⚠️This fact has been debunked
This is a commonly cited 'weird law' but appears to be either an urban legend or possibly an old local ordinance that was never part of Nebraska state statute. Search of current Nebraska Liquor Control Act (Chapter 53) shows no soup requirement. One commenter who checked with Nebraska sources found the word 'soup' appears only once in current statute, in an unrelated provision about soup kitchens. While this may have been a real ordinance in some small Nebraska town in the past, it is not and likely never was statewide Nebraska law.
In Nebraska, It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.
The Nebraska Beer and Soup Law: Myth or Reality?
You've probably seen this one on a list of America's weirdest laws: in Nebraska, bar owners supposedly can't sell beer unless they're simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. It's the kind of delightfully absurd legal quirk that gets shared thousands of times on social media. There's just one problem: it's almost certainly not true.
The Legend
The claim goes that Nebraska law requires any establishment serving beer to also have a pot of soup cooking. Some versions suggest it dates back to a belief that drinking on an empty stomach accelerated intoxication, and that forcing bars to provide hot food would encourage more responsible drinking. It's charming, weird, and perfectly captures that Midwestern earnestness.
The only issue? Nobody can actually find this law.
What the Statutes Actually Say
Nebraska's liquor laws are codified in Chapter 53 of the state statutes. The entire chapter is available online, covering everything from licensing requirements to permitted hours of sale. Researchers who've combed through the current law found the word "soup" appears exactly once—in a completely unrelated provision about soup kitchens and public services.
There's no statewide requirement for food service of any kind when selling beer. No soup, no sandwiches, no pretzels. Just alcohol licensing requirements like everywhere else.
So Where Did This Come From?
The most likely explanation is that this was either:
- An old local ordinance in a small Nebraska town that has since been repealed
- A misunderstanding or exaggeration of a real but different law
- Complete fiction that entered the "weird laws" ecosystem and never left
Some sources mention an 1887 ordinance in Leigh, Nebraska, but that town's famous old law was actually about donut holes, not soup. The beer-and-soup story may have gotten conflated with other genuine-but-obscure municipal codes over time.
The Weird Law Industrial Complex
Here's the thing about those viral "crazy laws" lists: most of them are questionable at best. They spread through clickbait articles, each one copying from the last, with nobody actually checking the statute books. Once a "fact" enters this ecosystem, it becomes nearly impossible to kill.
Nebraska does have some genuinely odd laws still on the books—many states do. But the beer-and-soup rule isn't one of them. It's a perfect example of how a good story can outlive the truth, especially when that story confirms what people want to believe: that lawmakers in the past were charmingly, inexplicably bonkers.
So if you're planning to open a bar in Nebraska, feel free to skip the soup kettle. Just make sure you have the proper liquor license.