Savvy Sliders has shut down its University District location at 2106 N. High St., closing the doors on a campus-area slider and shake shop that opened near Ohio State about three years and ten months ago. The closure took effect Sunday, ending the chain's run in one of Columbus's busiest college corridors.
The shop opened in November 2022 with burgers and milkshakes on the menu, according to The Lantern. Savvy Sliders did not specify a reason for the closure in time for publication, the outlet reported. General manager Isiah Zinthallah told the outlet that the staff will miss the small, personal touches that came with running a campus spot. “We remember your guys’ names, your faces [and] your friends,” Zinthallah said, adding that the team will miss putting smiles on customers' faces.
Zinthallah also pointed to a bigger pattern playing out around the store, saying buildings and bars are closing because things are getting too expensive in the University District. The manager described being disappointed by the ongoing wave of developments and business closures in the neighborhood, per the same account.
A Previous Tenant at the High Street Address
The High Street address previously housed an OSU White Castle, according to 614NOW. When Savvy Sliders opened there in November 2022, it marked the brand's first standalone, non-co-branded store in Ohio and its first location built on a college campus, 614NOW reported at the time.
That milestone made the High Street shop something of a flagship for the chain's Ohio ambitions. Savvy Sliders was founded in 2018 in Commerce Township, Michigan, by Happy Asker, initially running co-branded units inside Happy's Pizza locations before growing into an independent quick-service franchise built around fresh Angus beef sliders, hand-breaded chicken tenders and hand-spun custard shakes packaged in duo box combos, according to Connect Media.
National Growth, Local Contraction
The High Street closure stands in contrast to the company's broader trajectory. By December 2024, Savvy Sliders had 52 locations across Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee, and Savvy Sliders acquired fast-casual chain BurgerFi, according to The Lasco Press. That national growth hasn't translated to staying power on High Street, where the brand now has just one remaining Columbus location, co-branded with Happy's Pizza at 1450 W. Broad St.
Right next door to the shuttered slider shop, national sandwich chain Potbelly reopened at 2108 N. High St. in January 2025, in a storefront previously occupied by Papa John's, according to The Lantern. Hoodline has covered Potbelly's planned expansion beyond campus into Union County and separately reported the opening of Black Pony Pizza in the Short North.
Business Costs in the University District
Zinthallah said some University District businesses are closing because costs have become too high.
Potbelly pledged to donate 15% of its University District location’s opening-weekend profits to the Ohio State campus food pantry, The Lantern reported. With Savvy Sliders closed, students have one fewer dining spot near campus.
