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Smash City Grill cook Jay Aukerman makes a batch of smash burgers.
CELINA - For a soft opening with little fanfare, Smash City Grill saw good sales on Thursday afternoon as its staff churned out smash burgers, chili dogs, ice cream nachos and other comfort foods.
Located in downtown Celina at 109 W. Logan St., Smash City Grill has set up shop in the former Dairy Cone, which was long a community institution frequented by generations of families and children.
Partners Jason Musgrave and Jeremy Lockwood have honored the site's storied legacy by offering a mix of soft serve ice cream and prepackaged frozen treats, while at once augmenting it with a line of juicy smash burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, french fries and chilis.
And those ice cream nachos are not nearly as incongruous as the name suggests. Designed for the sweet tooth, it's a serving of waffle cone chips and a customer's choice of ice cream and either hot fudge or caramel.
"It's just like nachos. You dip (the waffle cone chips) in the ice cream, you dip in the caramel. However you want to do it," Musgrave said.
The menu at Smash City Grill includes the signature burger and a variety of ice cream treats.
Musgrave and Lockwood sought to imbue their eatery/ice cream shop with throwback charm. Customers can swing through the drive-thru for a bag of burgers or make their order right at the front counter and enjoy a meal sitting down at a picnic table.
Musgrave said he was heavily inspired by a nearly 100-year-old burger joint that he enjoyed while growing up in Findlay.
Smash City Grill emphasizes delicious, classic American fare made in a snap and served with a smile.
"We kind of made everything so that we could push it through quickly," Musgrave said. "So (a) real simple menu for the people working."
The grill at Smash City with balls of hamburger just waiting to get smashed.
There's nothing too tricky about the grill's signature smash burger other than deciding whether to go with a single, double or triple.
"The smash burger concept, I mean, that's been around for quite some time," Musgrave said. "Basically, you just smash the burger about a quarter inch thick. It cooks for about a minute. It gets like this nice bark on one side. You scrape it off the grill, flip it over and about 40-50 seconds and they're done."
The seasoning, though, is a deeply guarded secret which Musgrave isn't about to give away any clues.
Musgrave and Lockwood purchased the property in April with an eye to the ever-burgeoning downtown and lakeside retail and entertainment scene.
"Everything's booming down here in this corner with the Boardwalk doing their thing. This is the busiest intersection in town," Musgrave said.
Located in downtown Celina at 109 W. Logan St., Smash City Grill has set up shop in the former Dairy Cone, long a community institution.
The two experienced some delays getting Smash City Grill ready for business but were finally able to launch a soft opening on Thursday afternoon.
So far, the business has secured six employees, and Musgrave said he's putting together the rest of his crew and aims to open full-time on Monday.
Smash City Grill will be open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. every day except Tuesday, barring any staffing issues.
In addition to Smash City Grill, Musgrave owns and operates Media Shack on Main Street in Celina, The business sells DVDs, CDs, video games, video game consoles, stereo equipment, electronics and several other items.
