Behind the Bar: The Londoner
Posted on 23 June 2010 by tracy.mccullough

Your accent is a hint that you may not be from Iowa originally. 
Originally from England, I moved out to LA in the 80s where I met my wife, who was born in Cedar Rapids. After we had kids we decided it would be a good move to get out of California and put them in Iowa schools, so we ended up back in Cedar Rapids.

How was that transition? 
Honestly I had never been to Iowa, let alone Cedar Rapids, before I actually came here to live. Literally the day we had the cable being installed was 9/11. The cable came on and we were in the throws of the attack. So a little unsettling of a start, but Cedar Rapids is a great community. The only regret is that we didn’t move here sooner.

What inspired The Londoner? 
My sister Marilyn had been in the states for quite some time, and last year decided to move to Cedar Rapids to be closer to me and the family. She had owned restaurants in other parts of the country, and we both thought it would be fun to bring a little bit of the English pub atmosphere to Cedar Rapids.

What three words would you use to describe The Londoner? 
Warm, friendly and welcoming. It doesn’t matter who you are, we want to make sure everyone feels that this is their place. We know our customers have a choice in where to go and getting out there to visit them and make them feel good is important.Does The Londoner have a signature shot? That would be the Celtic Pride with vodka, triple sec, English Rose, Apple Pucker, lime juice, sweet & sour and a bit of pineapple juice.

Any activities we should know about? 
The World Cup has had this place packed, but we offer a number of things including easy listening music on Sundays. We will be getting a variety of sports including Monday Night Football this fall.

Finish this line: “The key to a great time at the Londoner is to come in with your ___”? 
Smile on your face and an appetite.

Check out the full article on Hoopla's website.

Thanks to all our continued support from our patrons for voting us into KCRG's A-List in the Top Five Best Pubs in Eastern Iowa. We'll take that First Place Next Year!

Thanks to all our continued support from our patrons for voting us into KCRG's A-List in the Top Five Best Pubs in Eastern Iowa. Not bad for being our first year opened!