Ray's Wings & Pandemic-Sized Rent

Omaha's local owned businesses are facing the largest spike in rent and property taxes since the 2019 pandemic, according to local real estate websites.

Ray's Wings, owned by Omaha locals Ray and Lori Bullock, have struggled keeping their doors open this year due to the increase in their location's rent.

Located at 200 South 31st Avenue in Omaha's Midtown Crossing, most of the area has been struggling facing an exponentially high increase in rental inflation.

Commercial real estate agent Blake Kramer said, "Midtown commercial spaces have seen a nearly 17% increase on average from 2019 to 2022 based on the average square footage of properties."

For most properties, this way an increase of an average $200 a month, or more.

Co-owner Lori Bullock said: "We have had to continually increase the prices we are charging for our classics by several cents every couple of months just to keep on top of the rent. We had planned for inflation, but not to this extent."

With the increased prices of menu items, restaurants like Ray's Wings, have been concerned about foot traffic and sales.

Bullock said that this has fortunately not been a problem for them. She said, "We have some really amazing regulars, and we have been seeing our number of customers remain pretty steady."

Regulars is restaurant lingo for customers who, on average, visit the establishment at least once a week.

The Bullocks obtain most of their ingredients from local sources and have not had to pay to increased price to transport their goods when gas prices saw inflation, too.

"We have been so grateful that we can keep our prices relatively low, even though we have had to increase most of our menu items unit costs. What has truly saved our business, though, is our amazing customer base," Bullock said.

Their classic wing sales has also saved their business these past three years. Their wings saw the largest increase in price with a $0.27 increase, yet the sales have reached an all-time high. Bullock said that their classic wing sales alone have been consistently $3,000 or more which is enough to cover the increased cost of rent.

The Bullocks also began offering delivery through online services, like DoorDash, when the pandemic hit in 2020. A greater part of their sales for the next year and a half were then produced through these delivery platforms.

Other Midtown restaurants have not been so fortunate. Grey Plume, Farine + Four, and Jack & Mary's Restaurant all closed their doors between 2020 and 2021 due to inflation and lack of customers from the pandemic.

The Bullocks first opened Ray's Original Buffalo Wings in the 1992 on South 96th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The restaurant closed after ten years due to the busyness of the Bullock's lives. They reopened in 2014 in Midtown Crossing and have been there ever since.

Ray's Wings is best known for their buffalo style wings and has consistently won awards such as "Best Chicken Eatery" and "2021's Best of Omaha's Traditional Hot Wings."

Regular Jackie Haines said: "Their wings are the only ones in town that I know will be fresh and coated in flavor, yet still crispy. I will continue to come back because of their high quality of service, unique recipes, and all-around fresh food."

The Bullocks story is not nearly over and will be continued to be passed down to their son, Tom, who carries on the family tradition of New York style cuisine.

They welcome you to come try a bit of their "culinary delights" by stopping their location or ordering delivery through DoorDash or GrubHub.

You can also visit their webpage at : https://rayswings.com/

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