Iowa City-based Wilson’s Orchard & Farm will be closing its restaurant and converting the upper level of its ciderhouse, 4823 Dingleberry Rd., into a second private event venue.
“This change will allow us to better serve the growing demand for our event bookings, and to host more of our popular ticketed events such as our Full Moon Dinners,” stated a post on the business’s Facebook page. “Please note that our kitchens will remain committed to sourcing local, high quality ingredients, and scratch cooking. Both venues will now offer all-inclusive service and in-house catering by our awesome events team.”
In an email to the CBJ, Paul Rasch, owner and president of Wilson’s Orchard & Farm, said the decision came due to growing demand for private events at the venue.
“Our event business has been very successful and we want to grow that side of our business,” he said. “Utilizing the upstairs in our restored barn for events rather than a restaurant will allow for smaller, more intimate events of 20 to 70 people. This will also enable us to host more of our own events such as farm to table dinners, special occasion meals, and parties like our annual Wassail.”
Mr. Rasch also clarified that the restaurant has been closed since Sunday, Dec. 29. Some restaurant staff will remain employed to manage the additional events that will take place after the conversion, which will happen in January 2025.
Wilson’s will start hosting events in the new space in February. All downstairs weddings and events will take place as usual.
In April of 2024, Wilson’s Orchard expanded with a new 115-acre farm off of Interstate 35 at 3201 15th Ave. in Cumming – a town just south of Des Moines. Like its original location, the new farm offers you-pick fruit trees, berries, pumpkins and flowers, as well as a the Ciderhouse Restaurant & Bar, the Farm Market, and a private event center.
“Drawing on lessons learned from our Des Moines Ciderhouse, we’ll be expanding the dining infrastructure around the Farm Market. This change will streamline guest experience, improve parking and flow, and consolidate all of our public amenities in one central location,” the social media post stated about the changes in store for its Iowa City location. “Though the dining experience may be a little different, our commitment to locally sourced, farm-to-table food remains greater than ever.”
The post ended with a statement of gratitude to the patrons of Wilson’s.
“We are super grateful for the support and patronage of everyone who has visited and dined with us at Rapid Creek Cidery and Wilson’s Ciderhouse over the years, and we look forward to sharing more details about our plans for the future.”
