Cox left his job in the architecture field in 2017 for a position at the Cedar Rapids based Lion Bridge Brewing Company. He knew he wanted something outside of an office, and he knew he wanted to learn the restaurant industry so he could one day open his own establishment.

“I decided that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life entirely in front of a computer, and I wanted some kind of mixture of being part of a community and doing something physical,” Cox said.

While Cox’s original goal was to open a restaurant of his own, that dream transformed into something else entirely. As he worked at the brewery, he ended up meeting one of the previous owners of the Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana, a restaurant that has been open under different ownership for 72 years.

Cox was introduced to the owners at the time, Yana and David Cutler. After running the restaurant for 20 years or so, the Cutlers were ready to start a new chapter in their lives, and they were willing to teach Cox the many intricacies of the Ronneburg. The opportunity was too good for Cox to pass up.

The Ronneburg was originally a community kitchen built in 1860 for the Amana Colonies before it opened as a restaurant in 1950, and in the 72 years it’s been in business, it has been operated under several different owners. Most recently, Marshalltown natives and siblings Doug Cox and Liz Busch have taken the reins.

In August 2019, Cox began working for the Cutlers with the intention of buying the Ronneburg, but due to some roadblocks, including the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he didn’t end up actually purchasing the restaurant until August 2021.

The Ronneburg resides in a building that used to function as a community kitchen for the Amana Colonies and was built in 1860. It is a popular attraction in Amana, and as a result, Cox realized he couldn’t take it on alone.

He reached out to his sister, Liz Busch, and his brother-in-law Bryan Busch to see if they were interested in running it alongside him. Liz said she was happy to go into business with her brother as they have worked together in the past, and she ended up leaving her corporate job to become a co-owner of the restaurant in April.

“Both of us are big foodies, lovers of experiences and I also was, both my husband and I, were looking to get involved in something that we could do on our own,” Liz Busch said. “It was definitely a want on both of our sides, just to do something with family, do something on our own and the fact that it deals with food and such a fun town is a bonus.”

The siblings have had a great experience with the business thus far, and they are glad to be working with the public once again after the pandemic put a damper on restaurant operations for a period of time.

Pictured is one of the five dining rooms that the Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana boasts.

Cox is thoroughly enjoying being away from the “rat race,” as he put it, and is looking forward to running the Ronneburg Restaurant for the foreseeable future, but the food industry is not without its challenges.

“Just like every other restaurant right now, we are needing staff,” Liz Busch said. “It’s definitely the world that we live in right now, that it’s been a struggle to hire enough staff.”

Cox echoed his sister’s sentiments, and he added that inflation also presented challenges for the restaurant as food prices have risen significantly.

“Our problem right now is not business at all. People are rediscovering Amana, perhaps if they want a little, quick getaway with gas prices being what they are, but the business is — people want to eat out and people want to gather with their family and what-not. That’s not the issue, it’s literally the flip side of just making sure you have enough staff to provide for the people who want to come in,” Cox said.

Challenges aside, they are still making plans for the future. Cox said they are contemplating remodeling the bar area so they can more easily host events or live music, and they are keeping a list of other small projects to update the Ronneburg Restaurant to improve the customer experience.

When asked what made him take the plunge into the industry from his previous position in architecture, Cox said he liked the restaurant atmosphere and the fact that he was surrounded by people who wanted to be there.

“What I tell people all the time, other co-workers here, is that nothing is an emergency and your job is to make people’s day just a little bit better, and to me, that’s — sure, it can be stressful at times because your trying to get hot food to people in an efficient manner there, but your job, literally, it’s to make their day a little bit better through service, through your food, through the experience and that kind of stuff, so it’s being part of an environment that’s positive,” he said.

As Cox approaches his one-year ownership anniversary and Liz Busch settles in as a co-owner, the restaurant is thriving, and the two siblings are excited for the future of the Ronneburg.

To learn more about Ronneburg, which is located at 4408 220th Trl., Amana, Iowa, 52203, visit https://ronneburgrestaurant.com/.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611

or smeyer@timesrepublican.com