Iowa Restaurants Everyone Loved ... Until They Disappeared

 

Eating out used to meet something different. You didn’t rush. You sat down, grabbed a tray, or waited for a carhop. 

 

Some of these places were everywhere. Others were local legends. Most are gone now—but people still talk about them.

 

Bishop’s Buffet (1930s–1990s). If you grew up in Iowa, you ate at Bishop’s. Cafeteria line, trays, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, pie at the end. It was cheap, and everywhere—especially in malls.

 

You could feed a family without thinking about it. And the best part was everyone got what they wanted, no arguing about where to go.

 

They threw the towel in as fast food got faster, malls declined, and buffet-style dining felt dated.

Bishop's Buffet Was There, And Then It Wasn't

 

As a kid, you wanted McDonald’s. Maybe Henry’s. That felt like a win—bright, loud, fast, and fun. Instead, you got dragged to Bishop’s.

Not that Bishop’s Buffet was bad. It just wasn’t cool. No Happy Meals. No noise. No reason for a kid to get excited. It was where your parents and grandparents went.

You’d walk in already annoyed.

Then the smell hit you. Roast beef, fried chicken, rolls, gravy, something sweet in the background. That helped.

Three Fast Food Joints We Loved As Kids, But Have Disappeared

 

There was a time when fast food wasn’t something you just grabbed between errands.

 

You kind of had to earn it.

 

Long bike ride. Ball game. Wandering around all afternoon with nothing to do. Or hauling a pile of return bottles down the street, hoping you didn’t drop one and lose your lunch money.

 

Nobody talked about “the experience.” Nobody cared. You were hungry. You had a little money. That was enough.

 

Somehow it always tasted better because of that.

 

These three places stuck with me. They’re gone now. Most people wouldn’t even recognize the names.

 

But if you grew up with them, you don’t forget.

Sterzing's Potato Chips Iowa Made In Burlington

Burlington, Iowa.Mid-1930s. The country’s in the middle of the Great Depression. Money is tight. Businesses are failing.

Barney Sterzing is trying to sell candy.

It’s not going well.Heat melts the product. People aren’t buying sweets. Sugar costs too much. Something has to change.

So he pivots.

Potatoes are cheap. Oil is cheap. Salt is cheap.

He slices potatoes thin. Drops them into hot oil. Lets them cook slow. Pulls them out crisp. Tosses on salt.

That’s it. No flavors. No tricks. Just chips. And people buy them.

Then World War II hits. Sugar gets rationed. Candy is done. Completely done.

Herman A. Breithaupt Des Moines Expert Zither Soloist and Chef

 

(colorized photo from the Des Moines Register. April 15, 1928)

Herman A. Breithaupt, an expert Zither Soloist, was featured in the Des Moines Register in April 1928. Born in Germany in 1896, he began playing the zither when he was ten. 

Breithaupt's other passion was cooking. He worked in the kitchen at the Hotel Savery III in Des Moines, where he cooked and trained new chefs in the culinary arts. He told his students, "A meal correctly combined, scientifically prepared, and properly masticated is necessary for a healthy body."

In his spare time, he lectured at schools and clubs on food preperation, recipes, and health.

He was fifty years ahead of his time in his belief that one day, high schools would train young men to be chefs and food scientists.