West Point native's pizza business 'up quite a bit'

To save the business, Stuekerjuergen took it back over March 19, 2007. He changed the name back to Brad's Pad to dissociate himself from the Pizza Garden name for legal purposes. And, he's back to business as it was the first time. And then some.

WEST POINT - Brad Stuekerjuergen first bought the restaurant now known as Brad's Pad at 210 Eighth St., West Point, in 1991. It has been called Pizza Garden. He changed the name to Brad's Pad Pizza Garden, and sold it May 31, 2005. That owner changed the name back to Pizza Garden. That business began to fail.

To save the business, Stuekerjuergen took it back over March 19, 2007. He changed the name back to Brad's Pad to dissociate himself from the Pizza Garden name for legal purposes. And, he's back to business as it was the first time. And then some.

"Business is up quite a bit ? from when I had it the first time," Stuekerjuergen said.

Stuekerjuergen serves pizza from dough he makes daily. The sauce is doctored up with spices from a can-based sauce. The restaurant also serves subs, salads, hot sandwiches and appetizers. And there are flavored ice cream twists, plus "twisters" (akin to but not affiliated with the Dairy Queen Blizzard), shakes and malts.

Stuekerjuergen manages the business some evenings while working full-time as assistant magager at Hy-Vee in Fort Madison, and as general manager of Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits there.

Flash back to 1987. Stuekerjuergen, 29, was working at Sonny's Supermarket when the previous Pizza Garden owner, Floyd Luton, died of a heart attack.

"I had thought about opening a pizza restaurant in high school, but didn't have the skills or collateral for a loan," Stuekerjuergen said.

When the property went on sale as part of Luton's wife Beverly's estate, Stuekerjuergen bought it and "built the business up" from there.

Stuekerjuergen likes "the feeling that you're making people happy with the food they get." He knows they are because "they keep coming back." He also knows because customers come up to him at Hy-Vee and thank him for coming back and taking over the restaurant.

For more, see our June 2 print edition.