Ohio Valley residents are 60 days out from enjoying a new, burger-centric family eating and entertainment experience.
That’s the target timeframe for the soft opening of Coaches Burger Bar, coming soon to the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville.
Co-owners Patrick and Stacy Howlett were on the lookout for the southern expansion of their successful locally-owned chain with locations in Austintown, Salem, Poland, Canton, and Calcutta.
“I’m a big fan of that part of (Ohio), and we knew the area around St. Clairsville, and the Ohio Valley Mall would be an ideal location for us,” Patrick Howlett said. “We’ve been wanting to expand our company down there. Plus, we’re able to partner with the Cafaros, since they are from the Youngstown area.
“We were able to work out a deal. They are fans of our operation and what we do, and they came to us because they know we were looking for a location either in the St. Clairsville or Steubenville areas.”
The Cafaro Company, based in Youngstown, is the managing company for the Ohio Valley. So, when the restaurant space occupied formerly by Garfield’s became available, the Cafaro Company made a quick call to the Howletts.
While the former Garfield’s is set up like a family-style sports eatery, the Howlett’s are making sure their contractors are stripping it clean to put the Coaches’ stamps squarely on the space.
The space will be vintage Coaches, as will be the menu—a fact that Ohio Valley families and customers will soon come to appreciate.
Burgers are one of the major staples of the American dining experience. It’s a go-to meal and, when someone is struggling to find something on a menu, there’s always the old standby, the burger, ready to be ordered when all else fails.
Well, folks, burgers are NOT a standby item on the Coaches’ menu. They are the featured item.
There’s not one cut of beef that constitutes the makeup of a Coaches’ burger, but each cut is quality and selected for its ability, once combined, to create a signature taste.
“It’s a signature blend,” Howlett said. “We designed it, and it’s made custom for us. It consists of a lot of different trimmings to give us the right flavor.
“We don’t flame grill our burger, rather we sear in the flavor so it’s nice and juicy and not dried out. That’s really important to us.”
Howlett admitted burgers are his favorite food, so his restaurant isn’t going to serve one that doesn’t measure up to his personal lofty standards.
A quick glance at the menu and you’ll find a number of uniquely crafted burgers, each with its own flavor profile. One eye-popping selection is the Coachers 1LB Er, two half-pound patties layered in a three-part bun with lettuce, tomato, onions, provolone, and cheddar cheese with two layers of bacon, finished with chipotle aioli.
Think you can finish it? This writer is certainly going to give it a go once Coaches finally opens.
“It’s pretty big,” Howlett said with a laugh. “We use knives with our burgers, and you can barely get a knife through it. It’s funny how many we sell because people love to try to finish it.
“I can finish one, so it can’t be that hard right?”
That remains to be seen, but expect a decent portion of customers, both male and female, ready to try their hands, and stomachs, at finishing this monster burger.
The pulled pork sandwich. 
One of the many tasty hand-spun milkshakes.
Not Just Burgers
Burgers may be the featured menu item, but if there was a “1B” feature, it’d be the hand-spun milkshakes.
Yes, this is a sports bar, and yes, there is an extensive draft and beer menu, including Great Lakes brewing from Cleveland on tap. But the milkshakes are a major favorite on the Coaches menu.
“The burgers are a huge focus on what we are, but the milkshakes are also a gigantic focus,” Howlett said. “We are so creative with the different flavors, and they are a big part of the business.”
There are also wings, sandwiches, salads, pizza, wraps, and a major assortment of appetizers. There’s also a kid’s menu, meaning enough variety for every member of your party to find something they like.
And speaking of kids, on Sundays, they eat free. Yes, free. You read that right. Kids’ meals for youth aged 10 and under eat free, one for every adult meal purchased.
When Howlett said family-friendly, he wasn’t just throwing out talking points.
“We’re really big on family dining, and we believe that Sunday is a family get-together day,” Howlett said. “That’s why we push the act of having people eat with their kids. Bring the kids there and they can eat for free.”
With any luck, in 60 or so days, the Ohio Valley will get the chance to join the extended Coaches family and sample some of its unique and tasty burgers.
For more information, check out the Coaches’ website.
