Runza Coming to UNL Selleck Food Court
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is adding a local favorite to its campus dining options. A Runza restaurant is slated to open in the Selleck Food Court this fall, bringing the Nebraska-based chain to students and faculty.
This isn't the first time students have been able to grab a Runza on campus; a previous location in the Nebraska Union closed in 2018 after a decade of operation. The return of the Nebraska-born fast-food chain has been a consistent top request from students for campus dining. The new Runza will integrate with campus systems, allowing students to use their meal plans and order through the university's mobile app. For the wider community, a walk-up kiosk will be available for ordering without the app. The restaurant opened on August 18, coinciding with the first day of fall meal plans and student move-in week. Selleck Food Court, the oldest dining center on campus, was originally built in the 1950s. It recently underwent a major renovation, transforming from a traditional cafeteria into a modern food hall with seven "ghost kitchen" concepts and a mobile ordering system. This innovative approach earned Selleck the 2023 Best Concept Award for Best Renovation from Foodservice Management magazine. The Runza sandwich itself is a variation of the bierock, a pastry brought to the Great Plains by German-Russian immigrants. The first Runza restaurant was opened in Lincoln in 1949 by Sally Everett and her brother, Alex Brening. The name "Runza" was trademarked as they couldn't trademark the generic term "bierock."
