Big Mama's Kitchen and Catering — Restaurant in Omaha

I was really looking forward to having a great experience and eating at Big Mama’s because it was my first time going there and also because it was a luncheon with work colleagues - our first in-person group gathering since the year of covid shut downs began. But my excitement, unfortunately, quickly began to dim. The lunch outing that I was so looking forward to began with not being able to find the restaurant and ended with me throwing most of my food away.

I had a difficult time locating the place because there is no clear signage posted anywhere on 30th Street or as you are entering the areas where there is parking. I ended up having to call to find out where to go (and several of my colleagues mentioned that they had difficulty finding the place also). The signage issue is something that really needs to be addressed, especially when taking into consideration customers who will go there for the first time and may be unfamiliar with the area and/or where businesses are located in the Highlander.

Once I had a better idea of where in the building the restaurant was located, I met up with my colleagues in the parking area and went inside. Even though it was the lunch hour, it was fairly empty inside, and no one was in line ordering food or waiting to order. So I was pretty optimistic that I could quickly order and then receive my food in a timely manner. I ordered a two piece chicken meal with a side salad without any complications. Then, almost TWO HOURS later, I was sitting at the table with only a side salad and a piece of cornbread to eat. I get that they cook your food to order, but seriously, 2 hours?? Not sure what caused the delay with my chicken because several other people - who came in after me - were served and were eating. By the time I was told that they had not forgotten me and it would only be another 10 minutes before my chicken came out (which actually ended up being more like another 20 minutes), I asked that they just put my chicken in a to go box. Once I got home, I tasted a piece of the wing and found it to be terribly under seasoned. I was so annoyed, I just threw the rest of it away.

I can’t express how disappointed I was with my first visit to this restaurant, and I am unsure if I’ll return. I’m giving two stars for the cornbread because that, at...

Wanted to take a moment to express how truly disappointed I was on my one and ONLY visit to Big Mama's Kitchen. First off, I found it to be a decent atmosphere, spacious and nice location. That was the extent of the good things about the visit. I had spoken with a Gladys 4 days prior to setup a surprise Birthday dinner for my oldest daughter. On that call, I mentioned that I would be entertaining a party of 20 or so people , which we ended up with about 22 including children. Having never been there, I was unaware you ordered at a window like takeout. We all ordered in staggered increments. The counter service was extremely rude and seemed bothered by our request to have the "sticky tables" wiped down before people ate. Which, having 4 day notice, is inexcusable. I requested to speak with Gladys several times and she NEVER responded or initiated any contact. The food was GREATLY overrated and Insanely overpriced. I polled several people from our party to get their take and all said they were disappointed. I'm an average cook and there was nothing I tasted that made me think it was special. In addition, the poor service was another issue...Several trips to the counter for silverware, drinks and such. Also, never got the cornbread that was supposed to be included in our order. Now here's the kicker : We brought a Bday cake and inadvertently forgot the paper plates. I went to the counter and asked if we could have a few paper plates. Can you believe they charged us $4.80 for 12 Dollar Tree plates!!!!! This after a our party bill was upwards of $300 and you have the nerve charge for a few paper plates. Makes it extremely hard to support people's businesses when they don't show any appreciation and act as if they're doing YOU a favor by spending your money with them. My advice would be to hire a Host/Hostess to greet customers and be sure their needs are met .I suggest disposable table cloths if you can't keep them clean. Honestly wish I could endorse Mama's Kitchen but our experience was truly lousy, especially since it was an occasion and not a walk in. It truly was a less than Applebee's type place. And...

As a Native Nebraskan who moved out of state and considered this place a favorite when I lived here, I was excited to take my partner’s family here Saturday 07/06- unfortunately we were disappointed. We showed up early/mid afternoon when the restaurant was empty. The one employee in the room took a long time to acknowledge our presence and seemed bothered at having to serve us. We were not given forks with food (like greens and Mac and cheese that very obviously required them), so we asked for them and were only given a couple for our large group and were told “they’re coming” - they never came, so we had to keep asking for them one by one. We were also not given the sweet potato cheesecake or pop that we ordered so we had to go up and ask. The people in the kitchen told us to go to the front where the extremely unenthusiastic employee slowly grabbed the items for us. They were out of all of the pop we ordered, so we were told we could get a replacement of lemonade. After handing one of us a lemonade, the employee said “I have to go to the back” and took 5-10 minutes before returning to help. I am giving two stars because the food was mostly still good (although the corn bread is dry and stale- nothing like it used to be) and the atmosphere still tells the story of a phenomenal woman who had her dream of owning a restaurant fulfilled and we miss dearly. Unfortunately I’m worried it is nostalgia now- I wish I had been left with the memory of the restaurant as it was. I’m concerned this restaurant has gone from its days being featured on Guy Fieri to deserving an episode of Kitchen Nightmares- sadly, we do not see...