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Heck's Cafe
Heck's Cafe will open a third location in Beachwood this fall
Come fall,
Heck’s Café will make its triumphant return to Cleveland’s east side. Back in the late-1970s and early-1980s, the legendary burger restaurant had a location at Eton mall in Woodmere, alongside other classic places like the Cheese Cellar and James Tavern.
This time around, Heck’s will rise in Beachwood. Fadi Daoud, who owns Heck’s in Ohio City and Avon, has taken possession of the former Blu and Cut 151 spaces at Richmond and Chagrin. Daoud says the plan is to convert the Blu space to Heck’s and use the attached Cut 151 space, which shares the same kitchen, as private event space until he develops a separate concept for that property.
“It’s been in the works, an east-side location,” says Daoud. “Going back years ago there was an eastside location. I wasn’t actively looking for another spot, but this came out of nowhere and it made sense. It’s on the east side, it’s not in a big box shopping center, and I think that area needs it.”
Daoud, who also owns
Antica Italian Kitchen (35568 Detroit Rd., 440-517-0096) in the same Avon plaza as Heck’s (35514 Detroit Rd., 440-937-3200), says that the Heck’s brand still has cachet on the east side. Heck’s Café opened 50 years ago in Ohio City (2927 Bridge Ave., 216-861-5464). Over the decades, various owners have opened and closed locations on the east and west sides of town. When Daoud took over in 2005, he updated and improved every aspect of the business, including the 130-year-old building in Ohio City.
To ready the former Blu space for Heck’s, Daoud says he’ll tone down the fine-dining features, add more wood and greenery, and make the overall interior more casual. The menu will be the same as the other locations, save for maybe a few tweaks.
“Just good food, approachable, comfortable,” he says. “A place people can go a couple times a week.”
The goal, he adds, is to open the doors in time for the holidays.
