Oldest Iowa Restaurant Burns Again!

[Bogus]

I don't know if any of the forum members know of Breitbachs Family Restaurant in Balltown, IA, but it has been a popular stop for motorcyclists in this area for many years. Balltown is in NW Iowa, a few miles north of Dubuque. It was the oldest family owned restaurant in Iowa, and was first opened in 1852. The original building was lost to fire on Christmas Eve of last year. It was rebuilt, and reopened in June of this year. Sadly, 10 months to the day after the Christmas Eve fire, the restaurant burned to the foundation again! The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. My wife and I went for a ride today to see the damage first hand since we are only about 12 miles away. Thought I would show pics of the resaurant in case anyone on the forum has ever been there, and a couple of pics of the view just a block north of the restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River valley. Enjoy!!

 

[twistedcricket]

I don't know if any of the forum members know of Breitbachs Family Restaurant in Balltown, IA, but it has been a popular stop for motorcyclists in this area for many years. Balltown is in NW Iowa, a few miles north of Dubuque. It was the oldest family owned restaurant in Iowa, and was first opened in 1852. The original building was lost to fire on Christmas Eve of last year. It was rebuilt, and reopened in June of this year. Sadly, 10 months to the day after the Christmas Eve fire, the restaurant burned to the foundation again! The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. My wife and I went for a ride today to see the damage first hand since we are only about 12 miles away. Thought I would show pics of the resaurant in case anyone on the forum has ever been there, and a couple of pics of the view just a block north of the restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River valley. Enjoy!!

NE Iowa

My parents raved about it and we were planning to eat there around Christmas. Sad.

 

[wheatonFJR]

What the heck is going on out there...biker payback or poor electrical work or what? jeez...twice like this will put em out of business. I was there with an FJR rder from Maple Park 2 or 3 years ago...great food and great views over the MI river valley nearby.

 

[wheatonFJR]

dup post

 

[odot]

That sucks......ate there once with a couple buddies of mine on the way to minne from new york. They knew how to make a steak. The portions they doled out were crazy big.

 

[eworth]

Have ridden past the restaurant a few times. Seemed like a popular place. Wonder if they'll rebuild it ??????

 

[hecpilot]

A friend of mine who used to be in the business told me that there are no "accidental" restaurant or nightclub fires. Not the ones that total the place. Its usually an insurance scam to get the owners out of a failing business. Think about it, how many of these places mysteriously catch fire in the middle of the night, they burn to the ground and no one gets hurt?

Either way, this story was sad.