Expanding the Macadoodles experience to a new community.

Macadoodles, a fine wine, beer and spirits retail liquor store originally from Missouri, has opened its first location in Omaha, Neb. Located at 72nd and Grover Streets, the new store offers over 4,000 different labels. This includes fine wine and over 600 different craft and imported beers.

The Concept

Since its flagship store in Pineville, Mo., Macadoodles has identified itself as a unique shopping experience and a place that’s more than just a liquor store. Each store follows the guiding principles set out by the founder, Roger Gildehaus, when the first store opened in 1997. 

• Offer the best assortment of wine, spirits and beer than other stores in the marketplace.
• Guarantee our customers competitive prices.
• Provide service that goes beyond your expectations.

Following the original design sketched by Gildehaus and brought to life by D.A. Group Inc. for this project, Macadoodles has a distinctive look and feel. There are luxury vinyl tile floors, an open concept and warm color schemes throughout. The space is organized into three primary sections — an area for beer, one for wine and one for spirits.

The beer section ceiling is designed to look exposed. This gives it a “rustic aesthetic,” with cedar with clear seal support beams, exposed ventilation pipes and hanging lights. The exposed ceiling area shows the roof trusses of the building, which adds to the rustic look.

In the wine cellar, your eyes travel up to view an octagon-shaped dome. Finished with a white pine with cedar box beams, it showcases images, provided by the owner, from the wine vineyards where the store sources its wine. 

Finding a Construction Partner

The Omaha location is the newest and most northern location to date for Macadoodles. It’s a 7,075 SF building, that’s slightly smaller than other locations. The building features a 2,750 SF wine market, a 2,175 SF spirit market and a 550 SF walk-in beer cooler. The space also features restrooms, two offices and an overhang over the outdoor ice freezers. The owner selected Ronco Construction as the construction manager for this project and construction began in July 2023.

“We have worked with Ronco on other jobs and felt this would be a great fit. I have found Zak [Olsen] to be a very hands-on and hard-working partner on this job. He has a great team in place and brings a lot to the table,” explains Mark Randolph, owner of this Macadoodles.

Every construction project is complex and presents its fair share of challenges. Being first Nebraska project, there were some learning curves. Like Nebraska’s notorious (and different) weather. Or supply chain delays for materials. And even learning the process to obtain a Nebraska liquor license. But by leveraging a proactive and collaborative approach, Ronco and Macadoodles persevered and were able to work out any kinks along the way.

“There are challenges on every job site. I always say the hardest part is getting started and the second hardest part is getting finished,” Randolph said. “With this being our first Macadoodles [in Nebraska], we had things pop up throughout the job that were unknown to us. But, Ronco did a good job navigating the coordination of the construction process.”

Delivering on Expectations

Ronco prides itself on delivering on client expectations and this project was no different. The project team — Jimmy Esola as project manager and Keith Felthousen as superintendent — worked closely with Randolph and the Macadoodle franchise to ensure everything met store standards.

“The owner [Mark] was great to work with on the project. It was a collaborative effort on the project team’s part to deliver this project,” Esola said. “Both the owner of the building and the Macadoodles franchise were involved in the project and set up the store.”

Regular-scheduled meetings, like Owner-Architect-Contractor (OAC) meetings, allowed Esola and Felthousen to ensure all project stakeholders were aligned on what was happening and when. And if there were questions or areas that needed clarification, they asked.

“The wood-framed water still that sits on the roof of the building was one area Keith and I dug deep with the Macadoodles team,” explains Esola. “We took extra time and asked lots of questions to make sure we understood the plans and details of how they wanted us to build the structure.”

Together, Ronco and the Macadoodles team completed the finishing touches and got the store ready for business, which officially opened in June 2024.

“This location opens the door for Macadoodles and gives them a new territory to sell franchises in,” Randolph said. “Once people in Nebraska stop and try us out, I know they’ll be very happy with the selection of wine, beer and spirits. Most of all, they’ll be happy with the service and prices.”