August 8, 2025 • 7 mins
Mark Somerson of Columbus Business First has a look at local business news including a new Taco Pros opening up!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's shift over to the Legacy Retirement Group dot com
phone line. Say good morning to our buddy from Columbus
Business First. You can see him at Columbus Business First
dot com. It's Mark Summerson. How's your Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Mark, I'm good. I'm gonna stop packing my money into
my shoes like I normally do, because apparently that that'll
set up more Mark.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Can you believe that's that's a crazy story.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, carries that kind of catch. I have maybe three
dollars on me at any given time.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, a lot of people aren't carrying cash as much
these days. I think I got a I think I
got a twenty, so you know, yeah, it's not sixty
it's not sixty thousand, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So we had this story, I don't know, a couple
of months ago about the Fifth Avenue Floral company there
at the corner of Kenny and Kinnear and that's been there,
that's been there forever, and that that family decided they've
had enough. They closed and now there's a developer that
wants that to be a hotel.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, Manob Singh talked to us because he also he
was in the news this week We had seen a
permit request to build a hotel at the old Patrick
Jays on North High Street, just south of Clintonville, and
when we sat down and chatted with him about that,
he brought this one up too, that he is interested
(01:16):
in putting a boutique hotel up at eighteen seventy seven
Kenny Road where the flower shop the Fifth Avenue Floral
Company has been there since the nineteen forties. It opened
in nineteen oh one and it was on West Fifth
Avenue and then moved over to the Kenny and Kinnear
site in the nineteen forties. It's been there forever. Now.
(01:37):
He wants to build a boutique hotel, so it's going
to be unbranded. It won't be any big brand. He
wants to put this out himself. He's also behind the
Hyatt Studios hotel, like I said, at Patrick J's, so
he's really interested in putting some hotels up. We're not
sure how much he purchased the prey or the land
for at Kenny and Kanear. It was one of the
(02:00):
LLC deals. We'll have to figure that out later if
we can. But yeah, this this is really interesting and
it's a really quick move. The land just kind of
became available. It's been snatched up. As you know, over there,
a lot of stuff is going on with OSU. They
own a lot of land there. It's right over there
by their West Campus innovation district. So yeah, it's it's
(02:21):
gonna be a really interesting spot if this ever comes through.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Is there and I've driven by a million times, have
actually been into the old Fifth Avenue Floral Company? I
don't know, it's been a while, but is there enough?
Is there? Is that a big enough footprint there to
put a hotel with parking and everything.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, there's already a little parking there, but it's one acre.
So you know, as as the folks downtown with the
Hilton proved, you can put a hotel up on any
little tiny spot of land.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And is that is that hotel that proposed hotel on
High Street in Clintonville at the site of the old
Patrick Jays Is that going forward? Then?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well that's that he is. He has applied for permitting
and we'll have to see it's gonna go through all
of the commissions that it has to go to before
it goes to the city. So yeah, who knows of
these projects? Sometimes these don't ever happen. Sometimes they take
a while, but they do this one. We'll just have
to see. He is showing intent to put up these hotels,
so yeah, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
All right, we'll switch gears and go over to Ohio State.
It's what twenty two days until Ohio State Football mark
and they are ready to build that members only high
end nineteen twenty two VIP club at the Shoe.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, this one's really interesting because your membership, whether you
are a social member or the big time game day
Access member one thousand for social memberships, that excludes game
days and then if you pay forty five hundred dollars
a year that gives you game day access. A couple
things wrong with that. One, the club is going to
(03:53):
be built on the outside of the stadium, so you
can't see the football field. And two, you still have
to buy a football ticket on top of your forty
five hundred dollars membership, So you know, if you want
to be seen on game days or not on game days,
you can get this membership. They will have TVs in
there and you can watch the game, but it's going
(04:13):
to be built around the B deck level between Gates
eighteen and twenty two On the outside, it's twenty thousand
square foot venue. This used to be classrooms and temporary offices.
Ohio State's really coming up with these revenue producing amenities
in and around the stadium. And yeah, you get food, beer, wine,
cash bar for spirits. It opens up three hours before
(04:37):
kickoff and closes one hour after the game. You have
in and out privileges, and you can transfer your game
day memberships game by game to a friend if you
would like to. So, yeah, I've already gotten a few
of these tickets set up already because I'll be there
every day.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I was going to say, the university has given you
a complimentary membership, have they not based on your status
in the community.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Oh of course. Yeah. Well he loves me. He send
me letters almost every day asking for money. But they
do send me letters, so you know, Well, you're in
constant contact.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I expect to be on your guest list maybe during
maybe for that Penn State game on November first, So
I'll just write that on my calendar. I've got tickets
with Mark to goo SEOSU. Penn State's perfect. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
By the way, Well you can't actually see it, but
you'll be there I just remember.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
That's fine, that's fine. I want to talk about foods.
