Five Dining Choices That Cedar Rapids Needs Now

We have a lot of nice things going for us in Cedar Rapids. A reasonable cost of living, low unemployment, and some decent entertainment choices.

But face it, we're still missing out. It's nearly 2020 and we still don't have these dining options:

5. O'Charley's - Based in Nashville, the family style dining restaurant oozes Southern hospitality in 212 locations, but not here. Some folks say it's not that great, but we just say to them "Bless your heart".

4. P.F. Chang's - If you want to enjoy the menu items of this quality Asian restaurant, you have to travel to Des Moines. Otherwise the closest you'll get to it is in the grocery store's freezer.

3. Bonefish Grill - Based in Tampa, they have 215 locations but not here, and we could sure use a Bonefish Grill in Cedar Rapids. It's tough to get good seafood in a landlocked state...you can't even get mediocre seafood here

2. Cheesecake Factory - Another tasty national chain with a Des Moines location being the closest to us here in Eastern Iowa. OK, if you don't need a full sized cheesecake factory...how about just a small warehouse?

1. Cracker Barrel - Nothing says "comfort food" better than the old Cracker Barrel. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. Sadly, with 635 U.S. locations, there still isn't one in Cedar Rapids.

So who's going to step up and get this fixed for us?

Our compliments to the chef.