Father-son duo continues to serve smiles with each meal at Smiley’s Soup & Sandwiches

CEDAR RAPIDS — Growth for Smiley’s Soup & Sandwiches, like the keyword in its name, has been a series of steps.

Like muscles building on other muscles to push the apples of the cheeks upward in the expression that signifies happiness, it’s been a compounding of small steps here and there in the business run by owner Nick Fitzgerald, father Colin, wife Jordan and other family members.

The restaurant’s menu doesn’t look much like it did when they started in a food truck four years ago. The business model has changed quite a bit, too. But its latest iteration at NewBo City Market, opened May 1, continues the mission it started with: honoring late friend Dustin Smiley, the food he loved and the relationship he had with his own father.

“It’s simple recipes, simple sandwiches, simple sides, but we do everything the right way — it’s fresh,” Nick said.

How it started

After Dustin passed away, Smiley’s Soup & Sandwiches was a way to honor the great relationship Dustin had with his father.

With two weeks of PTO saved up, Nick, a former Verizon Wireless manager, started the food truck in 2021 with a few gigs lined up. By the end of the two weeks, he hoped it would be a part-time side gig.

But when it was time to return to Verizon, he had enough events booked for three months.

“I took a leap of faith right off the start and never looked back,” Nick said.

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How it’s going

Participating in Food Truck Tuesdays at NewBo City Market, Smiley’s Soup & Sandwiches got a taste of its next step. After honing catering events as its bread and butter, it saw the success stories coming out of NewBo City Market as a sign of its best intermediate step.

“We were hoping to follow in those footsteps as we continue to grow,” he said.

Now, what started as small potatoes has become a vision for something more as the food truck and NewBo stall work in tandem.

“The biggest thing I want to do is grow the brand and get more exposure in Cedar Rapids, my hometown,” Nick said. “Every time I achieve one goal, I’ve got to push the line a little farther.”

The next step is a brick-and-mortar location of his own, followed by his long-term dream — a series of locations.

How it tastes

When Smiley’s opened its food truck, Nick thought the Kentucky Hot Brown — an open-faced carved turkey sandwich with cheese sauce, chopped tomato and onion — would be its signature seller. The concept, as it turned out, didn’t translate well to mobile food service.

Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches’ smoked brisket and cheddar sandwich in the NewBo Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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Owner Nicholas Fitzgerald prepares a Philly cheesesteak sub at Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches in the NewBo Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches’ menu features wraps, barbecue, soups, salads, and a variety of sides. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches’ cheesy potato casserole in the NewBo Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches’ is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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Owner Nicholas Fitzgerald describes the cheesy potato casserole to Gazette reporter Elijah Decious at Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches in the NewBo Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Smiley's Soup & Sandwiches’ menu features wraps, barbecue, soups, salads, and a variety of sides. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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The menu seen today, still full of favorites from Smiley’s namesake, has embraced a series of evolutions.

The Fitzgeralds started to build more of the menu around the Philly cheesesteak, which sold well, centered on quality meat and ingredients to edge out the competition.

Then, a gig secured at Uptown Friday Nights forced another pivot.

“They wanted barbecue,” Nick said. “So I bought a smoker and figured it out. Now the brisket is almost our top seller.”

Sandwiches can now be purchased in cold varieties, like the turkey bacon club, Italian with multiple meats and the veggie with guacamole on sourdough or a sub.

Salads, another addition, are piled high with favorite toppings in several variations including a chef salad, chicken bacon ranch or Italian.

Signature hot sandwiches include simple but well-executed options like steak and Gouda, a classic Cubano, barbecue pulled pork and smoked brisked with cheddar. The cheesy potato casserole stands out as a novel side option among the other typicals like fries, potato salad and coleslaw.

Now, as we enter soup season, diners are in for another signature treat with a seasonal rotation of Zuppa Toscana, chicken noodle with handmade noodles and other Italian-inspired variations.

“Whether you want beef, chicken, pork, ham, turkey, I’ve got an option,” Nick said. “And I nail every single one.”

But what’s more than quality food is the quality time Smiley’s has given Nick with his own father — and by extension, the bonding that food gives customers over lunch or dinner.

“It’s been great working side by side on a daily basis. Sometimes it can be stressful, and we don’t agree on everything, but we always understand we love each other and are working for the same goal,” he said.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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