The wait and work are almost over for the updated and expanded Riverside Grille in downtown Bettendorf. Located at 1733 State St. for about a decade, Riverside Grille is relocating into a much larger space in a former credit union building about a block away. The goal is to reopen Riverside in its new 1710 […]
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The wait and work are almost over for the updated and expanded Riverside Grille in downtown Bettendorf.
Located at 1733 State St. for about a decade, Riverside Grille is relocating into a much larger space in a former credit union building about a block away. The goal is to reopen Riverside in its new 1710 Grant St. home by early March, said business owner Dave Mohr.
Riverside closed its previous location after Super Bowl Sunday events.
Much of the exterior work on the new building is done, but interior work was moving at a “crazy” pace in late February and early March with teams of workers tackling several different projects, Mr. Mohr said.
“Retrofitting a former bank into a restaurant is not a simple task,” he added. “We needed to remove walls to open up the space, convert the vault into a walk-in cooler, transform the drive-thru into a two-story outdoor space, and make extensive aesthetic improvements to the exterior. It definitely doesn’t look like a bank anymore.”
The Grant Street building was home to Ascentra Credit Union until 2019 when the credit union built a new headquarters and branch nearby between Grant and State streets.
Mr. Mohr bought the building in 2020 with the hopes of transforming the former Ascentra space into a restaurant in fairly quick order. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit along with supply chain issues and a labor shortage.
Suddenly, nothing was moving fast and Mr. Mohr’s project faced a series of delays.
“Just when progress was being made, we would be faced with another challenge,” he recalled. “We waited nine months to receive our new hood system for the kitchen when it was supposed to only take a couple of months. Then we had a difficult time finding tables for the dining room. So, we are building them ourselves - thanks to my talented friends and family.”
Once open, the new Riverside Grille will be able to boast some new features because it will have a lot more room. (The new building spans about 10,700 square feet compared with 3,444 square feet in the former location.) Patrons will enjoy outdoor seating, seasonal live music and a second-floor reception space that can be used as a rental space for private events.
But Riverside will maintain most of its current menu in new home including Daytona wings, grilled tenderloins and thin crust pizza. The business plans to add some new signature items, including a “Bottoms Up” draft beer tapper system.
As part of the moving process, Riverside is looking to hire line cooks, servers and bartenders to join the new team. As of late February, Riverside did not know how many employees the restaurant will be hiring.
Mr. Mohr did all the design work and served as general contractor on the renovation project. Subcontractors for the project include Streamline Architects, Townsend Engineering, Tri-City Fire Protection, Van Pelt Drywall, Ewert Plumbing, FOPS Heating & AC, Ace Property Maintenance.
Go to riversidegrillebett.com for more information on the business or to fill out a job application.