I want to go to the Taco Pros story. What
is what is Taco Pros and where are they coming.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I'm a taco amateur, by the way. What I made
a taco the other day with hardshell and it all
went down the front of my shirt. So definitely an amateur.
But Taco Pros is Chicago founded company or actually, excuse me.
They opened already on Route thirty six in Marysville this summer.
It's the first Ohio location for this brand. They're from Chicago,
(05:56):
but we have an area developer named J. P. Tell.
He's working on more. He wants to have at least
ten restaurants in the next five years for this market.
Taco Pros. It's it's kind of like a Chipotle. It's
mechan street food. It's got all sorts of stuff on
the menu, kind of like that. Dining. Customers are given
(06:16):
a number served as a table. Average weight is seven
to ten minutes, which is kind of like a Chipotle.
It's got all the all the stuff you'd ever want.
It's got core protein, steak, chicken, barbacoa l past or
pork ground beef veggies. It's yeah, it's it's a taco place.
But if they're pros, so you know it's going to
be a professional.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's in the name.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Why not.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
See, I'm a I am a taco guy. If there
was one, if I if you told me I could
have one food the rest of my life, I think
I would choose a taco because you can do so
many things with the taco. So I will definitely be
checking this place out, and you know, if it's good,
I'll be back. Just I mean, like chipot Chipotle is good.
It's good. You know, it's it's a good option for
(07:02):
a weeknight meal, and you can make it as healthy
as you want too. So that's kind of attractive there.
So where again, is that they've got one in Marysville
already up in.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
It It's right, okay, that is right. It's out of
Marysville on Route thirty six. Again. In the next five years,
he wants to put these across central Ohios so you
could see one in your own neighborhood. He's looking at
several opportunities, he said, including near downtown Columbus in Ohio State.
Of course, Ohio State is where you want to put
your food, because if you're solid tacos, I mean, college
(07:34):
students are a really good way to go
Let's shift over to the Legacy Retirement Group dot com
phone line. Say good morning to our buddy from Columbus
Business First. You can see him at Columbus Business First
dot com. It's Mark Summerson. How's your Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Mark, I'm good. I'm gonna stop packing my money into
my shoes like I normally do, because apparently that that'll
set up more Mark.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Can you believe that's that's a crazy story.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, carries that kind of catch. I have maybe three
dollars on me at any given time.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, a lot of people aren't carrying cash as much
these days. I think I got a I think I
got a twenty, so you know, yeah, it's not sixty
it's not sixty thousand, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So we had this story, I don't know, a couple
of months ago about the Fifth Avenue Floral company there
at the corner of Kenny and Kinnear and that's been there,
that's been there forever, and that that family decided they've
had enough. They closed and now there's a developer that
wants that to be a hotel.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, Manob Singh talked to us because he also he
was in the news this week We had seen a
permit request to build a hotel at the old Patrick
Jays on North High Street, just south of Clintonville, and
when we sat down and chatted with him about that,
he brought this one up too, that he is interested
(01:16):
in putting a boutique hotel up at eighteen seventy seven
Kenny Road where the flower shop the Fifth Avenue Floral
Company has been there since the nineteen forties. It opened
in nineteen oh one and it was on West Fifth
Avenue and then moved over to the Kenny and Kinnear
site in the nineteen forties. It's been there forever. Now.
(01:37):
He wants to build a boutique hotel, so it's going
to be unbranded. It won't be any big brand. He
wants to put this out himself. He's also behind the
Hyatt Studios hotel, like I said, at Patrick J's, so
he's really interested in putting some hotels up. We're not
sure how much he purchased the prey or the land
for at Kenny and Kanear. It was one of the
(02:00):
LLC deals. We'll have to figure that out later if
we can. But yeah, this this is really interesting and
it's a really quick move. The land just kind of
became available. It's been snatched up. As you know, over there,
a lot of stuff is going on with OSU. They
own a lot of land there. It's right over there
by their West Campus innovation district. So yeah, it's it's
(02:21):
gonna be a really interesting spot if this ever comes through.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Is there and I've driven by a million times, have
actually been into the old Fifth Avenue Floral Company? I
don't know, it's been a while, but is there enough?
