More bars believe downtown C.R. is the place to be

By Dorothy de Souza Guedes, correspondent

Kory Nanke didn't know if business in downtown Cedar Rapids would return, post-flood. But he is thrilled with Friday and Saturday night crowds these days.

Indeed, many people who don't regularly visit or work in the central business district might be surprised by the number of restaurants and bars currently open and within walking distance of each other.

When asked how many restaurants and bars are operating downtown today, most people guess 15 to 20 and then are surprised to learn that there are about double that number, said Quinn Pettifer, Cedar Rapids Downtown District director of marketing and community relations. The Downtown District lists about 39 businesses under its eatery-and-nightlife heading.

Some 20 bars or bar-restaurants are open for business within that greater Downtown District, which is bordered by 10th Street SE to roughly Sixth Street SW and A Avenue to 12th Avenue. Most are within the downtown core, between Sixth Street SE to Third Street SW and A Avenue to Eighth Avenue.

Downtown bar owners generally consider it a good thing to be within walking distance of other bars and restaurants. People who come downtown for dinner or a show are likely to make another stop for a drink, said Nanke, who manages Red's Public House, 112 Second St. SE, with his brother Jason Nanke, and own it with their cousin Kevin Nanke.

Weekend bar goers at Red's are typically younger, in their 20s and 30s, he added.

Each bar owner tries to set his business apart from the others without competing. Red's began featuring beer on tap and in cans only - no bottles.

Next door to Red's is one of the newer downtown bar/restaurants, La Cantina Bar and Grill, which opened at 102 Second St. SE in September 2010. Authentic Mexican food served from lunch until 11 p.m. can be enjoyed by the whole family, Barrios said.

In warmer weather, there is outside seating for diners, a rarity in downtown Cedar Rapids.

After dark, La Cantina features a deejay and salsa dancing two nights a week. Ariel Barrios, general manager, said he often watches people go from bar to bar.

“Sometimes I think this is the most busy street downtown,” Barrios said.

The decision to locate downtown made sense because the “downtown was coming back,” Barrios said.

A five-block walk away is Dublin City Pub, at 415 First St. SE. Although Dublin City does have TVs for sports and events during Iowa games, what sets it apart is that it's not a sports bar, said Chad Vick, the manager. Instead the décor and music have an Irish theme, with a fresh and ever-changing menu that goes beyond typical bar food, Vick said.

As with Dublin City and La Cantina, many of the businesses serve lunch and/or dinner and then stay open to draw in nighttime crowd. Downtown workers provide a built-in lunch crowd that typically is in a hurry, so the owners of Red's focus on being able to get noontime diners in and out within 30 minutes.

It's a challenge to find good staff for the two- to three-hour lunch shift, but Kory Nanke said, “We make it work.”

Previously the Nankes had several bars, including Bricks Bar and Grill, 320 Second Avenue SE, which they sold before the flood. After the flood, the Nankes felt it made sense to open a bar downtown in a building they already owned.

When Red's debuted in July 2010, the Nankes employed about 10 to 15. Now, that number is up by about five, with all but two working part time.

Revenue is pretty much an even split between food and drinks.

“After a year, we're pretty happy with it,” Kory Nanke said of Red's downtown location.

In addition to marketing his own business, Nanke is among those who would like to see more of a collaborative effort to market the entire downtown area.

“That's been a conversation,” Kory Nanke said, adding that he'd love to work more formally with other bars. “I do think that would be a fabulous idea.”

Red's has participated in events organized by Cedar Rapids Downtown District, including spring and fall pub crawls and the annual Clearheart Vodka Crawl.

Pettifer said in addition to the pub crawls, her organization also makes sure downtown restaurants and bars know about other marketing opportunities, such as the SaPaDaPaSo 36th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade Celebration and the early December's Fire and Ice Festival.

Dublin City not only participates in events such as pub crawls, but also opens early for Saturday downtown farmers markets and has offered cooking demonstrations.

“Everything that comes up, we try to get involved right away,” Vick said, adding that he'd like to see even more events that bring people to downtown.

Dublin City Pub opened on Second Avenue SE in 2004, then relocated post-flood to 415 First St. SE in July 2009. The bar and grill has steadily employed between 20 and 30 at the new location, which features two levels and almost double the space of the previous site.

When Dublin City Pub reopened two years ago, about 80 percent of revenue was from beverage sales, Vick said. Now that is closer to a 60-40 split.

An advantage to being downtown is a lot of foot traffic, which will increase when the Paramount Theatre renovation is completed, the new federal courthouse opens and True North relocates to the former library site, Vick said.

“I'd like more people to give the downtown a chance. It's centrally located …. It's for everybody,” Vick added.