DAVENPORT, Iowa — Tappa's Steakhouse in west Davenport has been in business for 40 years and is part of the Quad City community.
Now, the owners of the restaurant Cliff and Jan Tappa, say it's time "to pass the baton."
"We're ready to retire," co-owner Jan Tappa said. "We want to go take a train in Canada and explore."
The restaurant opened its doors in 1982 and has created thousands of memories for people across the area.
For Cliff Tappa, he says it was an honor to not only serve the community countless delicious meals, but to also be able to teach many life lessons.
"I've been doing this for 56 years," Cliff said. "I love cooking but I love being able to work with kids to get them into the business and teach them a new skill. If we can touch them at the right time in their life, we can send them off in the right direction."
In the 40 years of owning the business, Cliff has only been able to go on three vacations. With retirement, he plans on going on many more.
"I want to go down to Costa Rica, I want to see Central America. My wife is Irish, I would love to go to Ireland," Cliff said.
When asked about her vision about retirement, Jan said that she wants to be around the Quad City community.
"This community has meant a lot to Cliff and I," Jan said.
"In all the years that we've been here, we've had a lot of families come in and out. They'll always be part of our world. We keep in touch with them and that will never change," Jan said.
Although the pair is looking forward to retirement, they are hoping to find new owners that will keep the restaurant's legacy going.
"We're hoping someone takes over the restaurant and keeps it going," Jan said. "We would be willing to help them transition easily into the business and assure it's a smooth transition."
The Tappa's decided last year that now was the time for retirement. They are hoping to find new ownership as soon as possible.