Gooey, grilled cheese sandwiches dunked in piping hot, rich tomato soup. Creamy forkfuls of mac and cheese. Daily donut happy hour. Grilled cheese ON a doughnut.
No, you’re not dreaming. This is real life. Only at Tom + Chee at CityLine can your inner child indulge in a menu filled with all of these drool-worthy, cheesy menu items.
If five-year-old me could open up a restaurant, it would look a lot like Tom + Chee. It’s pretty genius if you think about it: an entire concept centered around two of America’s culinary loves – carbs and cheese.
Founded by Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward, along with their wives Jennifer Quackenbush and Jenny Rachford, the Tom + Chee story began in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2009. What originated as a tent in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square has catapulted into a carb-laden, cheese-oozing success. The idea, conceived at a backyard cookout that same year, seemed a long shot. A restaurant startup wasn’t possible, and they lacked the funds to purchase a food truck. So, they opened their tent beside the ice rink on Fountain Square during the holidays, serving their new gourmet grilled cheese and new signature Grilled Cheese Donuts to chilly passersby. The tent earned them enough to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant the next year.
“Shark Tank” wasn’t the first appearance Tom + Chee made on television, however. The concept was first featured on “Man v. Food Nation” when host Adam Richman stopped in and gushed over the grilled cheese doughnut and one of their sandwiches. The now famous Grilled Cheese Donut was also featured on “The Chew,” and ”Today” named the sandwich one of the best in 2012.
After appearing on “Shark Tank” the next year, Tom + Chee received a flood of inquiries from interested potential franchise owners -– over 10,000, in fact. The company has been focusing on U.S. growth for the last few years and now boasts 25 locations.
The Richardson location of Tom + Chee is the chain’s top-grossing restaurant in the nation. Local owners Greg and Wendy Sippel were celebrating retirement when they saw the show and decided this was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Greg, who spent his entire career in the restaurant business, had previously gotten in at the ground floor of one of the largest-expanding restaurant brands in the nation, and he explained that he sees similar potential in Tom + Chee.
The concept has been open now for two years in Richardson, and it was the first restaurant to open at CityLine. The Sippels have since opened a second North Texas location in Ft. Worth and have their eyes out further north in Collin County for a potential third spot, where they plan to include a drive-through.
Convenience and availability add to the success of the brand, and if there’s one thing better than a grilled cheese sandwich, it’s having one brought right to the comfort of your couch. Tom + Chee CityLine has recently partnered with Uber Eats to deliver your cheesy creation of choice right to your doorstep.
How gouda is that? (Sorry, I had to.)
Tom + Chee >
Tom + Chee Cityline hours of operation are 11am – 9pm on Monday – Saturday and 11am – 8pm on Sunday. Donut Happy Hour is 2pm – 4pm daily and all doughnuts are half price during that time.
The above post is sponsored content.
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