Iconic Iowa City restaurant Hamburg Inn sold

Hamburg Inn No. 2, a longtime Iowa City diner known as a must-stop location for presidential hopefuls, is changing hands.

Owner Dave Panther confirmed he is selling the restaurant but declined to name the buyers until the sale is finalized, which he anticipates happening next week. His family has owned the Linn Street restaurant since 1948. His uncle opened the original location - Hamburg Inn No. 1 - on Iowa Avenue in 1935.

'I'm turning 69 in a couple of weeks. It's been a good run for me and my family and I'm just ready to try some other things,” he said. Those could include travel and expanding his work as a storyteller and clown, he said.

The restaurant will not close while changing hands, Panther said, and the staff and management will stay on. He will be involved until the end of the year for help with the transition.

The new owners 'were not interested in messing with an icon, so they're planning on keeping the traditions of Hamburg Inn and taking them to the next level,” he said.

That could include expanding into catering, he said, though the basic menu would remain the same.

The restaurant's walls are covered with photos and memorabilia from decades of politicians stopping by. Panther said those items will remain with the diner.

'I have duplicates at home for myself, and I'll probably go around with my camera and take a whole bunch more photos for a scrapbook,” he said. 'It's been a wonderful ride for myself, my wife and our family. I think this is a good deal not only for us but for the staff. We wanted to make sure we did what was best for them.”

He said he wanted to express his gratitude to the loyal customers who have made the diner an institution.

'We wouldn't have been here this long without a wonderful staff and great customers and guests who've supported us over the years,” he said. 'When my folks started this, I don't think they could have imagined how far we've come.”