Or rather, when word spread like wildfire.

“They told me you’re going to have a tenderloin tsunami,” Risetter said. “At the time, we were going through about 300 pounds of tenderloin a week. I had to ask myself: How much is a tsunami?”

He ordered, and had 15 cases of 40 pounds each on hand when the announcement went out on a Friday. That’s 600 pounds.

“By Saturday morning I was on the phone trying to find more tenderloin,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Rick Sexe, the cook at the Grid Iron Grill and Sports Lounge in Webster City, works on getting ready for the day’s customers. Sexe has been with the restaurant since it opened 15 years ago.

He did manage to procure some more, having his brother in-law pick up the pork.

It wasn’t enough.

“I ran out by Monday. It was just insane.”

The award, and its ensuing tenderloin tsunami, is just one of many adventures he’s had since opening the doors on June 26, 2008.

He’s celebrating the restaurant’s 15-year anniversary with a celebration on June 24 from 7 to 11 p.m.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
LeAnn Louk, who’s been working at the Grid Iron Grill and Sports Lounge in Webster City for about 10 years, preps salads recently. Owner Burke Risetter said she does “Everything.”

“We’ll have homemade chips, dogs, brats and $2 draws,” he said. They’ll also have the band Fret Noise, a group of local musicians that are alumni of several other bands.

Risetter came into the restaurant business through the distribution side. He worked for Harkers and Martin Brothers Food Distribution.

“I went from selling groceries to places like myself, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals to this.”

He’s taken the hard work and long hours in stride. The why of it comes up, well, occasionally.

“I ask myself that every night,” he joked.

The location was the Shady Oaks Restaurant for many years. When Risetter purchased it, it was known as the Half Mile Bar and Grill.

“That lasted eight months.”

He got help, and encouragement from his uncle, Kevin Ades, who had been involved in the restaurant business for decades.

“I said, let’s do something with this place,” Risetter recalled. “So we made an offer. The next thing I know, I own a restaurant. We know it was going to be blood, sweat and tears.”

Risetter gladly credits his uncle with being a great mentor. He said his expertise in the various aspects of actually running a restaurant were critical. Everything from creating the menu, deciding on decor to calculating food and labor costs.

“He was a good guy.” he said. “I looked up to him in many ways. He was a good role model, a good business operator. He had a great sense of things we should try. He had a lot of great ideas and a lot of great feedback.”

He also fondly remembers his grandfather, Sam Ades. Ades owned the Gold Room Cafe and Zip’s Burgers.

“That’s where I first learned,” he said. “That was my first real job. He was all business. He was there every day, open to close. He cared about the employees that worked for him and treated them fairly. He was a great guy.”

Risetter also managed to navigate the COVID pandemic and the shutdowns.

“(Iowa) Gov. (Kim) Reynolds shut us down on St. Patrick’s Day,” he said. “We had a bunch of corned beef and green beer. We had to hustle. I needed ‘to go’ boxes. I had 200 on hand. That turned into 2,000 a week. I was running around trying to find more.”

He said they had to adapt as the rules changed. Masks, gloves, social distancing. These all became part of day to day life. Then there were supply chain issues and there were even things that had to come off the menu.

He took some of the menu on the road.

“I dabbled in the food truck,” he said. “We’re out of that now.”

One thing that did stay constant? Risetter made sure his employees were taken care of. He quickly credits them with helping the business get through and he remains grateful for their dedication.

The winning Breaded Pork Tenderloin continues as a popular menu item. He said it’s been nominated again in this year’s contest and the Grid Iron is a destination on the Tenderloin Tour.

“I don’t think that will ever go anywhere,” he said. “It’s our No. 1 seller.”

Risetter’s been surprised once or twice by his customer’s preferences.

“I never thought we could sell salmon,” he said. “We sell a ton both in dinners and salads.”

He plans on being around for awhile; he’s considered some expansion and maybe a bigger kitchen. But for now, he’s happy to celebrate 15 years.

“I have a lot of gratitude to our customers who come from near and far to support us,” he said.