Small Business Spotlight: Commitment and Casual Dining
Posted
on Thursday, May 8, 2025
in
Small Business Spotlights
Since opening its doors in August 2009, Legends American Grill has become a staple of the
Marshalltown dining scene—a place where aged hand-cut steaks meet the excitement of a 55-TV sports bar, and where a business meeting or an anniversary celebration can blend seamlessly with wings, cold beers, and the roar of a big game.
At the heart of it all is owner Dan Moellers, whose journey began when he rented the Jiffy convenience store, which was losing money at the time. He quickly turned it around with the support of the Marshalltown community.
It was at a Convention and Visitors Bureau board meeting around 2006 that he learned Marshalltown might lose its state swim meet—simply because there weren’t enough restaurants in town to accommodate the influx of guests. “It was frustrating to hear,” Dan recalls. “We had already lost the state baseball tournaments. I didn’t want to lose something else just because our town didn’t have enough places to eat.”
Though he hadn’t planned to get into the restaurant business, the community’s needs—and his own drive to help—spurred him into action. He partnered with the owner of Legends American Grill in Des Moines to open a location in Marshalltown in 2009. Nearly a decade later, in 2018, Dan bought out the Des Moines owner and took full control of the restaurant.
Legends American Grill in Marshalltown is best described as a casual dining restaurant with a sports bar atmosphere. With 33 beers on tap, private meeting and party rooms, and even an east patio with glass doors for additional space, Legends is designed to be as flexible as it is welcoming, and Dan is quick to credit his team for the restaurant’s continued success.
“I’m blessed with amazing staff—from the front of the house to the back,” he says. “Leadership is critical, but every position is just as important as another from the host starting off your experience, to our awesome servers, to the kitchen team prepping the food, to the cooks preparing the perfect meal, to doing the dishes.”
Of course, running a restaurant isn’t easy. Dan emphasizes the importance of watching every detail—from food costs to labor on each shift. “It’s challenging, but I enjoy that part. I'm very fortunate to have such an outstanding General Manager as Brady, as well as amazing Chef like Chad. They are dedicated, passionate and very focused on the customer experience. I truly look forward to our weekly manager meetings.”
Crucial to the success of Legends has been United Bank & Trust, which Dan calls more than just a financial institution—they’re a partner. “They not only look at assets and the business plan, but the experience behind the plan as well.” Dan commented, “my management team always comments on how friendly the staff at United Bank & Trust is to work with.”, he continued, “they enjoy going to the bank with a warm and friendly atmosphere where everyone knows their names.”
Dan shares a story that highlights the bank’s exceptional service: after mistakenly ordering business checks with the wrong account number, several bills were paid with checks that technically shouldn’t have cleared. “Instead of returning all the checks, they called me personally and figured out a way to make it work. That saved us major embarrassment—and that’s not the kind of service you get just anywhere.”
Now, more than 15 years after he helped bring Legends to Marshalltown, Dan continues to offer an experience to Marshalltown residents, beyond just dining. Whether you’re here for a steak dinner, a big game, or just a cold beer with friends, Legends American Grill is more than a restaurant—it’s a local business built on hard work, heart, and hometown pride.