BETTENDORF, Iowa — A staple of the Quad Cities dining scene has passed away.
Cynthia Freidhof passed away peacefully on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, according to an obituary posted online. She was 72 years old. Freidhof and her husband Ronald owned Ross' Restaurant for over 50 years. The couple had previously announced their intention to retire and close the restaurant's Bettendorf location just a few weeks ago.
"It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the greater Quad City Community for most of our lives, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and thank all of our customers for their support throughout the years," Freidhof wrote in an Oct. 17 press release announcing her retirement. "From serving hungry customers during their late-night stops to seeing the same families weekly for breakfast after church on Sundays, we truly have had the best customers in the world, they are like our extended family and we will miss them all dearly."
Ross is known as the "Home of the Magic Mountain," a dish of grilled Texas Toast covered with loose ground beef, piled with hashbrowns or French fries, and topped with cheese sauce. In honor of Freidhof's legacy and impact on dining across the Quad Cities, Front Street Pub & Eatery has launched its own "tribute mountain," which is a bowl of ground beef, fries, charred jalapeños, bacon gravy, nacho cheese and scallions on top of two slices of sourdough bread.
Funeral services for Freidhof will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Heritage Church in Bettendorf. Her family asked any memorial donations to be directed to the Heritage Church Mission Fund.
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