New Barbecue Restaurant to Open in Cedar Rapids

A former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star is opening a new restaurant in Cedar Rapids that bears his name.

Billy Sims Barbecue will be opening in The Fountains, in northeast Cedar Rapids. The development is located at the corner of Edgewood Road and Blairs Ferry Road. According to The Gazette, the restaurant will occupy about 2,300 feet of one of the single-story retail buildings on the property. It's expected to seat 75. While much work needs to be done, property manager Dave Castelluccio says the restaurant could open as soon as February.

This will be the second Billy Sims Barbecue in Iowa, following a location that opened in Burlington in May of this year. The chain, which debuted just over 10 years ago, currently has 49 locations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, and Iowa.

Billy Sims won the Heisman Trophy as a running back for the Oklahoma Sooners in 1978. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Detroit Lions before a terrible knee injury forced an early end to his professional career.

Sims knows football and it appears clear he knows a thing or two about barbecue as well. Thankfully the wait for this food may only be a few months away because it looks mouth-watering good. Mmm mmm.

[via The Gazette and Billy Sims Barbecue, and Wikipedia]