Official Food of Memorial: Runza and Val's

Mavric

Mavric

Yoda
Staff member
Donald Everett and Bob Devaney are the reasons you can eat a Runza in your seat. Everett, whose mother, Sarah “Sally” Everett, opened the first Runza restaurant in Lincoln, started the tradition in the 1960s. He used to park an old mail truck he’d outfitted with an oven outside the stadium to sell Runzas. Think of it as an ahead-of-its-time food truck.

Though he had played football at Nebraska, he didn’t use the people he knew to make a connection, his son Donald Everett Jr. said. He simply pulled into a lot nearby and set up shop.

Eventually, Devaney, Nebraska’s athletic director, invited him inside.

The university invited Valentino’s into the stadium later, in 1994, said Anthony Messineo, vice president of Valentino’s.

The restaurant had worked with the university before, and Runza and Fairbury hot dogs were already on the stadium’s menu, but UNL wanted to expand. Pizza was a popular choice with fans.

“We jumped on the idea,” Messineo said.

The restaurant considered personal-sized pizzas, but decided instead on slices from its jumbo pizza. Val’s has three production kitchens inside the stadium and several ovens. Early in the week leading up to home games, managers start preparing the ingredients for the mostly hamburger pizzas. (cheese is also available, but is limited.)
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OWH

 
I hate Valentino's outside of the stadium and I hate the 'Runza' itself, but their burgers are really stinkin' good.

I don't know what it is about the pizza. Something about Memorial Stadium makes it taste good. Any other situation and I mostly hate it.

 
Not a runza fan myself and the pizza is a desperate measure.  Rather get the hot dogs or a burger instead.  While the burgers are not exactly good, they are edible and more filling, after a four hour 'early morning drinking' pregame party at my favorite bar.    Underneath south stadium are the burgers.  Not sure how available they are all over.   I also remember the day when they had Coke instead of those nasty pepsi products.  You have to be desperately thirsty to actually pay that much for a pepsi.   

 
Enhance said:
I hate Valentino's outside of the stadium and I hate the 'Runza' itself, but their burgers are really stinkin' good.

I don't know what it is about the pizza. Something about Memorial Stadium makes it taste good. Any other situation and I mostly hate it.
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I agree 100%, I am not a Valentino's fan at all but inside Memorial it just tastes better.  Same for a Runza for me, I think they taste totally different in the stadium.

 
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I like runzas and Val pizza used to be really good at the original location. It went down hill when they became more concerned about expanding their buffets. 

 
Yeah, Val's was better before all this buffet stuff but I still like it from certain locations. And there is something about that hamburger pizza in the stadium that makes it seem better. I still have to get one of their special pizzas at least a couple times per year. Would do it more but that's about all we get back to Brasky. I like Runza also but I do think their burgers are better than the runza. Probably wouldn't eat one at a game tho.

 
The Runzas are okay but I've always liked the burgers much better.... If I'm driving up to Fort Collins for any reason, I will detour myself into Loveland so I can get one. In the late 90s you could get Runza burgers in the stadium but I don't know if that's still the case.

Val's is still my favorite... I wish they'd offered pepperoni, though. I know the locals seem to think it's worse, but the last time I had it I thought it was as good as it ever was. But I also don't have it that often, so, I guess the rarity still counts for something. I always stop at the Ogallala one on my way back here to Denver from any trip I make to Nebraska and I'm never disappointed.

 
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CheeseHusker said:
The Runzas are okay but I've always liked the burgers much better.... If I'm driving up to Fort Collins for any reason, I will detour myself into Loveland so I can get one. In the late 90s you could get Runza burgers in the stadium but I don't know if that's still the case.

Val's is still my favorite... I wish they'd offered pepperoni, though. I know the locals seem to think it's worse, but the last time I had it I thought it was as good as it ever was. But I also don't have it that often, so, I guess the rarity still counts for something. I always stop at the Ogallala one on my way back here to Denver from any trip I make to Nebraska and I'm never disappointed.
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Ha, we hit the one in Ogallala too, sometimes both directions.  Love their Special.  Depends if we've already grabbed a Godfather's or not. Make a Runza run over to Loveland every month or two.

 
I never get Runzas at the actual Runza (mostly because their burgers and chicken strips are awesome) but a Runza at a football game is amazing. Not sure why.

 
I prefer just getting a hot dog at the stadium. However, Runzas are the perfect hand warmers when it's cold out so I grab two and they stay warm for a decent time. It's the only time I ever eat them...if I go to Runza I get chicken strips. 

 
unlfan said:
Can't stand the "runzas" or Valentinos. Seeing the fat slobs that shove those down while struggling to walk up the stairs is the worst part of attending a game in Lincoln.
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Well, they probably don't like seeing your skinny butt with your gluten free tofu snack bag walking into the stadium either.

 
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