A son of a former Golden Age Hollywood stuntman turned Omaha police detective, Fred Bruning Jr.  married Rose Cascio in 1955. Rose waited tables at her family restaurant while Fred walked the beat himself as an Omaha cop but in 1962, they felt like they needed to do something different. Striking out on their own, they opened Big Fred's Bar.

Drawing on her years and lessons learned growing up in her own family's restaurant coupled with Fred's desire to build a business, Big Fred's Pizza Garden and Lounge was eventually birthed.

Perched at the end of the bar working the taps and reminiscing with many a customer, “Big” Fred was the face of the restaurant while Rose worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes in the kitchen perfecting the recipes and making sure daily operations ran smoothly with everyone from employees to customers feeling like they were part of the family.

For the last 60 years, the recipes and the commitment to family have stayed the

the same. Though Fred and Rose have passed, we remain family owned and continue to honor their legacy.