Ground floor: Builder seeks new challenge with Cedar Rapids restaurant

Mike Hinton's new business venture represents a big change from what he is used to doing.

For the last two decades, Hinton has worked in the home building and remodeling industry as president of Hinton Construction. In December, he opened his first restaurant, 101 Gastropub, in Cedar Rapids.

So what led Hinton to his latest business pursuit?

'One of the bigger reasons was to have something else to work on during the cold winters,' he said. 'It's something I've been wanting to do, a new challenge.'

Hinton, who had been exploring the idea of opening a restaurant for about five years, decided to act when the First Avenue SE building that formerly housed Deanoz Sports Bar and Grill came on the market.

'Everything fell into place,' Hinton said. 'It was the right size, there is plenty of parking and – the big key – there is a lot of traffic by here every day.'

Hinton's initial focus was a familiar task — remodeling. In about 12 weeks, he stripped the interior, added a new bar and woodwork, and doubled the size of the kitchen.

Hinton said he wanted his establishment to have more of a focus on food, which is why he decided on the gastropub concept. A gastropub is a cross between a pub and restaurant that serves craft beer and higher-end food and liquor.

Along with burgers and other standard pub fare, 101 Gastropub's menu features items like smoked duck and bacon truffle macaroni, while a members-only barrel club provides access to exclusive scotch and whiskey offerings.

One feature that Hinton said is one-of-a-kind in Iowa is a self-serve beer wall. After providing their IDs and credit cards at the bar, patrons receive wristbands that they scan to pour the beer of their choice from six selections.

The system tracks how much each patron pours, and after 28 ounces, service is paused until a staff member deems the patron eligible to be served. For those not wanting to serve themselves, 101 Gastropub offers 16 different beers on tap and a variety of cocktails like hand-made mojitos and martinis.

Hinton's future plans include more remodeling. He intends to wall off part of the space to create a more formal dining area for hosting larger groups and add an outdoor patio.

- Know of a company in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact George Ford at george.ford@sourcemedia.net.

At a Glance

-Owner

: Mike Hinton

-Company

: 101 Gastropub

-Address

: 3707 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

-Phone

: (319) 826-6571

-Website

: www.101gastropub.com