Tom + Chee = Whee

Tried a newish niche restaurant in SE FoCo recently, and their name does not mince words about the menu: Tom+Chee serves 3 kinds of tomato soup and a variety grilled cheese sandwiches. It opened in FoCo in the spring of 2015, (right next to the new pancake place). And therein lies the issue with niche.  Everyone in your lunch bunch has to love the narrow food window, or you may never go there.  That happened, I'd never been, until I ate out alone this day, (which, yes, is kinda sad and lonely, I know.)

That said, they have a fun origin story.  Started in the winter of 2009, the founders provided hot food from a tent at an outdoor Cincinnati ice skating venue.  It grew from there. The Man v. Food Nation TV show picked them up, then Shark Tank also funded them. Now they have about 40 locations, and FoCo is a hot place for new food ideas. 

How's the food?  I like the niche they are in, and on a cold winter's day, this is comfort food for the right customer.  However, most folks can make pretty awesome, simple meals like this easily at home.  Does not really work for me in the warmer months.  Also, kinda pricey, $14 lunch up there.  Perhaps the investors on that show really are sharks, and the prices reflect their toothy chomp on the profits. So I have some doubts about how long this one will last, but glad I got to try it in my neighborhood (during a snowstorm).