Chef Michael Schoen is stepping out on his own with a two-venue play in the Cleveland area: Eugene Tavern in Chagrin Falls and Barbecue Gene, a smokehouse planned for North Collinwood. Both projects sit under Big Day Hospitality, the company Schoen launched with his brother Tim. Eugene Tavern is aiming for a limited run during the Blossom Time festival in late May, while Barbecue Gene is penciled in for a 2027 debut.
Eugene Tavern Lands On Chagrin's Main Street
Eugene Tavern will take over the narrow former Flip Side Burgers space at 44 N. Main St. in downtown Chagrin Falls, where the new spot is already advertising front- and back-of-house hiring. According to Eugene Kitchen, the tavern is pitched as an "elevated tavern concept" from Big Day Hospitality and lists the Chagrin Falls address on its coming-soon page.
Menu Mix: The Tinman And Tavern Classics
Schoen says the Tinman, a drippy double smash burger with American cheese, special sauce and sweet-and-spicy pickles on a brioche bun, will stay front and center on the menu. It will be joined by a tavern-style half-pound burger made from a three-cut blend of brisket, short rib and chuck. The compact dining room is expected to seat about 65 guests, including a 12-seat bar. The plan is to start with dinner and weekend lunch service, then add weekday lunches once things are humming, details he shared with Cleveland Scene.
Barbecue Gene Aims For Collinwood Smokehouse
Barbecue Gene is slated to move into the former R&D Sausage building at 15714 Waterloo Rd. in North Collinwood, with an opening currently targeted for 2027. Schoen says the smokehouse will lean on Montreal-style smoked meat, rotisserie chicken and housemade sausages, and will feature both indoor and outdoor seating, a beer garden and a corrugated-roof smokehouse. "We're keeping the structural integrity of the building," he told Cleveland Scene. Map listings place the long-running R&D Sausage site at that Waterloo Road address, a neighborhood landmark for decades, per MapQuest.
What This Means For Neighborhoods
The two projects mark a shift for Schoen from partnership-driven ventures to spots overseen directly by him and his family, bringing two very different styles of hospitality to the region: an intimate tavern in Chagrin Falls and a larger smokehouse aimed at Collinwood's dining scene. If the timelines hold, locals can look for a new weekend burger destination in late May, with the smokehouse experience following in 2027, both under the Big Day Hospitality banner.
