CEDAR FALLS — Work has begun to bring a new breakfast spot to Main Street.
The planned business has ties to a downtown staple and is being named in honor of the area’s locomotive history. Patton Bar & Diner is expected to open next spring at 317 Main St., the former Lotus + Lou storefront.
The venture, taken on by Cory Kent and partners Brent Kai, Cole Kent, Jack Ogden and Brian Wingert, is driven by a feeling there are too few options to grab an early morning meal along the city’s main drag.
“We hope to go back to that time of the classic diner,” said Kent. “Especially being from Iowa with all the small communities, the diner’s been that place you can go and always count on and will be there 30, 40, 50 years. We want it to be that place where you can comfortably and casually go to grab breakfast but also serve a quick lunch and great dinner with cool main entrees.”
Kent discussed his plans with The Courier alongside Sam Koch, who wears multiple hats and handles business operations at the partners’ other Cedar Falls venture, George’s Local. That restaurant is located in what had once been an auto service station at the corner of Main and East Fourth streets.
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Patton is a reference to the streetcars that first appeared in Cedar Falls in 1897. Gasoline and later electric-powered motor cars made trips between the Iowa State Normal School (now the University of Northern Iowa) and the corner of First and Main Street. They went on to operate between Cedar Falls and Waterloo, according to CedarNet, an electronic historical archive.
Kent used a similar tribute at one of his other restaurants, the Pullman Bar & Diner in Iowa City. The Pullman Company manufactured railroad cars, including dining cars.
The partners, operating as Synergy Investments, also purchased the neighboring storefront at 315 Main St., formerly home to Scratch Cupcakery. Kent said they’re considering another food and drink establishment, but nothing is finalized.
The 2,000-square-foot space for the diner is being gutted and is in the “bare bones” stage of construction. Once finished, Kent expects it to seat 60 to 70 people who can walk in without reservations and be served by the eatery employing about 40.
Customers will find a “shotgun style” layout, a long, skinny, rectangular frame with a counter/bar, booth seating, an open kitchen, nice facade and big front window. The diner will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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“It will be an old-school, classic diner from the ’60s or ’70s, but we’ll throw in some unexpected fresh twists and a modern, elevated menu,” Kent said. “Maybe some biscuits and gravy with chorizo, fresh-cut scallions or sunny side up eggs.”
Fried chicken and a classic smash burger also are on his mind, along with coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. There also will be alcoholic drinks like mimosas and bloody Marys along with other cocktails, beers, and wines.
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The menu is still a work in progress, but almost everything will be made from scratch. Executive Chef Jorge Santiago, who leads the kitchen at George’s Local, will also head Patton Bar & Diner. Kent said while they may have small similarities, they’ll have their own identities.
“We’re trying to leave them separate,” he said. “They’ll feel different and we want them to remain true to themselves.”