Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Maquoketa and Dubuque, Iowa, as well as Galena, Ill.

A Maquoketa restaurateur has opened a new eatery about two months after the closure of a different establishment.

Mega’s Grill & Eatery, located at 101 McKinsey Drive, opened Sept. 14 in the old Flapjacks Family Restaurant location, according to owner Mega Ajroja. He previously owned Main Street Cafe, which closed July 17.

“In 2019, just before COVID, we purchased the old Flapjacks,” Ajroja said. “It was a landmark that had been here for 40 years as a restaurant. We had it all planned to open here at the end of April or May 2020, but in March, COVID hit. But then we kind of regrouped, and we finally opened.”

Ajroja said the entire building has been renovated and seats about 130 customers, double the size of Main Street Cafe. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch daily, as well as dinner on Friday and Saturday.

“Initially, we had a plan to keep (Main Street Cafe) and do this more,” he said. “But after COVID and all that, we decided to come here full time.”

Mega’s Grill features a salad bar and large Sunday brunch and sandwich menus, Ajroja said. He added that everything on the menu is homemade, and the eatery’s chicken strips are a big hit with customers.

“We have a very good customer base in the area,” he added.

The restaurant also includes an old bar area in the basement, which Ajroja said now is fixed up. He said he hopes to obtain a liquor license soon and open the bar at a later date.

Also to open in the future is a beer garden for weekend events in the back of the eatery, he added.

“It’s been a tough kind of three years, but with hard work, anything is possible,” he said.

Mega’s Grill is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The business can be found on Facebook at bit.ly/3Rfrmje.

New acupuncture clinic opens in Galena

A husband and wife have opened a new acupuncture clinic in Galena.

Connell Acupuncture Clinic, 11400 U.S. 20 W., Suite 4, opened in June and is co-owned by Richard and Megan Connell. Richard is a licensed acupuncturist, and Megan is the clinic’s office manager.

“Since we’ve opened up, we’ve got folks that are so happy to have acupuncture in town, either because they had a positive experience in the past and had to travel for it or they heard so much good stuff about acupuncture,” Richard said. “There’s probably a lot of people in the community not familiar with it at all. It’s an interesting opportunity, and we like to prove that it works.”

Richard has more than 20 years of experience in acupuncture and massage therapy and is licensed to work in Illinois, Wisconsin and New Mexico. He said Galena was chosen as the site for the clinic in part because his wife is from the area.

He said he primarily deals with treating pain and uses a variety of acupuncture techniques. He added that many patients also find the treatment relaxing and stress relieving.

“Most people, if they hesitate about acupuncture, they think of needles,” he noted. “But these needles are super, super small. Most people are very surprised at how few they felt going in, and if they do feel it a little bit, the sharpness is not as strong as they thought.”

Connell Acupuncture Clinic can be reached at 815-238-3803 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information can be found at connellacupuncture.com.

Family-owned Dubuque dealership marks 70 years

A family-owned Dubuque automobile dealership marked a milestone anniversary this month.

Anderson-Weber Toyota, 3450 Center Grove Drive, recently celebrated its 70th anniversary of business in Dubuque. The business includes a car dealership, auto shop and body shop.

Sales Manager Shane Burtzlaff is among the fourth generation of the Weber family to work for the business. His dad and uncle — Tim and Jeff Weber — own the business. Burtzlaff’s brother Devon Weber and cousins Alex and Taylor Weber also are among the dealership’s workforce, which totals about 55 people.

“Our dad and uncle show up every day,” Burtzlaff said of key factors to the business’ success. “They’re involved in the day-to-day operation of what we do. We also have a very tenured staff, a lot of employees with many, many years of experience. Most importantly, it’s how we treat people, our customers and our employees.”

Burtzlaff said Anderson-Weber was started in 1952 as a Lincoln Mercury dealership by his great-grandfather Les Weber and Bob Anderson. A while later, the pair decided to bring Toyota vehicles to Dubuque.

“They had to drive to Chicago to pick up three or four Toyotas,” Burtzlaff said. “That was kind of a gamble at that point. It was an import brand. But the rest is history.”

He added that Anderson-Weber had two downtown Dubuque locations before moving to its current site in the late 1990s.

Over the years, Burtzlaff said, Anderson-Weber has prioritized being involved in the community, including by highlighting customers’ other businesses and nonprofit organizations.

“The resounding theme that I hear when I heard my dad, grandpa and uncle talk (about Dubuque) is it’s a great place to live and a great place to do business,” he said. “Dubuque is a very unique community.”

Anderson-Weber Toyota can be reached at 563-556-3281. The dealership is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.