The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
-by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner
After fifteen years of running his successful restaurant "Uncle Ronnie's" Bar & Grill in West Burlington, Iowa and 49 years serving the Burlington area in the restaurant business, Ronnie Kastner is calling it quits today, May 1st, and handing the keys back to the building's owner, Brad Inghram.
There's been a lot of activity at "Uncle Ronnie's" since he announced his decision to retire. People coming in to wish him the best in his retirement, some their farewell, and others requesting his help in one way or another, such as teaching kids basic golf techniques and rules, a sport he has always been passionate about, or helping out a young mom who needs the night off from work to attend her daughter's graduation.
"Sure!", he said. "A mother shouldn't have to miss her daughter's graduation," he told his friend.
Ron's wife Brenda said the couple's first plan is to drive to Minnesota near the South Dakota border where she has two family farms in both states they will check on, but mainly to relax at their cabin on a lake there, for a short get-away.
Brad Inghram said he has enjoyed working with Ronnie since he leased his building to him in May of 2009.
Inghram, who owns all the buildings along Derek Lincoln Drive except for Bickels Bicycle, said that, he has leased the building to Jim and Sara (Evans) Brown of Stronghurst who owns and operates The Feedlot Bar & Grill in Stronghurst as of May 1st.
Ronnie has sold his equipment to the new tenants and they are making plans to renovate, and turn the business into JB's Sports Bar & Grill keeping the same familiar dishes at Uncle Ronnie's.
Ronnie Kastner, 73, said it all began in his home town of La Crosse, Wisconsin after college when he began training at Sirloin Stockade in 1975. He was sent from La Crosse in August of 1975 to Mason City, Iowa to train and then was sent to manage the Sirloin Stockade in Burlington, on December 1, 1975.
Ronnie ran Sirloin Stockade from 1975 to 1980 when he went to the Suburban Club for a year. He returned in 1981 to Sirloin Stockade when they ended and were bought by Golden Corral with their "world class buffet". In 1998, Golden Corral moved to what they said were bigger towns so Ronnie went to Dubuque to run a Golden Corral there.
Missing what had become home, Ronnie returned to Burlington to work on Jefferson Street at Piccadilly's and then Jefferson Street Cafe in the prestigious Tama Building. From there Ronnie took over the Southeastern College restaurant for four years drawing customers from the mall, the hospital as well as the college. When the Drake opened he went to work there for a short spell and then went to Mediapolis to run a restaurant for three years from 2006-09. That is when he was approached by Brad Inghram to start a restaurant in his building.
"I basically kept the same menu with some expansion, that was popular at the college," Ronnie said.
How did he happen to name it "Uncle Ronnie's"?
He explained when he was running the food services at SCC he would fix appetizers and the staff would take a break in the middle of the afternoon and one of the kids, Sherry Zeller started calling him "Uncle Ronnie." "It went from there, I guess", he laughed.
"What I've enjoyed most about the restaurant business is the people," he said. "I've been here 7 days a week for fifteen years, a lot of time, but it's the people I've enjoyed and will miss the most."
He said he felt his success was being there every day, and being sociable and getting to know the people where he can call them by name.
"People want to be recognized and called by their names," he said.
Where most people have trouble remembering names, Ronnie has a technique. In the beginning, he said he would say their name several times as they spoke, even writing their name on his hand at times and soon he said he could usually remember their name.
In between working, Ronnie and his wife Brenda from Minnesota, have raised two children in Burlington, a son Michael who lives in Cedar Rapids, and a daughter Ami who lives in Germany working for the Department of Defense to keep military children safe there.
He and his wife attend the Bethany Lutheran Church on Madison Ave. in Burlington.
Retirement plans include helping out at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Course, in Fort Madison, Iowa, restoring his MG Midget, a two-seater lightweight sports car, and of course some golfing.
And then, once and awhile, maybe a little fishing at the lake cabin as they check on their Minnesota and South Dakota farms.
Ronnie said how he couldn't have been successful if it weren't for his many great employees over the years, that made his 7-day-a-week job a lot easier, and if it weren't for the manly good customers who came regularly to patronize his place.
Ronnie and Brenda Kastner of Burlington, IA look forward to his retirement after 49 years.