To lament closed Village Inn restaurants

This is the Village Inn that used to be open
in downtown Bettendorf.

     It just does not make sense: Why on earth do Village Inn restaurants in the Quad-Cities close?

    Drive by the Village Inn near St. Ambrose University in Davenport and it is almost always packed. That's the same at the Village Inn near Target, in northern Davenport.

    But the one in downtown Bettendorf, where I used to regularly go? Nope, it closed a few years ago.

    Let's talk about the Bettendorf downtown location: It was an easy place to meet friends, many of whom worked downtown in either Bettendorf or Davenport.

    It was also simple to meet with Illinois-side folks, who could simply cross Mississippi River and be on site in minutes.

    There were long-term waitresses at this location and they were very good at the job. It also could accommodate groups of people easily.

    Combine the service, with great breakfast and lunch food, and you've got a winning restaurant idea.

    Now let's consider the Village Inn that used to be located on North Brady Street, north of 53rd Street. Our family liked that one at night, as we'd be hungry and on our way home to rural Eldridge.

    I can't count the number of times we stopped at that location and had a late-night breakfast, after enjoying a concert at the Mississippi Valley Fair. 

    It was shocking to see both of these facilities quit business. 

    Linda Cook, reporter at the Quad-City Times, wrote about the North Brady Street closing in 2020. The company responded with a statement in the newspaper:

    "Village Inn Restaurants has announced it will close its 5925 N. Brady St. location on Dec. 30.

    "After careful consideration, we have made the tough but necessary decision to discontinue operation at this location," said a Village Inn spokesperson. "This is never an easy decision to make and one driven by many business factors. It is important to note that all employees who desire to stay with the company will be relocated to another location in the market or will be provided a parting severance package. Village Inn can't thank our loyal guests enough for their friendship and patronage over the years, and we invite them to join us at one of our other many locations where they will see the same friendly faces and enjoy great-tasting food."

    The Village Inn corporation is based in Springfield, Mo. It states online the company has more than 200 franchises in the Rocky Mountains, Arizona, Florida and the Midwest.  

    Possible reasons for the local closures could include the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe disagreements on leases. There are all kinds of simple explanations.

    I did recently enjoy parking at the former downtown Bettendorf Village Inn because I like to run across the new I-74 Bridge. But that ended Nov. 1, 2022. I'm not sure why.

    It's just a shame. A restaurant with such an ambiance should have long-time staying power.

 

The front door of the former Village Inn
in downtown Bettendorf.