Is there? Is that a big enough footprint there to
put a hotel with parking and everything.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, there's already a little parking there, but it's one acre.
So you know, as as the folks downtown with the
Hilton proved, you can put a hotel up on any
little tiny spot of land.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And is that is that hotel that proposed hotel on
High Street in Clintonville at the site of the old
Patrick Jays Is that going forward? Then?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well that's that he is. He has applied for permitting
and we'll have to see it's gonna go through all
of the commissions that it has to go to before
it goes to the city. So yeah, who knows of
these projects? Sometimes these don't ever happen. Sometimes they take
a while, but they do this one. We'll just have
to see. He is showing intent to put up these hotels,
so yeah, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
All right, we'll switch gears and go over to Ohio State.
It's what twenty two days until Ohio State Football mark
and they are ready to build that members only high
end nineteen twenty two VIP club at the Shoe.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Yeah, this one's really interesting because your membership, whether you
are a social member or the big time game day
Access member one thousand for social memberships, that excludes game
days and then if you pay forty five hundred dollars
a year that gives you game day access. A couple
things wrong with that. One, the club is going to
(03:53):
be built on the outside of the stadium, so you
can't see the football field. And two, you still have
to buy a football ticket on top of your forty
five hundred dollars membership, So you know, if you want
to be seen on game days or not on game days,
you can get this membership. They will have TVs in
there and you can watch the game, but it's going
(04:13):
to be built around the B deck level between Gates
eighteen and twenty two On the outside, it's twenty thousand
square foot venue. This used to be classrooms and temporary offices.
Ohio State's really coming up with these revenue producing amenities
in and around the stadium. And yeah, you get food, beer, wine,
cash bar for spirits. It opens up three hours before
(04:37):
kickoff and closes one hour after the game. You have
in and out privileges, and you can transfer your game
day memberships game by game to a friend if you
would like to. So, yeah, I've already gotten a few
of these tickets set up already because I'll be there
every day.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I was going to say, the university has given you
a complimentary membership, have they not based on your status
in the community.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Oh of course. Yeah. Well he loves me. He send
me letters almost every day asking for money. But they
do send me letters, so you know, Well, you're in
constant contact.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I expect to be on your guest list maybe during
maybe for that Penn State game on November first, So
I'll just write that on my calendar. I've got tickets
with Mark to goo SEOSU. Penn State's perfect. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
By the way, Well you can't actually see it, but
you'll be there I just remember.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
That's fine, that's fine. I want to talk about foods.
I want to go to the Taco Pros story. What
is what is Taco Pros and where are they coming.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I'm a taco amateur, by the way. What I made
a taco the other day with hardshell and it all
went down the front of my shirt. So definitely an amateur.
But Taco Pros is Chicago founded company or actually, excuse me.
They opened already on Route thirty six in Marysville this summer.
It's the first Ohio location for this brand. They're from Chicago,
(05:56):
but we have an area developer named J. P. Tell.
He's working on more. He wants to have at least
ten restaurants in the next five years for this market.
Taco Pros. It's it's kind of like a Chipotle. It's
mechan street food. It's got all sorts of stuff on
the menu, kind of like that. Dining. Customers are given
(06:16):
a number served as a table. Average weight is seven
to ten minutes, which is kind of like a Chipotle.
It's got all the all the stuff you'd ever want.
It's got core protein, steak, chicken, barbacoa l past or
pork ground beef veggies. It's yeah, it's it's a taco place.
But if they're pros, so you know it's going to
be a professional.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's in the name.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Why not.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
See, I'm a I am a taco guy. If there
was one, if I if you told me I could
have one food the rest of my life, I think
I would choose a taco because you can do so
many things with the taco. So I will definitely be
checking this place out, and you know, if it's good,
I'll be back. Just I mean, like chipot Chipotle is good.
It's good. You know, it's it's a good option for
(07:02):
a weeknight meal, and you can make it as healthy
as you want too. So that's kind of attractive there.
So where again, is that they've got one in Marysville
already up in.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
It It's right, okay, that is right. It's out of
Marysville on Route thirty six. Again. In the next five years,
he wants to put these across central Ohios so you
could see one in your own neighborhood. He's looking at
several opportunities, he said, including near downtown Columbus in Ohio State.
Of course, Ohio State is where you want to put
your food, because if you're solid tacos, I mean, college
(07:34):
students are a really good way to go
Popular Podcasts
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!