Former OSU football coach to open Columbus restaurant
Former Ohio State University head football coach Urban Meyer will move from the field to the kitchen this fall when he opens a restaurant in Dublin called Urban Meyer’s Pint House.
Meyer partnered with central Ohio restaurateur Chris Corso, of Corso Ventures, on the restaurant in Dublin’s Bridge Park development, on Riverside Drive and West Dublin-Granville Road.
“Chris Corso became a friend several years ago, I’ve always loved his restaurants,” said Meyer, who retired this year after seven seasons with the Buckeyes.
“Forno (Kitchen + Bar) is one of my favorites,” Meyer said. “He started to talk with me about partnering with a restaurant a while ago.”
The restaurant will fill the RAM Restaurant and Brewery space at the corner of Bridge Park Avenue and Longshore Street. RAM expected to close the restaurant Friday night, a year after closing its Short North location.
This will be Corso’s first Bridge Park operation. In addition to Forno, Corso Ventures operates Standard Hall, Food Hall, Goody Boy Diner and the Short North Pint House, all in the Short North.
“The vibrancy being built in Bridge Park makes it an obvious choice,” Corso said in a news release. “We are thrilled to be honoring the career of coach Urban Meyer with a venue that we envision will be Dublin’s premier destination to celebrate game day or any other special occasion.”
Urban Meyer’s Pint House will be twice the size of the Short North Pint House. The restaurant will include Urban’s 7-0 room, a private event space named for Meyer’s record against the Michigan Wolverines. The room will feature trophies and memorabilia from Meyer’s career and serve as a venue for fundraising events for the Urban and Shelley Meyer Foundation.
“That was one of the things that most appealed to us,” Meyer said. “We both see this as a great opportunity to hold events.”
The new restaurant will offer craft beer and a menu similar to the Short North Pint House, along with items from other Corso Ventures restaurants. Meyer said he has left details of the restaurant to Corso, but he has some favorite Forno dishes he’d be happy to see on the menu.
“My favorite is linguine and clams,” he said. “We haven’t decided whether to make it there.”
Meyer’s and Corso’s restaurant will join several restaurants at Bridge Park, which will also be the site of a second North Market location.
“Urban has become a good friend,” said Brent Crawford, a principal in Bridge Park’s developer, Crawford Hoying. “I’m excited for his first restaurant to be here.”