DES MOINES, Iowa — It’s only 4:45 p.m.—15 minutes before the doors even open, yet Simon’s Restaurant already has a line down the block.

For those in the Merle Hay neighborhood, this is a remarkable-yet-common sight.

Still, owner Simon Goheen stays humble.

“You know one way or another if you go out to eat on a busy night you’re going to wait,” he says.

Busy night? It’s a Wednesday.

“I think some people just choose to wait the fifteen minutes before we open rather than a half-hour, 45 minutes later in the night,” says Goheen, staying grounded.

The truth is, Goheen has at least some reason to gloat: he’s been nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Award for Hospitality. Only 20 other restaurants have been nominated, none of which are in Iowa.

“Anything you do in life it’s always nice to feel wanted and appreciated,” Goheen says. “It’s just human nature I think to embrace those things.”

Since taking over the former J. Benjamin’s Restaurant at the corner of Merle Hay and Franklin, Goheen has embraced the difficult life of a restauranteur. He’s open six nights a week, and typically in the building all seven. The son of two bakers, he learned the power of hospitality early.

“My parents worked very hard,” he says. “They didn’t want to cook a lot so we went out to eat a good deal. When the restaurant owners would see my parents (who’d likely supplied them with some of their baked goods) they’d make an effort to come over and say ‘hello.’ That always made them feel good and I saw that.”

While Simon’s is typically full of regular customers, Goheen says he never takes them for granted.

“They’re helping me and my family do what I like to do,” he says, “and I signed up to take care of them for that night that they chose to come into my restaurant.”

Those in the line outside are quick to nod when asked if Goheen’s hospitality adds to Simon’s appeal.

“It’s what makes you want to come back,” says Cindy Larson of Des Moines.

“He always stops at your table to talk to you,” agrees Lucretia Cheatham, a Simon’s regular. “He’ll actually sit down with you.”

Plenty of Des Moines restauranteurs have been nominated for a James Beard award—true superstars like George Formaro, David Baruthio, Steve Logsdon, Joe Tripp, and Sean Wilson. But only two Iowa restaurants have won the award—Archie’s Waeside in LeMars and Breitbach’s Country Dining in Sherrill.

Goheen will find out next week if he’s a finalist. The winner will be announced in June.

“It’s a real honor,” Goheen says, “but it’d be nice just to get it over with, one way or the other. You always just want to go do your job.”