Meatball’s Sandwich Co. will reopen on April 15

Kyle Yohe says the time is right for a meatball sandwich comeback story. Mr. Yohe and his wife, Rachel, plan to reopen their Meatball’s Sandwich Company shop at 2317 Cumberland Square Drive, Bettendorf, on Monday, April 15. “My life has calmed down a little bit. … Now, that we are settled in, it’s time to […]

Kyle Yohe says the time is right for a meatball sandwich comeback story. Mr. Yohe and his wife, Rachel, plan to reopen their Meatball’s Sandwich Company shop at 2317 Cumberland Square Drive, Bettendorf, on Monday, April 15. “My life has calmed down a little bit. … Now, that we are settled in, it’s time to reopen,” Mr. Yohe told the QCBJ on Monday morning, April 8, as he worked inside the shop, getting it ready for its comeback. On Monday, the interior of the shop had a sign stating “We’re open” and a box filled with black T-shirts with the Meatball’s Sandwich Co. logo on them. Mr. Yohe said those shirts actually arrived before the shop closed last year, but he never got a chance to use them. In a few days, that will change as the shop reopens at its old location, which is part of the Shops at Cumberland complex, and almost next door to the Goodwill store in Bettendorf. The sandwich shop now will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. (It will be closed on Sundays, but will still be operating the catering side of the business on that day.) The Meatball’s Sandwich Co. restaurant, which opened in 2021, closed last November. The closure was due to ongoing hardships, such as inflation and troubles finding employees, Mr. Yohe said. “It’s with a heavy heart that we must announce that we will be closing down our restaurant operations. … We have tried our best to overcome all of the obstacles that the restaurant industry has faced, but we’re unable to withstand the challenges. We sincerely appreciate all of our customers that have supported us over the last couple of years. What a journey it has been,” a post on the company Facebook page said shortly before the closing in November. While many of those hardships – such as finding employees – remain, Mr. Yohe said he wants to reopen because his former customers say they have missed the shop, and because various aspects of his personal life have settled down enough for him to devote more time and energy to Meatball’s. (For instance, last September, Mr. Yohe and his wife had a baby, which took up a lot of their combined energy.)

But, he added, the event that convinced him to reopen was St. Patrick’s Day. During that time, he temporarily reopened the sandwich business as a takeout service. He was busy making corned beef dinners for the holiday. At that point, he said the idea hit him to reopen Meatballs – with a few changes. For instance, he will be offering sandwiches as six- and 12-inch hoagies. However, the menu of sandwich types will remain the same. That menu will include its very popular meatball sandwiches as well as chicken-bacon ranch sandwiches, the New Yorker and many others. Meatball’s Sandwich Co. can be reached at (563) 296-6328 or email it at meatballsdeli@gmail.com. Another part of the business that apparently has not changed during the shutdown is the struggle to get employees. Mr. Yohe said that he and wife will be running the sandwich shop. He hopes to get a couple of people to help out, but adds that “not much” has changed in the  challenge to recruit workers. The business owner adds that he’s optimistic about reopening the business and believes  Meatball’s Sandwich Co. will be a big success because of his loyal customers. “A lot of people said they missed the place. You’ve got to give the people what they want,” he added