Cedar Rapids restaurant slashes hours, concerns over lack of office business and safety [Video]

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Gianna’s Italian Beef in downtown Cedar Rapids has shifted their hours, now closing almost four hours earlier than before.

The nearly six-year-old restaurant says there have been a variety of issues making it difficult to stay open later in the evening, from safety concerns to a lack of downtown business bringing in customers.

“It’s the office buildings that have destroyed us, because there’s nobody in them, and they all work from home,” Vinny Russo, one of the restaurant partners, said.

The Cedar Rapids Downtown District says the amount of people working in downtown is still below pre-pandemic levels, but the amount of development is encouraging.

“Most people are very upbeat about the big upswing from numerous construction projects, new business openings and signs of progress and vibrancy throughout downtown,” the Downtown District said, in a statement to TV-9.

Another of Russo’s concerns is the safety …