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New burger bar opens in Poland
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The owners of COACHES Burger Bar, Patrick Howlett and Stacy Sam, posed with the burger of the month: the Big Texan
POLAND
Burgers might not be anything new for the Valley, but the owners of a new restaurant in the township think they offer a fresh take that customers will appreciate.
“We’ve just talked about having nothing in this area that’s burger-focused, so that’s why we decided to go in this direction,” said Stacy Sam, who owns COACHES Burger Bar with her husband, Patrick Howlett.
The business, located near Five Points at 9065 Springfield Road, had its grand opening Monday.
“I’m fascinated by all of the burger bar concepts,” Howlett said in a release. “From Pittsburgh’s Burgatory, to Bar 145 in Toledo and Michael Symon’s B Spot, the burger bar has really grown in popularity. It seems like every city or region has one that they’re loyal to. And while some restaurants have brought gourmet burgers to the Mahoning Valley, I feel I can do better.”
Burgers are the centerpiece of the restaurant’s menu, which also features sandwiches, salads, appetizers and wings.
COACHES offers eight signature burgers, with a different one featured each month. This month’s featured burger is the Big Texan: a half-pound patty topped with American cheese, bacon, homemade BBQ sauce and onion tanglers.
Customers also have the choice to build their own burger. They can choose among fresh-pressed ground beef, a veggie burger, turkey burger, sausage burger or chicken. There’s a whole host of options for buns, cheese, premium toppings, veggies and sauces.
COACHES also features another item that many gourmet-burger joints seem to offer: hand-dipped milkshakes, with the option to “spike” them with alcohol.
“Our salted caramel pretzel milkshake is by far our biggest seller,” said Sam. She highlighted the Big Texan burger, the Pittsburgher Burger – a patty topped with provolone cheese, fresh-cut fries and slaw – and the Burger and Greens menu items as customer favorites since the soft opening a few weeks ago.
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant, which seats 109 diners, also offers patio seating, online ordering, live music Saturdays, a full bar and various specials, such as 65-cent wings Thursdays.
Howlett and Sam, of Poland, have lived in the Valley their entire lives, and said they chose the name “COACHES” in honor of local sports. They have three children, age 7, 11 and 12, who play sports.
“A lot of people ask us about our name and how we came up with it,” Sam said. “This is a sports-oriented area. ... We just felt like a coach can have such an impact on a child, and it’s our way to pay homage to our coaching community.”
The business will honor a local coach each month by inviting them to eat there for free with their family.
For more information, visit www.coachesburgerbar.com or the Facebook page.