The Loeffel Meat Shoppe at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be hosting a grand re-opening celebration event on May 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be recipe samples, along with demonstrations on food safety, knife care and proper knife usage in the home kitchen from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., along with store sales and giveaways.

The Shoppe is a USDA-inspected retail meat sales operation that sells cuts of beef, pork, lamb, goat, smoked and slicing sausages, brats, naturally cased wieners, and multiple varieties of ready to eat snack sticks. The retail store, located on Nebraska’s East Campus at the corner of 38th and Fair Streets, is open on Tuesdays from 1-5:30 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It has been open and operating since the 1960s. 

“We’ve been in the process of making some updates to the store and to our inventory,” said Jordan Wicks, UNL Extension meat specialist. “We’ve expanded our retail hours and are now offering some fresh beef and pork items, alongside our frozen inventory.”

Sales from the Meat Shoppe help offset costs associated with the academic programs in animal science. Livestock are harvested and processed for sale in the Loeffel Meat Laboratory with assistance from Nebraska students in the department. Students gain experience by learning how to process, package and sell the products that they process, in addition to playing a role in developing new products to sell in the Shoppe such as the Jalapeño Popper Bratwurst, which was a two-time national award winner. 

“Our customers always tell us we’re one of the best-kept secrets in Lincoln,” Wicks added. “We wanted to have an event to thank our current customers for their business, but also provide some added value from the excellent resources that we have here on campus for the community. 

The Shoppe and laboratory are named in honor of Professor William J. Loeffel, the first meat scientist at the University, who was a faculty member from 1919-1962 and served as chair of the department from 1938-1959. Loeffel is one of many pioneers in the meat industry from Nebraska. In the 1970s, Roger Mandigo developed the technology which led to the creation of the McRib Sandwich for McDonalds and Chris Calkins’ work with new cutting procedures returned over $1 billion dollars to the beef industry, including the development of the Flat Iron Steak.

“Our students do fantastic work and our products are a showcase of that,” Wicks said. “The future of meat processing, whether at large plants or your local locker, starts with students having hands-on opportunities like the ones we provide at the university.”