Chef Michael Schoen to Open First Solo Restaurant, Eugene Tavern, in Chagrin Falls

Since rocketing to smash-burger fame with the Tinman at the Ohio City Galley back in 2018, chef Michael Schoen has teamed up with operators all over town, sharing his considerable culinary talents with others. After exiting the Galley, he shifted to Lakewood where he partnered with Brian Benchek at BottleHouse Brewery to launch Eugene Kitchen. A couple years later, he opened a second Eugene Kitchen at the Cleveland Heights BottleHouse, turning a whole new audience onto those drippy, delicious Tinman burgers. Since early 2026, Schoen has been consulting with Cindy Barber at the Beachland Ballroom, where he has been working to improve that club’s food program.

But now, Schoen is embarking on his first solo project, a new restaurant in Chagrin Falls. It may have taken him nearly a decade to get here, but this was the plan all along, he says.

“I’ve always been a part of somebody else’s dream,” he states. “Even before Tinman, the picture in my head was to morph some little neighborhood tavern into a place with kick-ass food.”

The tavern of Schoen’s dreams turned out to be the former home of Flip Side Burgers at 44 N. Main St., which closed after a decade in 2024. The space was briefly home to Lopez 44, a short-lived project from the Cleveland Restaurant Management Group. Sometime this summer, Eugene Tavern will open its doors.

“The neighborhood needs a burger place since Flip Side closed,” adds Schoen.

In addition to the Tinmam, which for the uninitiated is a double smash burger with American cheese, special sauce, and sweet and spicy pickles on a brioche bun, there will be a pub burger.

“The Tinman will be, you know, the heavy hitter there, but we’re also going to bring back a tavern-style burger,” the chef says.

The half-pound burger, made from a three-cut blend of brisket, short rib and chuck, will be cooked to the diner’s desired temperature. Also on tap will be Eugene staples like buttermilk hot chicken tenders and sandwiches, as well as appetizers, salads and entrees.

“This will be a place where you and your wife or girlfriend can come on a date for a nice three-course meal with homemade desserts, or you can come in alone, sit at the bar and enjoy a burger and a beer.”

The former Flip Side space has a new look and feel, Schoen says. The small tavern seats approximately 65 guests, including the 12-seat bar.

“It’ll be considerably different; we’ve been working on the space for about a month now,” he says. “It’s going to be a really fun and inviting space.”

He hopes to be able to offer a limited menu during the annual Blossom Time Festival in late May, with a full opening to follow.

Eugene’s Tavern will be open for dinner and weekend lunch, with weekday lunches to follow.

In anticipation of the Chagrin Falls venture, Schoen and his brother Tim have launched Big Day Hospitality, an umbrella group that will incorporate that and other ambitious projects. Up next for the burgeoning restaurant group is a new concept that will go into the former R&D Sausage at 15714 Waterloo Road in North Collinwood. That site, located across the street from the Beachland Ballroom, has been largely fallow since closing after 50 years in 2023.

The Schoen brothers will open Barbecue Gene there sometime in 2027. Diners can look forward to Montreal-style smoked meat, rotisserie chicken, housemade sausages, sides, cornbread, rolls and other smokehouse classics.

“We’re keeping the structural integrity of the building,” says Schoen. “It’s important for the district that the space kind of flows with how the buildings there are, but it’s going to be a new buildout.”

When the dust settles, Barbecue Gene will offer indoor and outdoor seating, a beer garden with a garage door, and a smokehouse with a corrugated roof top.

Across the street at the Beachland, Schoen already has relaunched the popular – but inconsistent – weekend brunch service. He is rolling out a new tavern food menu that he hopes will be available regardless of the concert schedule. Neighbors and visitors can also look forward, he hopes, to weekday lunch service.

At the BottleHouse Brewery in Lakewood, it’s pretty much business as usual, says Schoen. Guests can still get that stellar Tinman burger, buttermilk fried chicken tenders and sandwiches, and the “Big Ol’ Pretzel.” But a more recent addition is Detroit-style pizza, done the proper way with Wisconsin brick cheese, rich dough and square steel pans.

Schoen is no longer involved with BottleHouse in Cleveland Heights, however, as that operation is in the process of changing hands. Visitors can still enjoy the same menu, he assures us, starring the Tinman and other gems.

“It’s been a fun journey,” Schoen says of his recent endeavors. “I never looked into getting an investor or anything; I’ve always wanted to do this on my own. Although I do have a lot of family involved.”

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