Columbus Classics: Thurman Cafe making iconic Coneys for 80 years
Editor's Note: This is the fifth in a series highlighting Columbus classic businesses.
Serving menu items like the original Coney Island hot dog and 12-ounce burgers, the Thurman Cafe has been a staple in German Village for 80 years.
Aaron Suclescy, representing the fourth generation of the family-owned business, is one of 10 servers at the cafe/bar located at 183 Thurman Ave.
He said the business is known for its iconic burgers and 9-inch subs with buns from local Auddino’s (Italian Bakery). and originally, it was the Coney sauce ladled over a hot dog with mustard and diced onions that made Thurman so popular.
“People still come back for the Coneys,” he said. “It has been like a secret family recipe. We like to think we have some of the best Coneys.”
Mike Suclescy, who owns the business with sister Donna DeVol, said his grandfather, Nick Suclescy, made the Coneys in the 1940s.
“My dad (Kosta) started making it in 1951 after his dad died,” he said.
“He made it up until he was about 85 – about 15 years ago now. I had to learn the recipe from my dad. He died in 2011. I asked, ‘How do you make this?’ He said, ‘You put some of this in here and some of this.’ As he was making it, I put a bowl underneath and started measuring. Then the first two times I made the coney sauce, it was horrible. I started making it and found out if you don’t measure, it comes out better.”
Mike Suclescy said he has retired from making the sauce, but the secret recipe has been passed on to someone else who makes it in house twice a week.
Many guests visit for the famous cooked-to-order Thurman Burger that’s defined on the menu as the “head honcho burger overloaded with ham, sautéed onions and mushrooms, mozzarella and American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers and mayo, with chips and a pickle spear.”
Friends Chelsie Wheeler and Brandi Painter drove to Columbus from near Charleston, West Virginia, to Christmas shop Dec. 20.
“We make a point to eat here at Thurman’s,” Wheeler said. “We like the burgers.”
Painter said she has dined at Thurman about 30 times.
“We just like their food,” she said. “Every time I come to Columbus, I come here.”
Shawn Hannigan, who lives near Buckeye Lake, said his favorite part of Thurman is all the memorabilia on the walls.
“The burgers are good, no matter which one you get,” he said.
Both Aaron and Mike Suclescy agree that the longevity of Thurman’s staff helps make the place.
“We’ve had the same people who have cooked and worked here, for some up to 32, 33 years,” Mike Suclescy said. “That makes a huge difference.”
One of those employees is Victor Esquivel, head server and general manager, who has been a mainstay for 33 years.
“I love people,” he said. “I love to make people happy. I really do. I went to school for computer science but never used it. I’ve always worked with people. I’m happy, always.”
Aaron Suclescy said Esquivel pleases many customers with his signature drink that’s called "Sex with Victor."
“Everyone comes in for that, for real,” he said. “It’s a bunch of rums and fruit juices, a sweet drink, but it’s strong. He’s famous for that. He’s our celebrity person. He has a big smile. He can make anybody laugh. They can be the grumpiest old curmudgeon you ever come across, and he goes up to the table and knows what button to push and gets them to laugh.”
He said there isn’t a regular drink menu.
“We talk to you about what you like, and we make something up with you instead of force feeding some overpriced drink list on you,” Aaron Suclescy said. “We’ve always got some crafts on. We’re famous for our little neon draft board that’s always changing, and it’s hard to remember what’s on there because it’s always different for the draft beers.”
Aaron Suclescy said the staff get along well and work together to serve every table.
“A small business is like a high school classroom,” he said. “We’re tight-knit.”
Although the cafe has a reputation for always being busy, that isn’t necessarily the case, Aaron Suclescy said.
“We have the Waitcam.com,” he said. “It takes an image of the lobby every five minutes, and it posts it to a page to show how busy it is. We don’t turn over super fast, because we cook everything to order. And it’s a big, thick burger. It’s going to be a good half-hour from the time you order to the time you get your food.”
Business hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to mdnight Fridays and Saturdays.
@ThisWeekMarla
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Columbus Classics: Thurman Cafe making iconic Coneys since 1942
