CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio – You often hear somebody “grew up in the restaurant,” a nod to family business carried on to the next generation. But in the case of pals Jaret Tekavec and Alec Roberts, that’s literally the case.
The two operate Tavern Six in Chagrin Falls. They received the keys Dec. 1 and opened the third week of February. It’s an extension of the original in Kirtland, which is marking 10 years in business.
“We had talked about it since we were little, and now it’s here,” Tekavec said.
They two have been friends practically since birth. They knew each other through their parents – Tekavec’s father, aunt and uncle and Roberts’ dad were among the original owners of Tavern Six.
“We used to go camping when we were little,” Tekavec said. “We have baby pictures of us.”
From a young age, the two “helped build the place” by doing everything from demolition, food running, hosting, bartending and managing. Now Tekavec, 27, and Roberts, 24, are running the show on East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls.
Tekavec likes to say he was the first food runner at the original location, but his real education started before the restaurant was opened. He went in as a 16-year-old to help with demolition. His dad gave him his first instructions.
“Be careful, that bag’s got nails in it,” Jim Tekavec told his son.
“Yeah, yeah, dad whatever,” came the reply.
Of course, the teenager cut his leg.
“Day one, I have already put blood, sweat and tears in it,” Jaret said.
Roberts started immediately after the Kirtland location opened in March 2015.
“He (Jaret) was training me. I was 14 or 15 at the time. I couldn’t drive. So I had to have my parents drop me off. I didn’t know what to expect.”
The following week, he goes back in, expecting more guidance. But Tekavec had taken off for school.
“So I was on my own. I said, ‘Where’s Jaret? I can’t do this on my own.’ I was thrown into it.”
Both attended Ohio State, but neither went after a job; the family restaurant had drawn them in. They wanted to make their mark.
“We just really wanted to build something on our own,” Tekavec said.
“This,” Roberts said, “was always the path.”
That path is a familial one rooted in hard work. And that work resulted in lines out the door at the Kirtland restaurant.
“We were growing a lot. People were driving from far away to get there,” said Tekavec, who said 30-minute drives were not uncommon, nor were 45-minute mid-week waits.
What Tekavec and Roberts have strived to create is a family-friendly niche missing from their piece of Chagrin Falls. It’s a place for everyone, though it doesn’t stay open late. It’s not a sports bar, but televisions hanging throughout show games.
Roberts said they devote two hours a day to cleaning the space, which has a side room with bar and tables, plus there’s a patio.
Its décor is clean, devoid of junked-up walls plastered with signs and posters common in so many places. A bass drum mounted in the side room has “Ohio State – The Best damn Band in the Land.” It lights up near the bar. On the patio an upside-down old canoe holds string lights.
The name refers to U.S. 6, where the original restaurant sits, and the original number of owners, they said.
But what Tekavec and Roberts want to get across is a strong team spirit.
“We don’t have any servers; everyone’s a bartender. They all split tips, they all pool, they’re all helping each other out. It’s ‘You have a free moment? Let’s do it,’ ” Tekavec said.
“It’s the only way we know how to do it,” he said.
Tekavec and Roberts, years after doing the early grunt jobs a restaurant requires, still roll up their sleeves.
“We host when we need to, we cook when we need to. Day after my 21st birthday I started to bartend. A couple of years later I trained him how to bartend,” Tekavec said.
They learned how to manage at Sage Karma Kitchen, a sister restaurant in Willoughby.
For Tavern Six’s menu, Tekavec said, “Everything but the ketchup, mustard and mayo is made in house.” Pizzas and wings are the most popular in Chagrin Falls, as are burgers and ribs. Tavern chicken is big in both locations, they said.
The Kirtland restaurant offers the popular Hornet burger – a spicy burger that includes chipotle mayo, fresh jalapenos, pepperjack cheese, dry sriracha seasoning, Applewood bacon and red onions. It’s named after Kirtland High School teams. In Chagrin Falls, it’s called the Bomber, after Kenston High.
Chagrin Falls High School has its namesake menu item, too. Tiger Philly is a sirloin-steak sandwich with red-onion confit, chipotle mayo and balsamic reduction drizzled “like tiger stripes.”
Healthier options like quinoa salad and bowls also are offered.
“We had always talked about this, running a restaurant,” Tekavec said. “This feels like a big accumulation of everything we’ve been working toward the past couple of years. This is our first training wheels-off experience.”
Original location: 7592 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland.
New location: 540 E. Washington St., Chagrin Falls.
Distance: The original is 13 miles to the north of the Chagrin Falls location.
I cover restaurants, drinks, sports-related and other topics on our life and culture team. For my recent stories, here’s a cleveland.com directory. WTAM-1100’s Bill Wills and I talk food and drink at 9:35 a.m. Tuesdays. Twitter and IG: @mbona30. To check out my books, go to marcbona.net.
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