Cheekz Burgers a smash hit

SANDUSKY — Believing in herself and to fulfill a longtime dream, Tiffany Perry went all-in, quite literally, to open her latest — and, to this date, greatest — business venture yet. "When I started this, I had $3 left to my name in my personal bank account," Perry said. "We didn't get any city money or other financial assistance. What we did here was just work hard, never stop, doing it seven days a week to create what we have here today." Perry referenced her new restaurant, Cheekz Burgers, 215 E. Water St., in downtown Sandusky, which she debuted this past summer. It's located beside her other business, Sweet Cheekz Cafe N Bistro, which she opened in 2024. Both play up to her "Cheekz" name. "A guest of mine, we started this (six years) years ago, he came in and called me sweet cheeks," said Perry, a self-taught barista who worked elsewhere in downtown Sandusky before opening her coffeehouse. It's now become her brand. "I always said I was going to have a pink cafe one day named Sweet Cheekz, with a 'Z,' and I did," said Perry about the neighboring cafe, extending the name to also encompass Cheekz Burgers. A cheeky cleanup Shortly into Sweet Cheekz Cafe and Bistro's tenure, many people who enjoy the unique and one-of-a-kind coffee drinks Perry created wanted her to do something similar in a neighboring space left vacant by its former tenant: Saucy Brew Works Sandusky. "At first, we were only going to do the cafe. At the time, we didn't have any idea that we were going to take this over," said Perry, Cheekz's owner and referencing her team, which includes business manager Steve Rucker. "But we came up with a concept of Cheekz Burgers and decided to take a leap." While a turn-key operation, with kitchen equipment left over amid this transition, Perry and her team spent pretty much all of summer getting this space ready. The undertaking resulted in quite a large transformation. "Every day we would come in at 7 a.m. and would work on scrubbing and cleaning and painting," said Perry, crediting her dad, Steven Perry, who helped with the remodel. Added Rucker: "Everything we figured out ourselves, even if it meant watching YouTube to learn how to do something." Bring on the burgers Perry, a 2003 Monroeville High School graduate who's lived in Sandusky for several years now, appreciates the restaurant scene in and around downtown Sandusky. She realized, however, a massive void existed. "People love cheeseburgers, and there was, honestly, nowhere around here to get a good burger," Perry said. "I figured if I did it the right way with fresh products — fresh, never-frozen meat with sliced tomatoes and onions, clean lettuce and in-house-made sauces — people are going to love it." Perry considers her establishment as a "blue-collar" spot in which people can order a quality burger and beer or another entree-drink pairing at a more-than-reasonable cost. "I'm not here to get rich," Perry said. "What I and everyone else here is for is to give you a warm, welcoming place with good food, good service and a good atmosphere." Most notably, the menu features several different takes on smash burgers, a style involving pressing or smashing balls of fresh ground beef onto a cooking surface, creating an extra-thin patty with crispy, caramelized edges. Perry's No. 1 selling item, she calls, the Left Cheek: "A good-ol' single-patty burger with American cheese, all the veggies and our cheeky or secret sauce with a specialty bun." Beyond burgers, Cheekz also offers appetizers, flatbreads and salads with an extensive, handcrafted cocktail listing. The overall menu showcases these foods under humorous names. Among the more notable: • The Mac Daddy, a specialty burger layered in homemade macaroni and cheese • Pickle Me Cheekz, fried pickle chips with special ranch sauce • Grinch Please, a vodka and chocolate liquor concoction "My sister, Ashley Cain, she is the head of my marketing. We will get on the computer and combine our brains together and figure out little sayings and what fits," Perry said. "Everything we have is something sarcastic or funny or brings a smile to your face. Hopefully, it'll make you laugh." Perry considers Cheekz Burgers a seasonal restaurant, meaning its menu will rotate and frequently change when a certain major holiday approaches. The restaurant anticipates staying open year-round. Right now, appropriately, she's showcasing many items with Christmas names, including the Ho Ho Hold my BBQ, a chicken flatbread with a barbecue ranch base and crispy onion straws. Come mid-January, however, she'll introduce a Valentine's Day lineup, hinting people will "love" a forthcoming chicken burger. Additionally, for each festive period, she's also going all out with decorations. Being December presently, Perry coordinated with a local artist — Pearl Martinez — to paint Cheekz Burgers' windows outside and dress up figures inside to resemble "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Christmas trees, lights, bulbs and other decor line, essentially, every inch of the restaurant space — and she plans on pursuing similar efforts for Valentine's Day, Easter and others. "I just want to make a magical space for people so they come here and are happy with everything we have here," Perry said. Rave reviews Maybe people first visit Cheekz Burgers for the gimmick names but — more importantly, Perry said — they're staying and returning for the food, service and atmosphere, which guests place great value upon. "I'm seeing the same people come back four or five times in a week, and they're bringing friends," Perry said. "I have people coming from Cleveland every weekend. We love seeing all the people from Sandusky and elsewhere coming in every weekend to visit us. I'm glad they're enjoying it. It means a lot to us." Cheekz Burgers has not only received an overwhelming endorsement from diners but also from employees, who credited Perry's attitude and demeanor for this restaurant's rapid rise. "She really creates a friendly work environment," said Lexi Jordan, a barista and server, whose favorite menu item is the Cheeky Melt, a two-patty burger with sauteed mushrooms and onions along with provolone cheese: "When you have somewhere that is comfortable, and everyone feels like family, the customers see that and want to come back." Added Liv Oprzadek, a barista, who's partial to the Spin Me Cheeky, a take on spinach artichoke dip: "I love the customers, the people, the environment and Tiffany. She's very understanding if you have a problem and will be the first person to help you through any situation." For those who haven't stopped by Cheekz Burger yet, consider this an invitation to attend, Perry said. "If you want to experience good food, good service and a good atmosphere, that is what we can give you," Perry said. "This is going to be a place where you won't mind waiting for a table or staying after you've finished with your meal. We see people just enjoying each other's company, re-reading the menu, checking out our decorations all to take pictures, make TikToks and more." People can visit Cheekz Burgers from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. They can also view a full menu by visiting Facebook and searching for "Cheekz Burgers." "Doing this, it's a real love for the community that I have," Perry said. "Sometimes I really don't believe I should be here because it's been the hardest ride of our lives." Before continuing, Perry reflected on a moment that happened to her in this very space several years ago. "I want people to believe: Even if you don't have money or don't have college background, if you just work hard — you still might cry in your car and rub your face like I did — and show up for work, you can do it," Perry said. "This is one of the biggest things for me in my life, and I manifested it by saying, several years ago in the corner of this bar, that, 'One day, that this is going to be mine. Watch.' And it is, and it's thriving because of that hard work."