Tom+Chee Opens in Strongsville

STRONGSVILLE, OH - Everyone has a comforting memory of chowing down on a Mom-made meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup. It's that nostalgia that Tom+Chee's in Strongsville is hoping to bring to customers.

Tom+Chee, which specializes in grilled cheese meals, may already be familiar to eagle-eyed fans of the shows Shark Tank, Man vs Food Nation, or The Chew. The quick-serve restaurant is in 15 states, according to its website, but is entering the Cleveland market for the first time with a location at 13359 Pearl Rd.

Colleen Franklin is one of the owners of the new restaurant but she's no stranger to the city. She's a resident of the city and she and her father have owned the Buffalo Wild Wings on Pearl Road for more than 15 years.

"We liked the concept of Tom+Chee because it's different. It's offering different food," she says. "This food always brings back a good memory for people."

She added that she's not worried about her new restaurant taking away business from her BW3 location because they're different concepts.

"BW3 is more casual, there's alcohol available, and sports will always be our driving factor down there. We're fortunate to have the teams we've had these past few years, " she says. "Tom+Chee's is perfect for the family that has a couple of kids and can only maybe keep them under control for 30 minutes."

Franklin says they selected their location on Pearl because it was far enough from the mall to avoid holiday traffic. She says that most Strongsville people she knows try to avoid Southpark mall during the holiday season rush, so being off the beaten path, a little, will keep a steady flow of Strongsville customers filtering into the store.

The process of bringing Tom+Chee to the Greater Cleveland area started three years ago, when Franklin and her father met founders Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward (the duo that appeared on Shark Tank).

"They were very patient with us. We probably took a little bit more time [to open the franchise] than they probably cared for, but they believed in us and what we wanted to do," she says.

Currently, the restaurant has 25 employees and is looking to hire more quality cooks.

Franklin and her partners are looking to develop the Tom+Chee brand throughout Cuyahoga County and are working on opening a second location in Broadview Heights. She was tight lipped on where exactly the next franchise would be in that city, but she did say it would be near the Route 82 and I-77 intersection. There's been steady development in that area across from the Giant Eagle, 4343 E. Royalton Rd.

"We want to be the quick serve grilled cheese place to go," she says.

To find more information about the Strongsville Tom+Chee you can find them on Facebook or on Twitter and Instagram.

Photo by Chris Mosby, Patch