Skyward Grille

Skyward Grille began in 1987 as a small gyro push cart company operating the streets of downtown Columbus from a commissary on West Broad Street in Franklinton. As the company grew, I was asked to join and help out as a partner while in the process of moving back to Columbus after working in the corporate world in Detroit in 1996. I joined for what I planned to be a 2-3 year opportunity but what eventually turned into full ownership and over twenty years of entrepreneurship. One of our major accounts most of those years was serving multiple mobile cart locations at various Ohio State University Medical Center locations from 1994 through 2014.

We've developed a fantastic following and customer base through those years at Ohio State as well as Columbus State Community College and many large corporate facilities such as Chase Bank, Nationwide Insurance, and Cardinal Health to name a few. Our catering events have also grown over the years by focusing on our niche of outdoor mobile grille menus with many various events such as graduations, birthdays, weddings, block parties, golf outings, and corporate events.

What is your favorite thing about being a local business in Columbus?

My favorite aspect of being a local business here in Columbus is the fact that we are so diverse in the services we offer and type of jobs and venues we are privileged to serve.  The customer base at each venue is unique unto itself which makes every event something to enjoy. 

What do you enjoy most about being part of the fan experience at Ohio State?

Being an Ohio State graduate (1994) has made being a part the fan experience at Ohio State extra special.  We have served at OSU football going back to 1994 when our 5-6 grill carts operated on Lane Avenue for every game with a crew of up to fifteen.  Transitioning to within Ohio Stadium in 2015 brought that experience to a whole new exciting level!  

Share one fun thing people may not know about your company.

A fun fact about our company is we have catered parties for some pretty famous Ohioans and Buckeyes such as Governor Kasich, Coach Matta, Kirk Herbstreit, and Wendy Thomas (of Wendy's logo fame).