Dave Leshtz is the editor of The Prairie Progressive.
In August 2023, Bleeding Heartland published my memories of the Hamburg Inn. The venerable Iowa City diner that I had patronized for more than five decades was on the verge of going out of business. Michael Lee, the absentee owner, had returned to his home in China when COVID-19 struck, leaving the restaurant in the hands of inexperienced staff who struggled to keep it alive, even after the pandemic subsided.
My memoir was a eulogy to a dying business, and to my own youth. The Hamburg Inn was a touchstone in college, a regular stop as an adult, and finally a frequent destination while I worked for political candidates and a U.S. Congressman. The diner’s travails seemed to embody the loss of local culture nationwide, as franchises and chains relentlessly took over family-owned establishments that had endured economic ups and downs for years.
The day after my article appeared in Bleeding Heartland, I got a call from Doug Goettsch, a co-founder of Big Grove Brewery and a partner in several other popular restaurants in the Iowa City area. Doug told me that in two days, his company’s press release would announce its purchase of the Hamburg Inn from Mr. Lee, who had yet to return from China. The restaurant I had written off as dead had been given new life.
For the next six weeks the Hamburg Inn was closed for renovations. When it reopened, the walls and floor had been cleaned of grease and smoke, the original ceiling had been restored, fresh wallpaper went up, and new merch was on display. Most of the menu remained the same, and most of the framed photos and clippings were still displayed: Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Terry Branstad, Tom and Christie Vilsack, Jim Leach, Dave Loebsack, customers and waitstaff from years gone by.
A year ago I wrote, “Gone are the long lines on Sunday mornings, the bantering with veteran waitstaff, and the caucus coffee bean poll.” I’m here to tell you that they’re all back. The Sunday that the Iowa City Arts Fest wrapped up, every booth and counter seat was taken while a dozen people waited patiently on the sidewalk. The servers are personable and competent, with just the right amount of chitchat. The mason jars are filling up with beans.
Hamburg Inn partner Goettsch and his family have deep roots in Iowa. Recently he and I met for lunch at the Hamburg (I had pancakes and poached eggs, Doug had the onionburger) where he told me, “The main reason I wanted to be involved [here] is the importance of maintaining a thread to the past. The social importance of a place like this has become very apparent.”
“I love all the history on the walls,” Doug said, pointing to a framed photo of former governor Chet Culver. “These pictures are touchstones of Iowa City and the lives of so many people.”
Hamburg Inn manager Ben Young joined us. “I love hearing all the stories of people who used to work here,” he said. Ben is proud of once managing a Village Inn in Cedar Falls—“the busiest one in the country”—but that doesn’t compare to the satisfaction he finds at the Hamburg: “People tell me we’re taking it back to what it always wanted to be.” Tessa, our server, chimed in: “This is a great place to work.”
I didn’t intend to write a puff piece, but the rebirth of a locally owned diner with more than seventy years of history is a big deal. Any time a non-franchise restaurant is a success in our increasingly monocultural country is a time for celebration. The dollars spent here stay here, all kinds of people mingle with each other, and the memories bind us together.