It all began in 1992 at a small bar on Mill Street in Gahanna.
The first Coaches was called "Coaches Corner". "Why Coaches Corner?" I spent 8 years coaching little league baseball with 2 of my best friends. We each had kids on different teams but spent lots of time talking about our game strategy and umpiring at the local tavern (Roosters). Yes, most of the time in a remote corner having wings and beer, and, of course the boys were with us.
Having purchased a small hole in the wall bar, I began the process of turning it into a great sports bar. I spent every waking moment at the bar charming customers and developing an atmosphere that appealed to all ages. I tried to make everyone who entered become a part of my family of friends. Soon with the nick name of just “Coaches”, we started to build a pretty large base of regular customers.
Then came the “pizza”. Having the need to feed all the customers, we set out to develop a pizza that adults and kids would like. If you’ve tried our pizza you now know that it turned out to be the best in Gahanna if not the best in Columbus. We haven’t changed a thing in 15 years. We still make pizza the old fashioned way, fresh made dough and fresh ingredients. (can’t tell you anymore, secret recipe.)
After 9 years we faced a new challenge. We were about to lose our lease to the new Gahanna Creekside
Development. So we began the task of relocating the bar. We found our current location in November of
2000. In 2001 we had our 2nd Grand Opening. We became "Rick’s Coaches", seems people thought I should
have my name on it. Didn’t matter it’s still just "Coaches"! By the end of July, 2001 We had finished the
Patio Bar and began serving the customers outside. That immediately became a huge success. In 2003 we
expanded the seating area by 40 seats. In 2004 we expanded to another 40 seats, making our seating
capacity around 150.
As luck would have it, along came Chris Logsdon. Chris is one of the greatest entertainers in Columbus. His show soon became the place to be on Wednesday nights. Chris was so successful that we decided to build a tiki hut stage for him to play on. Now we have entertainment several times a week.
So now you know what we are all about! We pledge to not change a thing. “If it’s not broken don’t fix it”. Come in and enjoy great food and a very comfortable atmosphere. Don’t forget the Ice Cold Beer!
Oh, by the way I couldn’t have done any of this without my devoted staff.