On the square in Pleasantville, Iowa, family, community, and Iowa’s best burger intersect at Halftime Bar & Grill. The Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association are proud to name Halftime Bar & Grill—and its owners, the DeHeer family—the home of Iowa’s Best Burger for 2025.

 

Community and Family

In rural Iowa, community and family are often synonymous. That can be said for the DeHeers, owners of Halftime Bar & Grill (107 N Jefferson St, Pleasantville, IA). As we sat down to talk with them about their restaurant, their experience in the contest, and what winning Iowa’s Best Burger means, themes of family and community rang through their responses.

As long-time residents of Pleasantville, Kevin and Kathy DeHeer, along with their children, Amanda and Tyler DeHeer, have owned and operated Halftime Bar & Grill for just over two years.

Kathy was the one to steer the family down the path of restaurant ownership and going into business as a family. She has worked for Frosty's, the restaurant, which is where Halftime Bar & Grill is now. The owners were looking to retire and approached Kathy to see if she was interested in buying them out. 

“I had always wanted to run a café,” said Kathy. “I talked with Amanda, who also worked part-time for Frosty’s, to see if she wanted to be a part of it too. We both kind of had this restaurant dream, so we thought, why not?”...