KEARNEY, Neb. — A longtime Kearney restaurant is closing its doors for good. 

The Lodge Restaurant, a staple of the dining scene for decades, announced on social media that it will not reopen after closing Jan. 8. 

The restaurant first opened in 1971 in the basement of the old Midtown Western Inn on Second Avenue. The property was later sold to Buffalo County and demolished. 

In fall of 2024, The Lodge relocated to a building south of Interstate 80 that was previously occupied by Skeeter Barnes. 

In a post, they said they will not be re-opening after closing down as of the owners battled health issues.  A separate post Monday cited complications from a spinal tumor. The other owner has decided to step away from the business.

The current owners took over in The Lodge in 2014. They said they hoped to find someone to take over the business, but those conversations did not progress as far as they hoped.