at 14341 Hwy 6 still serve the quick food the 2022 story mentioned, and both were inspected in 2026.
Vike's Corner kept its small-crew hours
Vike's Corner, at 14021 Cornhusker Hwy, is the one standalone address on the list. It shows how much the labor problem shaped what survived. To get through the pandemic, owners Rae and Nick Fraley cut hours to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, so the two of them could run it without extra staff. Rae Fraley said food costs had risen 30% to 40% over the previous two years, and that the restaurant was "actually making more profits without the added labor."
Those hours have stayed close to the 2022 version. Vike's website now lists 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, closed Saturday through Monday. Call-in orders go to 402-786-2025. The page isn't dated, but the restaurant's August 7, 2026 inspection confirms it's operating. The menu centers on burgers, Philly sandwiches and chicken strips. Friday is the only day you can get there after 5.
The newest food in town has no storefront
The most recent additions follow from the space problem. They don't need a bay at all.
Hitchin Post Coffee is a mobile vendor listed under Waverly with no fixed street address in its inspection record. Its latest inspection is dated August 27, 2026. Because no posted schedule turned up, it's best to look for it when it's out rather than plan around it.
On The Hook Fish and Chips had a "30 Day Operational" inspection on April 13, 2026, at 13341 Amberly Rd. The record doesn't show whether it's still serving this fall.
Neither has a published opening announcement. Both fit how Waverly has been adding food since 2022: in spaces that need no new construction.
Eek at the Creek weekend
The next weekend that pulls Waverly together is October 10. Camp Creek Threshers is hosting Eek at the Creek, its free trunk-or-treat, at the Camp Creek Showgrounds, 17200 Bluff Rd, from 3 to 5 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required. If it rains, the event moves to Sunday, October 11, same hours. Volunteers and families who want to decorate a trunk can sign up through the Eek at the Creek SignUpGenius page.
The host group is the Camp Creek Antique Machinery and Threshing Association. It's a volunteer nonprofit that preserves agricultural history on 75 acres of showgrounds east of town. The Camp Creek Railroaders, who use the same grounds, say they'll take part in Eek at the Creek with the Threshers. Eek is the Threshers' only event listed for October 2026. Their annual threshing show ran July 18 and 19. The city also lists Camp Creek under 17402 Bluff Road, so use the 17200 address from the event page when you set your directions.
Here's one way to plan the weekend around those dates:
- Friday, October 9. Vike's Corner is open until 7 p.m., its one late night of the week.
- Saturday morning, October 10. Coffee at Patina Joe on Callum Drive, or from Hitchin Post Coffee if the truck is out. Hours for both weren't available, so check before you go.
- Saturday, 3 to 5 p.m. Eek at the Creek at the Camp Creek Showgrounds.
- Saturday evening. Head back to town for dinner at El Portal or Great Wall, or a burger at Trackside on Guildford Street. Weekend hours weren't confirmed for these spots either.
Vike's is closed on Saturdays, so the Friday stop is the only way to fit it into this weekend. For more ideas, see our earlier look at weekend life in Waverly's parks and trails. Wayne Park's roughly one-mile walking trail at 10410 N. 140th Street makes an easy Sunday walk.
At Avid Realty, we follow which Waverly storefronts are turning over and which bays sit empty, because that's part of knowing a town street by street. If you're thinking about what your home on this side of Lancaster County is worth, or just want to talk through what's changing near you, schedule a consultation or start with our Waverly neighborhood page.
