According to recent reporting, Columbus chef and food truck operator John McGinnis, of the food truck McGinnis’ Grill, has plans to open his first brick and mortar called Birdie’s Grill at 1975 Henderson Rd, which will be part of The Fairway, a golf simulator in Upper Arlington.
McGinnis has operated the food truck for the past two years serving sandwiches like the brisket melt made with brisket and melted cheese, along with a caprese sandwich, which marries the classic flavors of basil, tomato and mozzarella between two slices of grilled Italian bread.
What Now Columbus spoke with McGinnis, who shared that his newest venture will feature a menu of some of his best selling sandwiches like the brisket melt, caprese and cuban, and with a recently streamlined food truck menu, the brick and mortar will be the only place guests can find some of their fan favorites. Along with the sandwiches, the eatery will offer some typical sports bar style food, much of it created with house made ingredients.
“We want to do sports bar food right, made from scratch as much as possible rather than relying heavily on freezer to table type offerings,” McGinnis explained.
In addition to the sandwiches, the menu will include shareables such as flatbreads, as well as salads, and a smashburger. And guests can expect to find something sweet at Birdie’s Grill, in the form of house made bread pudding served with carmel sauce and ice cream.
While the brick and mortar is tentatively set to open in October, that’s largely determined on the construction schedule, which is currently underway. At the moment, the best way to stay up to date on the progress of Birdie’s Grill is to follow the food truck on Facebook or Instagram.
McGinnis said he’d been searching for a brick and mortar location for around a year when he was approached by one of the owners of The Fairway. And, while McGinnis has said the eatery’s name, Birdie’s Grill, complements the golf-themed space where it’s located, there’s another meaning to the moniker. He and his wife have a daughter on the way, who the couple had already planned to name Birdie before they’d even settled on the restaurant’s name.
Fans of the food truck will be happy to learn that McGinnis plans to keep McGinnis’ Grill going in addition to Birdie’s Grill. Since he typically doesn’t operate the food truck during the winter months, McGinnis sees the timing of opening the brick and mortar as a great transition as the food truck schedule starts to wind down, but he intends to continue with the mobile eatery’s schedule of operating spring through fall.
“I love working the food truck and going to different spots and having different scenery every day,” McGinnis said.
