Liz Hageman and David “Jimmy” Novak are looking forward to the 10th anniversary celebration of Novak’s purchase of Jimmy D’s in Hawkeye.
Jimmy D's celebrates 10th anniversary
By Chris Deback
cdeback@fayettepublishing.com
David “Jimmy” Novak can’t help but smile when he takes a look around his bar and sees all the blood, sweat, and tears he has poured into Jimmy D’s in Hawkeye.
“We built it from nothing,” he said with a fond smile. “There was hardly anything here when I bought it. They had nine bar stools, two tables, and an old 19-inch, tube-style TV. Since then, we renovated the whole works, including the apartments upstairs.”
It was fate that led Novak into the bar after a wedding in Nashua, which resulted in a conversation about buying the local business with former owner Pat Jacobsen, who was a former employee of his at Agriprocessors in Postville.
“I was coming back from being the best man in a wedding in Nashua, and I stopped in here for a beer,” he recalled. “The owner told me the place was for sale. I was just inquiring about it, and [Pat] called me the next day and said she would give me a good deal. I never would have been here if it wasn’t for that wedding.”
On Oct. 8, 2008, Novak saw his childhood dream come true when he purchased the bar from Jacobsen.
“I always wanted to own a bar ever since I was a little kid,” Novak explained. “I never really wanted the food aspect, but it has escalated into that. You have to go where the money is, and it is in the food now. After the first few days it felt like I made a mistake. Everyone in this town didn’t think I could make a go of it because [the bar] was so far rundown and didn’t have clientele.”
Thanks to hard work and perseverance from Novak, and his countless employees who have worked for him over the last 10 years, Jimmy D’s has slowly improved, like a Phoenix rising from ashes, into the “Best Damn Bar in the Land.”
The first thing the Army veteran did was add more tables and chairs before jumping into improving the restaurant. In the last 10 years, Novak has upgraded the kitchen, adding a walk-in cooler and buying new beer coolers and food freezers. Those investments have paid off as people have raved about the food, especially the steak, with the establishment receiving 5 out of 5 stars on Facebook.