Veterans Building project benefits from donated equipment

Furnishings left behind when a Ruby Tuesday restaurant closed in May 2012 will help the Cedar Rapids Veterans Memorial Commission replace chairs, tables, and other items lost in the Flood of 2008.

Professional Resource Development of Effingham, Ill., recently purchased the 5,300-square-foot building at 2215 Edgewood Rd. SW and donated all furniture and building contents to the commission.

Tom Hauer, a Vietnam-era veteran and chief operating officer of JnLC Enterprises in Cedar Rapids, said the furnishings will be installed on the third floor of the Veterans Memorial Building to outfit a restaurant area so it can be used for veterans, private parties and potentially as a restaurant serving the public.

Hauer said his company will license the kitchen as a restaurant, Gatherings on the River, and apply for a liquor license.

'We will apply for a Class C liquor license, which will cover all four floors of the Veteran's Memorial Building,' Hauer said.

'The Veterans Memorial Commission wanted someone to be responsible for liquor services in the building because of the liability, licensing, and insurance. We started talking with them last June and have reached an agreement with them to provide liquor services for any event in the building, such as weddings, corporate meetings and the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls.'

Hauer said all of the restaurant furnishings will belong to the Veterans Memorial Commission. Although the donation included tables and some chairs, he said additional chairs are needed, along with pots and pans, cooking utensils, table linens, and other supplies. Donations can be made to the commission.

'We're looking for donations to get everything needed to provide service to the veterans and anyone else using the facility,' Hauer said. 'We need to get everything set up and inspected by Linn County Public Health. We're hoping to have the liquor license application before Cedar Rapids City Council on March 24.'

Mike Jager, executive director of the Veterans Memorial Commission, said the donation of the former Ruby Tuesday furnishings is greatly appreciated.

'We are grateful to the property developer that they thought of us and gave us this donation,' Jager said. 'We did not have the budget for some of the equipment that we will be utilizing.'

Assuming all goes according to plan, Hauer plans to have Gatherings on the River available for private and veterans events in early April. While the Hauers own Julia-n-LeChef Catering and Event Services, other catering services will be able to provide services at Gatherings on the River.

Jager said the Veterans Memorial Commission wanted to work with a local veteran-owned small business and the businesses owned by Tom and Toni Hauer fit that bill.

'We think it's going to be a great partnership,' Jager said. 'We're both committed to providing job opportunities and employment for veterans.'

The Hauers learned through an acquaintance about the purchase of the Ruby Tuesday building by Professional Resource Development. They were able to arrange to have the equipment donated to the veterans.

Professional Resource Development will lease 3,200 square feet of the space to Seasons Family Dental Care, a full-service dental office supported by Heartland Dental of Effingham, Ill. Renovations for the dental office are expected to begin in April, with a projected opening in September.

The remaining 2,100 square feet will be available for lease.