Closed but not forsaken: New restaurant to open in Rock Top site

CEDAR RAPIDS - A new restaurant will be serving up food and drinks in the space vacated by Rock Top, the rooftop bar and restaurant that closed Friday after only four months of operation.

Richard Pankey, current owner of Cedar Rapids's Butcher Block Steakhouse, Riley's and Daisy's Garage, told The Gazette Monday afternoon that he plans to open a new restaurant at 951 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, early this spring.

Pankey said the new business is going to have a menu and concept that is different from Rock Top's.

Rock Top officially closed its doors at 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, after serving food and drinks half-off on the last day.

The closing was announced Friday on the restaurant's Facebook page. It had about two dozen employees.

'With sadness, we are closing our doors after only a brief time,” according to the Facebook post. 'We will, indeed, make some necessary changes and consider our options for the future. It's been a pleasure serving you, and we hope to bring you something bigger and better soon!”

Rock Top opened Sept. 9, in a brand-new, two-story building owned by developer Todd Culver.

Rock Top owners Dave Carey, Nate Bigley and Ryan Evans and Carrie Kraklio, its general manager, did not respond to calls for comment.

Though Culver did not answer calls for comment on Monday, Pankey said Culver called him Monday afternoon.

'We've had a business relationship for the last two and a half years,” Pankey said. 'He contacted me and said that he would like us to consider taking over the operation there.”

Pankey said it is too early to tell what modifications will be made, but he hopes to open a restaurant in the space by late winter or early spring. He said he would be open to hiring former Rock Top employees.

'What attracted me to the building was its location, the unique look of the building,” he said. 'The building has a trendy look. We're excited and anxious to roll out some of the new plans. Hopefully (area residents) will come and enjoy it.”

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