The Other Place was started in 1970 by Don Landau on
“College Hill” in Cedar Falls, Iowa and was primarily a college bar that
served and delivered pizza. The
business was purchased in 1975 by longtime friends of the Landau family, Ken and
Sue Stedman. The O.P. has since
become widely renowned and is recognized as a memorable part of the “college
experience” by generations of UNI students across the country.
The Other Place II and III were opened in 1976, 1979 in Waverly and
Evansdale, Iowa. The menu was
expanded to accommodate a full-service restaurant and bar with roughly double
the seating capacity as the original. The
Stedman’s owned and operated these two locations until they were sold to
longtime managers Bob Lenz in Waverly and Tim Hackenmiller in Evansdale.
The Eighties brought two new additions to The Other Place family, Clear
Lake in 1981 and Mason City in 1989. The
Clear Lake location was owned and operated by the Stedman’s until it was sold
to another longtime manager, Brian Hagenow.
This location underwent major renovations and expansion during 2001 and
has since become the crown jewel of the Iowa locations.
The Mason City “O.P.” is located in a downtown, turn-of-the-century
building that has multiple levels, several unique rooms and tons of character.
In 1991, Pepper’s Grill and Sports Pub was created in Cedar Falls,
Iowa. This unique sports-restaurant
was the first of its kind and is considered to be an inspiration for many other
similar restaurants in the area. Forty televisions, two full bars and a menu
with something for everyone makes Pepper’s a very popular destination.
The creation and success of Pepper’s belongs solely to Ken Stedman.
His penchant for risk-taking and desire to be creative has made
Pepper’s into one of the most successful independently owned and operated
restaurants in Northeast Iowa.
In 1997, a new era for The
Other Place began in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.
Troy Stedman, Ken Stedman’s son and former draftee of the Kansas City
Chiefs, opened the sixth O.P. adding his personal touch to the
“sports-restaurant” theme. A
new concept called, The Other Place, American Sports Grill and Pizzeria, was
created by combining specific elements of the Iowa O.P.’s and Pepper’s Grill
and Sports Pub. This milestone out-of-state venture caught on quickly and has
become one of Kansas City's favorite spots for sports and quality food.
Fifty televisions and two big-screens create a spectacular venue to
celebrate sporting events while the new diversified menu satisfies fans of both
The Other Place and Pepper’s.
The Other Place turned back to
Cedar Falls, Iowa for its seventh location.
The Other Place on University Avenue, otherwise known as “OPU”, was
opened in 1999. This location is
owned by a group of company personnel that includes Lenz and Hackenmiller
mentioned above, along with Iowa Director of Operations, Greg Kisner, and
General Manager of the location, Darren Corson.
Troy and Joel Stedman complete the ownership of this very popular Cedar
Falls location.
2003 brought the opening of the second Kansas City location,
this time in Olathe, Kansas. Olathe
was the first attempt at building from the ground up and has truly broadened the
horizons for the company. A newly
designed menu and State-of-the-art audio and video make this O.P. the benchmark
among sports-restaurants in the metro Kansas City area.
Spring 2005 will bring a new outdoor patio with a complete bar and
seating for thirty that will bring the overall capacity to well over 300.
Ken Stedman continued to own and operate College Hill, Waverly, Mason
City and Peppers until his unexpected death in December, 1998.
The restructuring of ownership of these four locations soon followed.
College Hill is now owned by Sue, Troy and Joel Stedman .
Bob Lenz and Greg Kisner now own the Waverly location.
Troy Stedman and Greg Kisner own Mason City, and Sue Stedman, Troy
Stedman, Greg Kisner and Joel Stedman currently own Pepper’s. The future of the company is clearly defined by the
ground-breaking achievements and popularity in the Kansas City market.
Distinct design and increasingly popular menu combinations have made the
Kansas locations ones to be modeled after by the OPU and Clear Lake locations.
Executive Director Troy Stedman is currently guiding this company down a new and exciting path along with the help of Iowa Director of Operations and business partner, Greg Kisner, and Kansas Director of Operations, Chrissy Greig. The entire Other Place family thanks you for your continued patronage.
Send us mail? Click above!!
This page last updated on Wednesday, March 28, 2007.
Back to The Other Place-Home Page