Iowa River Power staff bring back the brunch and steaks at the Highlander Hotel in March

The former staff of a cherished local restaurant has found a new home.

Displaced employees from the Iowa River Power Restaurant, which closed late last year, are partnering with the Highlander Hotel to help operate the Supper Club, with plans to offer IRP’s famous Sunday brunch and many of its other classic eats.

Highlander owner Angela Harrington connected with former IRP owner Danise Petsel after her two-decade run ended in 2023 to channel her expertise to recreate a historic supper club.

Harrington took over at the Highlander Hotel in 2019 as it struggled to gain a foothold in Johnson County. She quickly piloted a $10 million renovation and a return to prominence, anchored by a retro hotel vibe with luxurious amenities.

But, something was missing even as the hotel hosted a grand re-opening in late 2023. It needed that extra touch, that special feeling only a well-thought-out meal can provide.

Inspired by her knowledge and sustained success in the restaurant industry as well as her familiarity with the Johnson County clientele, Harrington reached out to Petsel, hoping to revive the legendary flavors of Iowa River Power.

The two hit it off almost immediately.

Petsel jokes that their partnership works because Harrington loves doing what Petsel hates and vice versa. Harrington said the pair might “need a reality TV show because we’re both quite colorful and very outspoken.”

But for Petsel, who opened the Iowa River Power Restaurant in 2002, the most important part of the transition has been keeping the staff together and making memories with community members.

“I have so many regular clientele who I’ve not only done their weddings, but their baby showers and funerals,” Petsel said. “It will be nice to have a huge space where we can see all of the people that we’ve known and we’ve grown up with and made beautiful memories with. And I feel the staff is my main reason. I just wanted to keep them all together.”

More: Behind the scenes of the Iowa River Power saga: Business frustrated with looming closure, building owner

IRP staff will lead ‘Supper Club’ integration

The Highlander is equipped with a large Supper Club space and nearly ready-to-rock kitchen perfect for accommodating large crowds, said Petsel, who plans to revive Iowa River Power’s vaunted brunches that averaged 800 people on Sunday mornings.

“The ballroom will be beautiful for the brunch and we can do the exact same brunch. We’ll just have a lot more space to do it,” Petsel said. 

The Highlander will also provide dinner service Thursday through Sunday, offering many of the same items that guests at Iowa River Power enjoyed — including staples like steak and seafood. Petsel is bringing the head chef and all of her IRP cooks to the Highlander. Many of the wait staff will also join her.

The hotel will provide food service throughout the week, but adding Petsel and her team means Harrington has more flexibility and can accommodate more events.

“I’m just tickled and frankly, I’m grateful because I really am trying to get good at the hotel operation and I’m just so grateful to have somebody who does (food service) so much better than me and with all of that experience,” Harrington said. “Take that piece, I’m just over the moon.”

Dinner guests do not need to stay at the Highlander to dine at the Supper Club.

Brunch service begins on Sunday, March 24, and will also be offered on Easter Sunday. Complimentary breakfast will continue for hotel guests Monday to Friday.

Regular dinner service begins Thursday, April 4.

From August: A retro vibe: Iowa City’s historic Highlander Hotel reveals 90-room, $10 million renovations

What happened to the Iowa River Power restaurant

After 22 years at the corner of First Avenue and Fifth Street in Coralville, Petsel and her Iowa River Power team were notified last summer that they would be forced to close. The building owner, Randy Ward, the founder of Coralville-based Randy’s Flooring, wanted to renovate.

Both Petsel and Ward seemed frustrated with the condition of the building and agreed that it required repairs, though neither could agree how the repairs would be made.

Petsel said Ward had not properly communicated how the renovations would impact the restaurant. IRP closed its doors on Nov. 26, just after Thanksgiving.

“It’s crazy to me because you know what, I think I’ve been a tenant that has never bothered him,” Petsel told the Press-Citizen last August. “I pay for things that he never handled. I had to pay for them. We’ve always been friendly, but obviously not friends because you don’t [do this to] your friends.”

More: Iowa River Power Restaurant set to close, cites owner’s plans to renovate

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.