Rusty Bucket, Tom+Chee to open off of University Parkway

UNIVERSITY PARK -- A little taste of the Buckeye State is coming to two Benderson Development Co. shopping centers.

Benderson has signed deals with two Ohio-based restaurants offering hearty food off of University Parkway.

Cincinnati-based Tom+Chee will open at 5231 University Parkway beside Buffalo Wild Wings in the Fresh Market-anchored shopping center Market at University Town Center; and

Columbus-based Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern is coming to the District at University Town Center, across from the Mall at University Town Center near Best Buy.

Tom+Chee

Tom+Chee expects to open during the end of the second quarter, placing it at a late June opening, said Marty Boyer, spokesman for Tom+Chee. Manatee County government approved a building permit Feb. 2 for Tom+Chee to start work on its restaurant.

"We've certainly had a challenge finding the perfect spot, but we think we're there at this time," Boyer said.

This will be one of the first Florida locations from Tom+Chee. Another franchisee has a location scheduled to open at the end of March or beginning of April on the corner of Vineland Road and Hotel Plaza Boulevard in Orlando.

Tom+Chee started as a business between two friends who loved grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Those friends, Corey Ward and Trent Quackenbush, started out in a tent in 2009 selling grilled cheese sandwiches at Cincinnati's Fountain Square.

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup is classic comfort food," Ward told the Herald in an August 2014 interview. "It's not pretentious. It's really good food we're serving at an afford

able price."

They appeared on ABC's "Shark Tank" to give the company national exposure and locally, have signed a 20-year veteran with Checkers/Rally's. David Williams and his wife Cynthia Williams hold the Tampa Bay franchise.

Tom+Chee's is best known for its grilled cheese doughnut, which are featured in a Baker's Dozen challenge at each restaurant. If a customer can eat 13 grilled cheese donuts in 10 minutes with one drink and no bathroom breaks, they'll get a T-shirt and a photo on the wall. Losers pay the $50 for the meal.

The Herald first reported Tom+Chee's interest in the Bradenton/Sarasota area last August after the company's attendance at the International Council of Shopping Centers' Florida Conference.

"We had a lot of really good applicants coming from Florida that we really liked," Ward told the Herald. "Plus, being in Ohio, a lot of people travel to Florida for vacations."

Rusty Bucket

Ohio-based Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern signed a lease for a 4,200-square-foot restaurant in the District at University Town Center, where Best Buy and Super Target are located. Its website lists a winter 2015 opening. A spokeswoman for the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Benderson Development Company, headquartered in University Park, signed the restaurant to a 10-year lease with two five-year renewal options, according to lease documents filed with the Sarasota County Clerk.

Rusty Bucket was founded in 2002 with its first location in Columbus, Ohio. Today, it has 17 locations in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Florida. Its sole Florida restaurant opened last summer in Naples in the Mercato shopping center.

Gary Callicoat, Rusty Bucket's founder, started the concept while he was general manager of Cameron Mitchell's Martini Italian restaurant in downtown Columbus. The restaurant group includes high-end seafood restaurant Ocean Prime.

Rusty Bucket's menu includes hearty meals like beef stroganoff and ribs, lighter fare like tomato cucumber salad, and traditional offerings like burgers, sandwiches and pizza. Its drink menu includes full beer and liquor and custom cocktails like a Kentucky Mule featuring Woodford Reserve, fresh ginger and lime and ginger beer.

Charles Schelle, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow him on Twitter @ImYourChuck.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Rusty Bucket, Tom+Chee to open off of University Parkway ."