Rusty Spur serves up popular menu in small-town Stamford

STAMFORD, Neb. (KOLN) - The Rusty Spur Bar and Grill continues to draw locals and travelers, and serves as an important small town main street business.

Lacey Bantam and her husband purchased the Rusty Spur in November of last year from Brian and Chelsea Bieghler. After acquiring the business, the couple expanded into an adjacent space — formerly the Legion Hall side — by opening a passage between the two areas.

The menu at the Rusty Spur includes steaks, chicken fried steaks, hamburgers, homemade French fries, gizzards, and cheese curds. Bantam said the restaurant does not freeze its ground beef. “All of our hamburgers are homemade here,” Bantam said. A daily lunch special includes a main dish, a side, and a homemade dessert.

Bantam said cheeseburgers are the restaurant’s top sellers. Among the specialty options are the Bulldog — a burger topped with peanut butter, jelly, and bacon — and the Sale Barn, which comes with bacon, ham, and an egg.

“We have some specialty hamburgers, and we sell quite a few of them,” Bantam said.

Bantam said the Rusty Spur serves as a gathering spot for locals, particularly during harvest season when to-go orders increase. The walls of the restaurant are lined with historical photographs, many of which were sourced by former owner Chelsea Bieghler from old buildings in the area.

“We get a lot of people that used to live around this area, and they’ll come in just to look at the pictures that we have on the wall,” Bantam said.

In addition to local regulars, Bantam said the restaurant draws visitors in the summer months, including people from the Harlan County Reservoir area and travelers from other communities like Kearney.

Bantam credited her staff for contributing to the restaurant’s reputation. “My staff is amazing. They’re really good with our customers,” Bantam said.

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