Longtime Cedar Rapids Restaurant Location Has New Owners

For more than 30 years a spot along 42nd Street in Cedar Rapids has been home to popular restaurants. The new owners hope to continue the tradition of success with a menu designed to get you great food, fast.

The building at 4100 River Ridge Drive NE in Cedar Rapids was built in 1990 and originally was home to a restaurant known as The Sand Trap. A fitting name for a place across 42nd Street from Twin Pines Golf Course.

Vito's came next and had a lengthy, successful history at the location that features patios in both the front and rear. Vito's closed last month when new owners purchased the building. However, it wasn't closed long at all.

Jeff Beer and Kevin Flanagan bought the restaurant and immediately went to work to do some updating in the kitchen and added several more televisions, as well. They now have 19 at the restaurant named Flano's on 42nd. It's now fully open after a soft opening that started a couple of weeks ago.

The restaurant draws its name from the nickname of co-owner Kevin Flanagan. You'll also notice a bowling ball and golf club in the restaurant's logo. Flanagan is a noted bowler and is a former golf pro and kitchen manager at St. Andrew's golf course in Cedar Rapids.

I chatted with Jeff Beer last week and he shared with me that the restaurant will have a neighborhood grill-type menu. They'll target getting food to you within 15 minutes, making a stop for lunch possible no matter how full your day is.

That menu has a handful of appetizers from chicken wings to cheese curds, and pork loin strips. Sandwiches include a homemade breaded tenderloin and there's a unique chicken salad salad. That's not a typo. It's homemade chicken salad on mixed greens. Jeff tells me that it's been extremely popular so far. And I can't forget their pizzas, which feature a homemade crust. I had one of those last week and it was tremendous.

Flano's on 42nd is open from 11 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.