Hamburg Inn set to close in Iowa City

A photo of former President Bill Clinton hangs on the wall next to a newspaper clipping from his visit at Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City on in March 2016. (The Gazette)

Server Lauren Meanor gives coffee refills at the Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City on Aug. 11, 2014. The business reopened after a fire closed it three months earlier. (The Gazette)

Then-Republican presidential candidate U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., visits with Dan Gable and his family at the Hamburg Inn #2 in Iowa City in May 2007. (The Gazette)

Mariannette Miller-Meeks, then the Republican 2nd District candidate, gives a campaign speech at the Hamburg Inn in Iowa City in May 2014. (The Gazette)

U.S. Representative Dave Loebsack shakes hands during a campaign stop at the Hamburg Inn in Iowa City in October 2014. (The Gazette)

Iowa Governor Chet Culver shakes hands with one of his supporters at the Hamburg Inn, one of the stops on his statewide 'Thank You Iowa' tour, in January 2011 in Iowa City. (The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Iowa City’s iconic Hamburg Inn No. 2 is set to close indefinitely Jan. 8 in part due to strained communications between local management and the owner.

Assistant Manager Katy Wells confirmed plans to close, saying staff and local management made the decision among themselves, unsure if the closure would be temporary or permanent.

“It depends on whether we’re able to have further communications with the owner. Right now, that’s a difficult thing to do,” Wells said. “It’s been a moment since the (general manager) has been in contact with him.”

She said management, including General Manager Ajax Lasko, came to the decision a few days ago after being unable to make substantial contact with owner Micheal Lee, who is in Taiwan.

Michael Lee, a native of China and University of Iowa graduate, purchased the restaurant from Dave Panther in 2016. Panther’s family had owned the Linn Street restaurant since 1948. The restaurant first opened in 1935.

Substantial building maintenance needs all mounted at once after the blizzard earlier in December, and local management doesn’t have the resources to make necessary repairs. Wells said the location’s building was built around 1947.

In addition to its burgers and famous pie shakes, the Hamburg Inn became a political hub for presidents and presidential candidates visiting Iowa City, particularly during Iowa’s 50-year reign holding the first caucus of each election cycle.

Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all paid a visit.