Several years back, my wife and I found ourselves in Omaha, Nebraska for an insurance conference. Glamorous, I know. After a long day of sessions and small talk, we decided to hit up a local restaurant downtown for dinner. That’s where we met him—a waiter whose name I wish I could remember because this man dropped a breadcrumb that led us straight into one of the coolest nights of our lives.
We asked him, “Hey, what’s something unique to do around here?”
He leaned in, lowered his voice, and said:
“You need to find a liquor store called The Looking Glass. It’s just a couple streets over—tiny spot tucked behind a hotel. Walk in… and ask to see a bottle of The Wicked Rabbit.”
That was it. No context. No warning. Just: go ask for the Wicked Rabbit.
Our first reaction?
We’re 100% getting murdered.
But after dinner, full of curiosity (and maybe a little whiskey), we said, “F it. Let’s go.”
Because honestly—if you’re gonna get murdered, it might as well be in Omaha, Nebraska, right?
We wandered the downtown streets until we finally found it.
Tiny shop. Back of a hotel.
We walked in.
Asked for the bottle.
And what happened next? Well… I’m not telling you.
Because you need to look for the Wicked Rabbit yourself if you’re ever in Omaha.
Here’s what I will tell you:
That night was unforgettable.
Not just because it was fun and mysterious and weird in all the best ways…
But because it planted a seed.
Years later, that seed grew into The Sentinel Room.
Is it the same? No.
Does it pull inspiration from that night? Absolutely.
Are there similarities? Yes—but we didn’t want to copy it.
We wanted to create something ours.
So we took the inspiration…
Added a dash of local history from the building we bought…
Brought in a brooding old mascot from an archived Independence newspaper…
Poured some attitude, a lot of heart, and a few really good whiskeys…
And boom. The Sentinel Room was born.
You never know where your next idea will come from.
Sometimes a night out is just a night out.
Sometimes it’s the beginning of a legacy.
No matter what business you’re in, go seek out the weird.
Chase the curiosity.
Follow the breadcrumbs.
Because behind some nondescript door in Omaha…
you just might find your Wicked Rabbit.
