Food brings the community together — at least for University of Iowa alum and Iowa City restaurant owner Nate Kaeding.

Kaeding gave a lecture in the IMU Thursday on food and community as part of the UI Hawkeye Lunch and Learn program, a lecture series aimed at bringing the knowledge of experts to the people of Iowa.

Kaeding was joined by two of his business partners, Doug Goettsch, a managing partner of Big Grove Brewery in Solon, and Benjamin Smart, the chef at Pullman Diner in Iowa City and Big Grove Brewery.

“I got involved with restaurants because it’s a great way to provide back to the community,” Kaeding said.

Kaeding said restaurants are a great connector to the communities in which people live, as well as providing both tangible and intangible factors that give a feeling toward customers.

In addition, Kaeding said, restaurants are a great way to attract people from different walks of life. The downtown environment in Iowa City creates interactions among people who might not otherwise come across one another.

He said Pullman was created because he felt that there was a diner experience missing in downtown.

Goettsch said atmosphere plays a big role to create a better experience for the customers. From the large open windows at the front to the dim level on the lighting, many visual elements are added. People don’t always notice these, but they like them, he said.

“The little things add up to one big experience,” Goettsch said.

Though Pullman was created because Kaeding wanted to bring a new scene to downtown, he said there can still be improvements. Kaeding and his business partners are focusing on adding more ethnic food to the Iowa City restaurant scene, he said.

Goettsch noted restaurants also serve a social function in today’s society.

They serve a core element in downtowns, Goettsch said. They are taking over the niche that people used to hang out in, such as country clubs or fraternity and social clubs.

He also said Iowa City has been trying to bring people back in from the suburbs, and it needs to provide entertainment.

Service was another element Goettsch touched on in the goals of the restaurants.

“We set an expectation to service and deliver an experience,” he said.

He can train people to the skill set he believes make the best experience for the customers.

Goettsch said making connections with people and making them happy can make customers become the best advertisers for a restaurant. Atmosphere and culture are able to deliver the total experience for a customer, Goettsch said.

Smart said no one can make the food they do, because so much of it is made in-house. He said that their ethos is to try to keep the food as local as possible, that they do not need to buy foods from out of the country if it is in season here in Iowa. This allows them to have fresher food. He also said that customers are affected by their perception.

“It’s the way you present it to somebody that makes all the difference,” Smart said.