The rumor began last fall that a Son of Thurman restaurant was in the works, scheduled to open in early 2014. That rumor, happily, is true, and today, February 13th, the city of Delaware will welcome the latest from the family behind one of Columbus’ most beloved restaurants.
Son of Thurman will open at 5 North Sandusky Street in Delaware. It will be under the ownership of Chris DeVol, nephew of the latest Thurman Café owner, Mike Suclescy, and will closely resemble its namesake in décor and menu, with a few notable exceptions.
The most significant difference customers will notice will be the size of this new restaurant. The original Thurman is only 2,700 square feet, and could only seat around 60 diners. Son of Thurman is 3,900 square feet and will seat around 130 guests at a time – 40 at the bar, 90 in the dining room – which should mean shorter wait times than at the original.
There are also plans for a patio to seat 20-30 guests when Spring rolls around, which does not exist at any other Thurman location. Diners will also notice several more family portraits, including ones of the originators, Kosta and Florence, as well as kitschy memorabilia collected over the years.
The menu at Son of Thurman will stay much the same. Kitchen Manager, Marcus Woodson, who ran the kitchen at the German Village shop for 5 years, will be the boss in Delaware, and he will be putting out the ¾-pound burgers everyone’s come to enjoy, like the Thurmanator and Western Burger.
For lovers of Kosta’s Famous Coney Islands, a trip to this Delaware store will be disappointing though as that menu item will not be adopted. A true-to-goodness Veggie Burger will be added to this menu though, the first non-meat burger for this family, as well as specialty burgers just for the Delaware crowd.
The bar will carry 8 taps when Son of Thurman opens, but that number should double by the Spring. Customers can expect to find experienced, friendly folks behind the bar, including DeVol, who knows it’s all about the service. His family has been in the business, after all, for almost 75 years.
“Delaware is a town populated with people that are very proud of their town and loyal to businesses that choose Delaware,” shares DeVol. “It’s a great place that is just on the verge of becoming a true destination for entertainment and dining. The success of the downtown location is due not just to great food, but an atmosphere that’s as genuine as the family that’s owned it. That legacy continues here.”
Son of Thurman opens today at 11am. It sits at the site of former restaurants Nova and Generations, and is near new business, Staas Brewing, which opened last summer, and Barley Hopsters, which relocated last fall. Their hours of operation will be Monday-Saturday, 11am – 1am, and Sunday, 11am – 10pm.
For more on Son of Thurman, follow them at www.facebook.com/sonofthurman.
