At 4 p.m. on a Thursday in April, The Stuffed Olive opened in Des Moines with customers already waiting to walk in. By 4:45 p.m., every stool at the bar is occupied, and half an hour later, the new main dining room decked out with jewel-toned chairs all the brighter against the black backdrop of the space. It’s hopping. Groups order from the long list of martinis, snack on small plates and chat.

The Stuffed Olive hasn’t missed a beat since moving less than a block away in late March.

“People are really excited to come back downtown,” said Brendan Kelley, the longtime owner of the restaurant and bar. “I think everybody's been avoiding downtown for the last few years and they’re like, ‘Finally we have a place to go that’s safe.’”

For a decade, customers frequented The Stuffed Olive at 208

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