A legendary restaurant in Moline, well-known for its giant Reuben sandwiches, will close forever on Saturday, February 1, 2014.
The Belgian Village Inn, at 560 17th Avenue opened in 1977 by Denis and Loretta Cuervorst. It was purchased in 1997 by Karen and Shawn Manning, who have run it since then.
In addition to those colossal VandeReuben sandwiches, the Belgian Village Inn offered fresh-baked bread every day as well as other homemade sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts.
The Mannings made their decision public, to close the Belgian Village Inn, on the restaurant’s Facebook page January 29, 2014.
“Our last day will be Saturday, February 1st,” the post said. “(We) did some soul searching which led to our ultimate decision to bid farewell. For several months, we have known this day would come.”
The Mannings thanked their customers, family and employees for their loyalty over the years.
“You have been a joy to meet and serve,” the post said. “We will miss all of you and your stories.”
Patrons on Thursday were trying to get their fill one last time. News 8 spoke with some customers during the afternoon and they said they had waited for more than three hours in the drive through because of the high volume of business.