The Lodge's new location, in the former Skeeter Barns building, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — After reopening following a move to the south side of Kearney, the Lodge announced on Monday that they will not reopen following closure.
In a social media post, the Lodge stated, “It is with sadness that we announce that we will not be reopening…We had been in contact with someone who wanted to take over operations, but they have decided not to move forward.”
The Lodge had posted on Jan. 8 that they were closed for the time being, uncertain of a timeline of reopening.
The Lodge opened in 1971 and was one of the community’s oldest continuously operating restaurant.
The Lodge has been owned and operated since 2014 by Cindy Houlden and brother Robert “Bob” James. The space has been leased from Rod and Lonna Rasmussen, who own the Western Inn-Midtown property, where the Lodge was also located.
Houlden and James took over the restaurant located at 1401 Second Ave. from Nick and Claire Longly, who started the business.
On Dec. 29, 2023, the Buffalo County Commissioners approved the purchase of the Western Inn-Midtown property. The plan was to demolish the Western Inn-Midtown, which included The Lodge restaurant.
In the fall of 2024, the Lodge moved into the former location of Skeeter Barnes, which closed after 22 years of service in Kearney.
The Lodge had been opened at its new location since Oct. 11, 2024.
In the social media post, it was noted that Cindy Houlden was recovering from a health procedure and that James made the decision to move on from restaurant ownership.
“If anyone is interested in operating a restaurant in our location, we can connect you with our landlord,” the Lodge stated.
“We have been blessed to have been able to host each of you in our dining room since 2014. We will miss the friends we have made and relationships we have built. But we also accept that it is time to move on with the next part of our lives,” the Lodge stated.
