T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Garrett Goodman, donning a La Carreta shirt in a show of solidarity with another popular Marshalltown restaurant, poses for a photo in front of his favorite beer signs at Calvin Rockett, the establishment he took over on Aug. 1.

Over the last few years, local restaurateur Garrett Goodman has racked up the accolades and enjoyed unprecedented success at The Flying Elbow, but he’s always indicated a readiness to take on the next big challenge and push himself even further. By now, most of Marshalltown knows that one of the community’s most beloved native sons has found it in the form of Calvin Rockett.

Goodman took over ownership of the South Center Street establishment known for its classic American fare from Grant and Anna Mattox on Aug. 1, and, unsurprisingly, he’s already overhauled the menu with everything possible made from scratch in house and several new items, including an al pastor tenderloin that drew rave reviews on Facebook. According to Goodman, conversations about the potential acquisition began back in the winter through a mutual friend, and at first, he admitted he was hesitant.

“One is a lot of work, and with the food truck going as well, I definitely have a lot on my plate, but we started having some conversations. It was a lot of feeling out at the beginning to try to decide if this was even something I wanted to take on, but after a few conversations, I just saw the potential,” Goodman said. “It’s a great location. They’ve done great business over the years in this location, and there’s a lot of things, creatively and food wise, that I saw myself doing here that aren’t exactly in the realm of The Flying Elbow or Last Ride BBQ, for that matter. And I’m constantly trying to challenge myself in all aspects.”

He said it was important to have a “win win” for both sides in the deal, and he feels like they have accomplished that. In a post shared on Facebook, the Mattoxes thanked the customers who supported them through six years and expressed excitement about what Goodman could bring to the restaurant.

“We are very happy to officially announce that after six awesome years, we are transitioning ownership of Calvin Rockett to Garrett Goodman of The Flying Elbow as of today. We appreciate all of the community support we have received over the years. We will always cherish the memories we made with our wonderful customers and staff,” they wrote. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing crew that always had our backs. From derechos to pandemics, with a wedding and a newborn thrown in, it’s been a wild ride! Please join us in welcoming Garrett and wishing him all the best!”

Goodman was also happy to keep the Calvin Rockett staff onboard, describing them as “great people, great employees and talented employees.”

“I’m excited to bring my knowledge of the industry here and breathe some new life into this business,” he said.

Once he started, Goodman took the restaurant’s top sellers and condensed the menu to a single page, and his vision for the future is in the realm of classic comfort foods, as he describes it. He said he prepared about seven possible new dishes Sunday night, and he looks forward to concocting more culinary masterpieces in the days, weeks and months to come.

So far, “about 95 percent” of the feedback has been positive, with a few natural holdouts who are fearful of change, but Goodman aims to bring the same level of quality that has made The Flying Elbow one of the most popular eateries in the entire state to Calvin Rockett. Although he’s currently working through almost all of his waking hours, he has faith in the staff at both restaurants to deliver a high-quality product customers will enjoy.

“I love what I do. My life is work right now, and that’s fine with me. It’s a lot of long hours — I’ve been doing 90 hours a week for the last few weeks, but it doesn’t feel like work to me because I love this,” Goodman said. “I’m really excited about the changes I’ve implemented already and I’m just looking forward to continuing down with that.”

For the time being, the hours will remain the same — 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The plan is to open back up on Sundays at the start of the NFL season on Sept. 10. Goodman is also in the process of revamping the upper level of the building for private events and parties, and he’s excited to have “a different vibe” for sitdown dinner, brunch and lunch contrasted with the traditional sports bar atmosphere of the lower level.

A familiar question is posed to Goodman as the interview winds down — What will you do next? — and, in typical fashion, he doesn’t disappoint, discussing plans to develop the old Standard Oil building on West Madison Street into an events center and live music venue, future changes at Calvin Rockett, the deck being built at The Flying Elbow and the continued growth of the Last Ride BBQ food truck.

“A lot of irons in the fire, so I guess at this point, it’s just honing them all in and continuing down the road,” he said.

Calvin Rockett is located at 2013 S. Center St.