Business : A&W, Godfather\'s Pizza planned for new John\'s Qwik Stop building

John Ketchen hopes that a bear named Rooty and a Midwest pizza favorite will soon help Vinton residents feel as at home at John’s Qwik Stop in Vinton as he did when he walked into the Vinton Popcorn store as a kid more than a half century ago.

Ketchen announced this week that when John’s opens its new building, it will include both an A & W and Godfather’s Pizza.

That same combination has worked well at another store Kethchen owns, the Riverside Travel Mart, a few miles south of Iowa City, just east of Highway 218.

The new building should be ready to open in three to four weeks, Ketchen said. Business will be limited while the old building is demolished and gas service is established. A grand opening is expected in August when all of the work is completed. The restaurant additions will require adding 16-18 employees, Ketchen says.

Ketchen still remembers the walls of Vinton Popcorn, and how the atmosphere made him feel as a young boy. He hopes to create the same sense of home in the new building. Business remains good in the current structure, although it was outdated 20 years ago, Ketchen adds.

Many local contractors involved

Ketchen said the business relied exclusively on local contractors, except for the large scale restaurant-style equipment and plumbing.

“We had a very good experience with our local contractors,” said Ketchen. Area businesses involved in the project include Barnes Furniture, Coots Materials, Betterton Concrete, McDowell’s, Edwards Plumbing, Elwick Electric and others.

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