Omaha Restaurant Faces Subpoena from Homeland Security, Employee Departures Result

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Fernando’s Omaha has announced it is complying with a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting documentation related to its employees. The restaurant made this announcement in a press release on Sunday afternoon.

Owner Mitch Tempus confirmed the cooperation with the inquiry during a conversation with First Alert 6 on Monday. He stated the review, unfortunately, led to the departure of several employees, which is impacting the restaurant’s operations.

Tempus emphasized that there were no raids or arrests at either of the restaurant’s two locations, which are situated at 114th and Dodge and 75th and Pacific Street. He reassured the public that the business was not facing legal trouble, saying, “Homeland Security has come in. They did their thing. We complied with what they asked us to do, and the result was they came back and told us we had to terminate some employees.”

The restaurant mentioned in its press release that this situation affects their ability to fully staff operations and may temporarily alter business hours and service levels. Tempus expressed concern about how the loss of colleagues could influence morale and productivity amongst remaining staff.

In light of the situation, Fernando’s is looking to recruit more employees. The restaurant plans to provide updates via their website and social media as they move forward with this compliance matter.

As of Monday evening, both locations had temporarily closed, but the one on 114th and Dodge plans to reopen for dine-in customers on Tuesday. Tempus stated, “We hope to return to full operations as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, a DHS spokesperson announced they could not comment due to the ongoing investigation.