Smokin Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Taproom Comes to Nebraska

(Franchise Buy) - By 2. Updated May 5, 2021

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Taproom Comes to Nebraska

Fast-casual wood-fired pizza and Taproom concept to open first Omaha Location

OMAHA, Neb. – Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza – the fastest growing wood-fired pizza franchise in the US, has announced the opening of its first Nebraska location.  The new restaurant will be located at 220 South 31^st Ave. in Midtown Crossing and is expected to open on May 25^th.  Home to one of Omaha’s largest outdoor patios, the new location will be owned and operated by Franchise Owners Dan and Maribeth Yaksich, Matt Jaksha and John and Deb Schneider. 

With a background in customer experience management, Maribeth Yaksich knows a thing or two about taking care of the needs of her guests.

“We want our restaurant to be able to cater to a wide range of occasions,” said franchise owner, Maribeth. “I want our guests to feel at home here, in a comfortable atmosphere that allows them to enjoy their time the way they please, with us providing the quality food and drinks,

This will be the first of several Taproom style restaurants the brand is opening in 2021.  The Taproom features a self-serve tap wall featuring beer, wine and mixed drinks.  To use the taproom, a guest will give a credit card to the cashier, be provided with an RFID enabled bracelet, and then be free to explore the tap wall.  Guests can pour anywhere from one to twelve ounces at a time, which provides them an opportunity to try different wines, beers, ciders and mixed drinks they might not otherwise try.  A Taproom Guide will also be available to answer any questions on how to use the tap wall and to provide recommendations.

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza and Taproom features a full menu of wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads, starters and even desserts. The oven, fueled by oak wood, gets to about 900 degrees and cooks pizzas in about two minutes. The brand delivers an enjoyable pizza experience through the use of its open-plan kitchen, which allows customers to be able to customize and watch their pizzas being made right in front of them. The dough and sauces are made in-house, veggies are cut fresh throughout the day, and even the meats are roasted in the wood-fired oven to infuse real oak wood flavor.  The restaurant is perfect for those that need a quick lunch, but with the addition of the Taproom, it’s great for those that want to linger and take advantage of all that the self-serve tap wall has to offer. 

A large roll-up door has also been installed that connects the inside and outside space, providing guests with a direct view of Turner Park and an open-air dining experience as they enjoy their meal.

“Opening our first Taproom in Omaha is especially exciting for us, and we’re excited to have partnered with such passionate Franchise Owners who are excited to deliver a high-quality experience to their Guests and are also passionate about providing our high-quality wood-fired pizza and other menu items,” said Matt Mongoven, CEO and Co-Founder of Fourth Avenue Restaurant Group, the Franchisor of Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza.  “We are confident that they will love our delicious wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and desserts and will have a ball with the beer, wine and mixed drinks on the self-serve Taproom wall.”

The opening of this Omaha location marks the first step in the Franchise Owners’ expansion throughout Omaha, with plans to open additional locations in the near future. For more information, please visit www.smokinoakpizza.com.

About Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza

Founded in 2009 and franchising since 2017, Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza is a fast-casual franchise concept that serves authentic wood-fired pizza.  Guests can customize their own pizza by choosing from over 35 fresh toppings or, by ordering one of the brands 12 signature pizzas, which include favorites like the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and the Smokey Dokey.  Also available, is a great selection of starters, salads, wood-fired sandwiches and desserts. All pizzas are baked in a wood-fired oven, which cooks pizzas to perfection in about 90 seconds.  The brand uses only the freshest ingredients on all its menu items.  In fact, the food is so fresh, there are no freezers on site and the wood-fired oven is the only cooking utensil in the restaurant.