Mr. Beans employee Stephanie Arndt talks to Jim Hines as he orders sandwiches for his coworkers at Alliant Energy.

CEDAR RAPIDS - Mr. Beans has returned downtown in the Alliant Tower, at the corner of Third Avenue and First Street SE.

After losing everything at their Town Centre location in the June 2008 flood, Curt and Amy Bean made the decision to come back downtown.

The breakfast pizza at Mr. Beans was piping hot this morning.

They continued to operate their location at 1080 East Post Rd. in Marion after the flood and many of their customers asked when they would reopen downtown.

“It was a difficult business decision to make,” Amy Bean said.

But downtown is their home base and as difficult as the decision was, Amy said she always knew they would return.

Curt Bean wasn’t so sure they would return downtown, but he was “asked so many times if we were coming back. So here we are. It’s nice to be wanted.”

The new space at Alliant Tower is larger than the Town Centre location and is all on one level. They also have a conference area for meetings at the Alliant Tower.

The coffee is freshly brewed at Mr. Beans' new downtown Cedar Rapids location, 200 First St. SE.

They still have their breakfast specialties, sandwiches, salads and baked goods that have made them so popular. And, oh yes, there’s still plenty of coffee.

Mr. Beans is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. To place an order, call (319) 363-2998.

Mr. Beans carries its signature cookies and baked goods at its new downtown location.