
Runza has been offering its “Temperature Tuesday” promotion since 2010. Below-zero temperatures on Feb. 9 made the sandwiches free with purchase of medium french fries and a medium drink. The chain sold more than 83,000 Runzas.
The lines of vehicles in the drive-thru lanes at area Runzas spilled out of the restaurants’ parking lots Tuesday as the chain said it sold more than 83,000 Runza sandwiches as part of its “Temperature Tuesday” promotion.
On “Temperature Tuesdays” in January and February, the temperature at 6 a.m. is the price of a Runza sandwich — when purchased with an order of medium french fries and a medium drink.
In Omaha, the temperature at 6 a.m. Tuesday was minus-13 degrees, meaning Runza sandwiches were free as part of the deal.
The cold brings out the customers, said Runza spokeswoman Becky Perrett. Days when it’s bitterly cold are “the type of day that we love for this promotion, certainly,” she said.
At the Runza near 51st and Center Streets about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, vehicles snaked along the drive-thru and parking lot, backing up onto 50th Avenue and causing delays on eastbound Center. Around the same time at the Runza near Galvin and Cornhusker Roads in Bellevue, the line of cars stretched down a frontage road to two fast-food places away, and the parking lot was full.
After most drive-thrus were closed, the Nebraska State Patrol tweeted Tuesday that troopers had not responded to any crashes outside of Runza locations across the state.
“Traffic was ridiculous, but all were safe,” the tweet said.
The Nebraska-based restaurant chain has offered the “Temperature Tuesday” promotion since 2010.
Runza’s official Instagram account noted that the chain sold a total of 83,386 sandwiches, with an average of 958 sold per location. It’s a “new record in a big way,” according to the Instagram account.
For those who may not know, Runzas feature ground beef, onion, cabbage and seasonings baked inside homemade bread.
“It’s definitely a warm comfort food,” Perrett said. “It makes the day better.”
Check out our menu of Runza coverage
Runza: Runza: The story of one of Nebraska's most treasured foods (April 2017)

The number of tried-and-true, deep-rooted Nebraska food classics are few, but the ones we really love are rich with flavor. Summertime sweet corn sold by farmers from pickup truck beds. Steaks cooked to a perfect medium rare and perhaps seasoned with a secret whiskey marinade. Reuben sandwiches. And then there’s that lovable warm bun stuffed with peppery beef, wilted cabbage and long-sauteed onions, the Runza. Read more
Runzatic (December 2017)

Liz King lives more than 600 miles from the closest Runza restaurant, but soon she’ll be biting into one of her beloved sandwiches. King, a former Omaha resident living in Idaho, was one of the winners in a 2017 Runza promotion that went viral. Read more
'Runza romance (February 2018)

Ben Thornburg bestows his new wife, Jenna, with an onion ring at the Runza in downtown Papillion. The couple had many dates at the restaurant, where Ben once worked, and they made sure to stop by with their wedding party after their ceremony in January 2018. Read more
Runza lover and big cabbage (March 2018)

Anna Clements loves Runza sandwiches. So when the 9-year-old received her own cabbage plant to grow last spring she was thrilled. Cabbage is one of the ingredients in the popular Midwest fare. She and her grandpa teamed up to grow the 30-pound, 13-ounce whopper. Read more
Officer saves almost 200 Runza dessert coupons to treat kids at Lincoln rec center (May 2018)

Lincoln Police Officer Luke Bonkiewicz had a fun tradition with his two young children. On weekends, they stopped at Runza for kids meals, and each time, he received coupons for a free dessert. After three years of Runza stops, he had collected almost 200 coupons, and instead of holding onto them for his family, he decided to treat children at a Lincoln recreation center. Read more
A Q&A with Miss USA from Papillion (May 2018)

Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers visits with Carter Kruse, 2, at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in September 2018. After being crowned in May 2018, the Papillion native gave her opinions on all things Nebraska, including Scott Frost and Runzas. Read more
Food fight: Omaha Runzas will face Green Chile Cheeseburgers (June 2018)

The Omaha Storm Chasers wore this jersey when the team played as the Omaha Runzas in June 2018. The game at Werner Park was part of the team’s celebration of its 50th season. The game drew positive reviews from fans of both the team and Nebraska’s beloved meat pocket. “That’s just two Nebraska classics coming together,” said fan Chris Andersen of Omaha. Read more of our preview story.
Storm Chasers as Omaha Runzas (June 2018)

On June 9, 2018, the Storm Chasers took the field as the Omaha Runzas, a nod to the fast-food chain founded in Lincoln. The Runzas outlasted the Albuquerque Green Chile Cheeseburgers 2-0 in front of 6,863 on a promotional night between the two teams. Read more
Runza transit (January 2019)

What’s more Nebraskan than Runza? How about make-believe transit systems connecting Runza restaurants. University of Nebraska-Lincoln graphic design graduate Carlos Velasco, 23, created imaginative transit maps of Omaha and Lincoln where every stop is a Runza. Read more
Omaha Runzas (February 2019)

The Storm Chasers wore these Runza-inspired uniforms in June 2018. They honored the Nebraska culinary tradition again in 2019, though the hats and jerseys had a different look. Read more
Nebraska day (April 2019)

National Nebraska Day is April 5, which makes it the only day in which it's OK for you to eat a Runza, chug Kool-Aid and listen to 311 at the same time. Read more
SportsCenter-Ronza (June 2019)

Runzas were featured in a Saturday morning segment of SportsCenter, June 8, 2019, ahead of Omaha Storm Chasers' "Runza Night" at Werner Park. One of the SportsCenter hosts mispronounced the name of the popular sandwich as "Ronza." Read more
Sasse Runzas (September 2019)

After a confrontation with a protester in September 2019, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse stopped selling Runzas at Husker football games. Before the incident at NU’s home opener, he'd sold Runzas at Memorial Stadium on and off since 1983. Here's Sasse at a 2015 game. Read more
Eat it-veggie Runzas (October 2019)

When Runza introduced vegetarian versions of everyone’s favorite meat-stuffed sandwiches last year, we tried them out. Read our review of the two offerings: the original vegetarian Runza or the Southwest black bean vegetarian Runza.
kelsey.stewart@owh.com, 402-444-3100, twitter.com/kels2