8. Jeff Bruning: From Unconventional to Unmissable Artwork

Table for Two

Pull up a chair at the Table for Two. Join Jessica Dunker, President and CEO, of the Iowa Restaurant Association, on a tour of the state and spend time with some of Iowa’s award winning restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality professionals. You’ll hear the stories, inspirations and even a few secrets, behind your favorite eating and drinking establishments. You’ll be surprised when you learn which high profile operators say they chose the industry, and which claim the industry chose them. We talk traditions and trends, tastes and tactics– with some of Iowa’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Our conversations will entertain patrons, enlighten operators, and leave everyone hungry for more. Subscribe to Table for Two on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Table for Two

8. Jeff Bruning: From Unconventional to Unmissable

April 17, 2023 • Iowa Restaurant Association • Season 1 • Episode 8

Jeff Bruning calls himself an “insurance refugee.” He took a traditional path—graduating high school, then college, then getting a “grown up” job. But he quickly realized that being behind a desk was not the future he wanted. He took what he thought would be a placeholder restaurant position and found his passion. He also found his people—in the form of creative, business-savvy partners. Together they became Full Court Press and changed the Des Moines Restaurant scene. Listen in as we talk about the birth and growth of some Des Moines’ first experiential restaurants from The Royal Mile and Hessen Haus to Fong’s Pizza and The Iowa Taproom. Hear too about some of the misses of one the state’s most successful restaurant groups and where they see their future.

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Jessica Dunker

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