New ownership in store for A & G Pizza Steakhouse and Lounge

One of uptown Creston’s restaurants, A & G Pizza Steakhouse and Lounge, will soon pass into the hands of new ownership.

A & G, which has been in the Groumoutis family and Creston’s culinary community for more than 40 years, will be taken over July 5 by Jake and Britni Kawa, both previous longtime residents.

“The whole bar and restaurant thing is something we both knew we always wanted to do, but we wanted to do it somewhere that we wanted to plant our roots,” Britni said. “We’re really excited to be back in Creston with family.”

Both halves of the Kawa collaboration have spent many years acquiring and sharpening professional skills that may help them with the challenge of adopting the local eatery and pub as their own.

“I’ve been in the business for a long time,” Jake said. “All through college and even after college, it’s all I’ve done. I managed the Sports Column in Iowa City and a bar called the Dry Dock, which is by Cedar Rapids. Gus’, in Coralville, is where I’ve been managing.”

Britni has worked as the district manager for eight salons in Iowa. “My job was to retrain staff, to make sure they understood that the customer is what comes first,” Britni said. “One big thing we focus on is the importance of communication and customer service.”

Letting ownership of A & G leave the family was a difficult and emotional decision for the Groumoutises, whose patriarch, Tony, opened the business in 1973. Tony’s son, Dino Groumoutis, currently manages the restaurant with a dedication to family tradition.

“I’m excited,” Dino said. “They’re both extremely friendly and seem to deal with people well. I think they’ll be a great fit for A & G.”

Though the Kawas bring a magnitude of service and management experience from a different cultural climate, they both agree they are not trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the restaurant’s operations and reputation.

“I think it would be kind of ignorant to go in there and change things that have been done so well for so long,” Jake said. “We want to be very consistent with all the food, keep all that the same. Down the road, we will bring in some new things that people will enjoy.”

Even the name of the Creston restaurant will remain intact as a reminder of the legacy upon which the business has grown.

“They’ve done a really good job over the years and I think the name is a lot that goes with it,” Jake said. “Everyone knows it.”

“We’re happy to see the name stay,” Dino said. “It’s like a piece of our family. We’ve been a big part of the town for so long, we really didn’t want to see that change.”

Dino will stay to work with the Kawas for about a month after the change. Both parties plan to use this time to collaborate on ideas and preserve many of A & G’s valued traditions.

“Obviously, Dino’s done this a long time and is really good at it and knows what he’s doing,” Britni said. “I’m excited he’s agreed to stay on and teach us what he knows so we can continue doing as well as he is now.”

Dino said he takes great pride in his father’s successful launch of A & G and his family’s decades-long dedication to its reputation. He also wants to ensure the preservation of many of the core elements of the business.

“There are traditions we didn’t want to see die like certain recipes, the way the pizza dough is made, how the steaks are cut,” Dino said. “We have a really great customer base and I think they will be in good hands with Jake and Britni.”

Both members of the Kawa partnership are enthusiastic about their new business venture and the chance to become re-ingrained in the fabric of Creston’s community.

“I just want to be part of the Creston community, go to football games, support teams, support the community in general,” Jake said. “As I got a little older and matured a little more, I started to see that being part of a community is really important at this stage in life.”

Britni added: “We felt like the small town feel was something we enjoyed growing up and want to give that to our kids.”

Dino stands in resolute agreement.

“Creston is a very tight-knit community and always has been. We’re thankful for being a part of that for so long,” he said.

The fact that A & G has been family-owned and operated for the entire 43 years since its conception was one of the driving forces behind the Kawas decision to take the reigns.

“We want to keep that family feel and do this as a family,” Britni said. “We hope that in 10 or 15 years, both of our girls will want to be up there working alongside us.”

The Kawas want to not simply maintain but increase the fondness of local residents for A & G. After establishing themselves, they have visions for improvements and additions, ranging from practical to fun.

“The bathrooms definitely need addressed,” Jake said. “We’d like to maybe bring in some more games and things to do. They don’t have shuffleboard or darts, things like that. We’d like to give people something to do besides just sit, eat and drink.”

As first-time restaurant owners but longtime industry employees, the Kawas recognize major changes need time to come to fruition. Being pragmatic, though, doesn’t stop the flow of ideas for the future of A & G.

“We’d like to bring a spot in where people could watch the Hawkeye games, Iowa State games, things like that,” Jake said. “We’re going to bring in some TVs. We’re going to establish a drink program. We’ll probably bring in some new beers, sort of broaden the horizons in a small way.”

One prominent goal of the Kawas is for A & G to be an establishment where anyone and everyone feels safe, welcome and satisfied.

“We want everybody, both in the restaurant and bar side, to feel comfortable coming in at any time,” Britni said. “Whether it’s a couple of guys stopping in after work for a few drinks or an entire family for a nice dinner, that’s really important to us.”