LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE, 3050 Iowa, is one of the newest steakhouses in Lawrence.

It seems as if undecided diners in Lawrence have to do little more than head south on Iowa Street to find a place to eat, no matter what their taste may be.

In the past couple of years, the area at 31st and Iowa streets has seen an increase in restaurants, leading to more variety in south Lawrence dining and more competition among restaurant operators.

Several restaurants have opened up within a year, including On the Border, 3080 Iowa, and Longhorn Steakhouse, 3050 Iowa. Another one of the newer establishments is Bigg’s Bar & Grill, 2429 Iowa, which opened in September. Co-owner Doug Holiday, also the former general manager of the Hereford House, said the competition in south Lawrence was good.

“I would look at it more as an area of destination for people rather than going to one restaurant with a single-minded purpose,” he said.

Holiday also said he thought restaurant competition wasn’t limited to the south part of town.

“I think every place is competitive,” he said. “All restaurants are going up against everybody. That’s what makes Lawrence a unique town. It takes 10 minutes to get anywhere.”

Old Chicago, 2329 Iowa, has been in south Lawrence since April 1995. Although general manager Dustin Steffen has been at Old Chicago for just a few months, he said previous managers were concerned when more restaurants started opening up on south Iowa Street.

ON THE BORDER, 3080 Iowa, is among many restaurants on south Iowa Street.

“I think it is fairly competitive because everyone is trying to get the same target demographics,” Steffen said. “Especially when you start to add more restaurants with everyone trying to get the same dollar.”

Steffen came to Lawrence from Omaha, Neb., and said he expected a less crowded market than what he was used to. He said the south Lawrence area featured a fair amount of restaurants to serve the size of the community, but “if we got any more it would probably be oversaturated.”

Steffen said he hoped his customers planned to dine at his restaurant rather than selecting it at the last second.

“We want to be more of a destination restaurant where people say ‘Let’s go to Old Chicago tonight’ as opposed to driving up and down the street deciding where to go,” he said.

Holiday said one of the biggest concerns in opening a new restaurant in south Lawrence was getting its name out. He said they did lots of advertising on television and in newspapers, as well as introducing themselves to different businesses in the area.

“Any time you move into a new area, the challenge is letting people know you’re there,” he said. “You want to let people know you’re being consistent and delivering a quality product all the time.”

Steffen said it was important to constantly improve and change certain aspects of the restaurant to remain competitive.

“I think in the beginning it was a little daunting that there was increasing competition,” Steffen said. “But we’re looking at making some changes here, hopefully livening some things up and getting people back in our doors and returning on a regular basis.”

He said some of those changes included a new menu featuring different types of food that the restaurant did not previously feature.

Steffen also said the restaurant would be remodeling the interior and possibly parts of the exterior in the next couple of months to remain competitive against newer establishments.

“We’re trying to get a bit of a fresher look and an updated feeling in the restaurant,” he said. “We’re 10 years old, so it’s time to shine it up a little bit.”