the establishment as soon as possible. Prior to the fire, the Democratic Party intended to hold the district 41 Democratic caucus at Breitbach's. The fire forced the caucus for that district to be moved to Sageville School. By March 2008 construction work began on the new structure. The new building, designed by Flor2 Inc. of Des Moines, would feature larger restrooms, a modern kitchen, and other modern amenities but would maintain much of the look and feel of the original structure. Construction of the new restaurant took 69 days. Breitbach's reopened on June 14, 2008. October 2008 fire By mid-October 2008, during the peak of autumn tourism in Iowa, Breitbach's reported greater business than ever before. Owner Mike Breitbach claimed that business had quadrupled since the Christmas Eve fire, noting, "For lunch yesterday we had 857 people." However, one week later, around 3:30am CDT on October 24, 2008, Breitbach's was once again completely destroyed by fire. Again, no injuries occurred. On January 28, 2009 it was announced that Breitbach's would rebuild. Breitbach's Country Dining re-opened in its third building on August 1, 2009. See also List of James Beard America's Classics List of the oldest restaurants in the United States External links Breitbach's Country Dining References 1852 establishments in Iowa Restaurants in Iowa Buildings and structures in Dubuque County, Iowa Tourist attractions in Dubuque County, Iowa James Beard Foundation Award winners Restaurants established in 1852