Downtown Cedar Rapids will be home to a brand new eatery in less than a week! We are excited to welcome Gianna's Italian Beef to 375 3rd Street SE. We are especially excited here at the radio station, because the new restaurant is located less than a block away from us. I love having new lunch options!

The signage for Gianna's Italian Beef has been up for several months now, which has left us wondering when they'll be open for business. I'm happy to report that the restaurant will finally open its doors on Monday, October 22nd. They will offer "city inspired Italian cuisine in a fast casual setting," with menu items including hot Italian beef and grilled chicken sandwiches, Vienna beef hot dogs, salads, shoestring fries, and Italian ice.

If you're wondering about the name, the restaurant is actually named after the owner's daughter, Gianna. A Facebook post from July reads:

"You may have wondered what’s in the name? Well, Gianna was the inspiration behind all of this! She was one of the most beautiful, funny, intelligent and passionate little girls I have ever known and she was my daughter! We miss you every day and we can’t wait to enjoy some of her favorite past times with you at the restaurant!"

Here are the latest sneak peek photos of Gianna's Italian Beef:

We are looking forward to trying out some of the new food options here in Downtown Cedar Rapids! Especially this...

For the latest updates from the restaurant, you can follow their Facebook page HERE.