Graffiti Burger dodges ‘fast food’ tag with high quality

By DONAVON CAMPBELL

Sitting down in front of a Graffiti Burger, the namesake sandwich at the new restaurant on West Fifth Avenue near Grandview Heights, one might have a difficult time seeing the forest for the trees.

The Graffiti Burger itself is a mountain of Angus beef, cole slaw, cheese, pickles, tomatoes and “Graffiti sauce” that, when stacked between a pair of fresh-baked buns, stands a good six or seven inches in height.

Graffiti Burger the restaurant, 1505 W. Fifth Ave., is the second store in a new venture recently started by Jim Torski, a former vice president of operations for Cameron Mitchell, and George Tanchevski, founder of Aladdin’s Eateries, Giorgio and La Fogata.

Torski, a Dublin resident, said he got the idea for a burger place that was not high-priced, but was also “not quite fast food” while working for Cameron Mitchell.

“When we were traveling out west we would see places like In-N-Out Burger … and at the time there was nothing like that in Columbus,” Torski said.

He decided to contact his old friend — the two men met some 25 years ago while working for Hyatt Hotels and used to co-own a restaurant called the Black Rhino in Cleveland — and he and Tanchevski opened their first Graffiti Burger in May in Dublin.

Since then, chains such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries have come to town, but Tanchevski said he, for one, is not deterred.

“The burger wars have begun,” he joked.

When staring down one of their massive hamburgers, one might lose sight of what really gives this burger joint its name: the thorough tagging on the walls of the dining area.

In one corner, Jim Tressel prepares to lead the Buckeyes onto the field — the image is complete with Southpark Jimmy — and next to that, a giant blue bobcat face peers out over letters of the same color that spell Grandview.

Across the room, a similar homage to the Upper Arlington Golden Bears gives the place a large splash of yellow, and a variety of other localized nuggets fill in the gaps.

“A lot of these (burger joints) are very sterile, and I wanted to do something a little more energetic,” said Torski, adding that his first idea was to allow customers themselves to write on everything.

“But after we thought about it … we decided to work with a graffiti artist instead,” Torski said.

They chose local artist Giovanni Santiago to decorate both their stores.

Even with a localized look, both men said they know it will be the product, not the decor, that will have customers coming back.

Graffiti Burger offers premium Angus beef patties on buns made fresh at a local bakery, along with any number of toppings, from classics such as lettuce, tomatoes and pickles to banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, a variety of sauces and Swiss, American, provolone and pepper jack cheeses.

For $1 each, applewood smoked bacon, crumbled bleu cheese, roasted red peppers, sauteed mushrooms or guacamole can be added.

The cole slaw is made in-house, the fries are cut daily and the milkshakes are hand-dipped.

There also is a handmade vegetarian option — a burger made from black beans.

Full-sized burgers, including the Graffiti Burger and the veggie burger, start at $4.99.

“You come in here and you spend your $6 or $7, you’re going to get a high-quality product and you’re going to be happy,” Torski said.

Tanchevski, who lives in New Albany, said his career as a successful restaurateur has taught him one simple, but crucial, lesson.

“People always talk about how hard the restaurant business is,” Tanchevski said.

“To me, it’s the easiest business in the world. It’s like having a party at your house every day. You just treat people the way you want to be treated — the stuff you teach your 2-year-old.”

For more information, call the Fifth Avenue store at 614-488-3665 or the Dublin store, 7561 Sawmill Road, at 614-734-1008. A Web site is under construction at graffitiburger.com.

(this article first appeared in the Sept. 30, 2009 issue of the Tri-Village News)