Elaine Greer, owner of Main Street Pizza and Bistro, prayed about the new restaurant for about three years before she took the leap to have it built.
The restaurant in Dearborn opened Oct. 10, 2022, to friends and family for the first 10 days, before opening to the public. It’s now a very popular spot with a variety of good food.
“When we bought the building next door, we also acquired the lots next to it,” Greer said. “They were nice lots, but the main use was the neighborhood dogs using it, which was not the best. The Betterment Committee sent out a survey as to what the town would like to have in the future to help the town grow. At the top of the lists were a place for the kids to go and a restaurant for the evening time.”
Greer believes that Dearborn is blessed to be near Interstate 29, and that the streets and neighborhoods are nice, while the town is growing with a new housing development coming in the future.
“We have a good school system, and people are wanting to get out of the big cities due to crime etc.,” Greer said.
When she made the decision to open the restaurant, she never dreamed it would take her two and a half years to have it built. But, during the Covid years long delays were common and expenses kept going up and up, which added to the stress of building and opening a new restaurant.
As a retired nurse practitioner, Greer had never managed a restaurant before. “It’s been a challenge, but the community has been very gracious to support the business. I have been able to hire a lot of local people and young people for their first job. I really enjoy seeing the young people blossom in some areas, and interact with the public. We strive to work with their schedule knowing that their schoolwork and activities are the first priority.”
Along with tasty food, the restaurant has game machines so kids can hang out and enjoy their free time.
Feedback from customers has been appreciated, and Greer is grateful for their input. She and the restaurant staff listen to their customers and have added their suggestions to the menu, while taking away more unpopular items.
“Our pizza crust is homemade, and our specials that we come up with are random,” Greer said. “People need to watch our Facebook page to see what, and when those specials will be. One of our best-selling items are our calzones. People can request what they have in them.”
Greer said that while the most challenging part of opening the restaurant was getting the building up, with many delays in construction, the most rewarding thing is when people tell the staff how good the food is and that they really enjoy coming into a nice place for fellowship and to eat.
“We have an event center above the restaurant that is handicap accessible from the alley behind the restaurant,” Greer said. We have music jams and receptions etc. there and would be happy to schedule even more family events.”
The restaurant, at any given time, has about 20 people on staff, mostly part-time.
“The community has been very supportive of the restaurant and are happy to have something close in the town,” Greer said.
During the summer, she has plans to offer rewards for those on the baseball teams who succeed in certain ways.
“I feel it is so important that we acknowledge kids for the great things that they do, as we have some great people and children in the North Platte area,” Greer said. “I enjoy the restaurant and seeing people I haven’t seen for a while, and visiting with friends and family.”