Faces of Main Street: Nick Tanchevski

Walk into Uncle John’s Place and the room meets you halfway. There is an easy hum of conversation, classic tunes, and warm light that makes everything feel relaxed, along with the kind of unpretentious energy that tells you to settle in and stay awhile. The walls carry personality with pieces of art Nick has gathered over the years, yet the focus stays where he wants it. “Honestly, the only thing that matters is what comes out on the table,” he says.

Nick grew up in Mansfield and in the restaurant world. His dad, an immigrant from Macedonia, worked at Chris’s Cafe on North Main for a decade before starting Uncle John’s on Park Street. The restaurant moved to its current building on 18 S. Main St. in 1984 and has been there ever since. That steady presence shapes how Nick runs the place today, with a mix of comfort and pride that feels right at home on Main Street.

Before he took the reins of Uncle John’s Place, Nick built a foundation that shows up in how he operates the restaurant now. He graduated from Malabar High, studied hospitality at OSU, and managed a Hyatt Regency hotel before opening a liquor store in 1995 that became known for its deep beer and wine selection and build-your-own six-pack feature.

As much as Nick enjoyed each of these phases in his career, he says that “Deep down inside, I always knew that I would someday end up taking Uncle John’s over.” That time came in 2011 when his father handed him the keys and told him to renovate the place. Out went the green carpet and dark paneling, and in came a brighter, refreshed dining room that reflected Nick’s own vision, drawing on what he had seen in Columbus and beyond.

Ask about the food and he talks about restraint, not spectacle. “People understand simple is better,” he says. That approach shows up in the everyday staples. “People ask, what do you put on those burgers to make them so good? I tell everybody, we don’t put anything on them,” Nick says. “There’s no seasoning. It’s just fresh hamburger cooked on a flat top. You order lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, or onion on it, that’s what you get.” Good ingredients, cooked well, is Uncle John’s secret.

That means that freshness is a must. “Our kitchen is really small, so I have to shop every day… everything I buy is fresh.” In late summer he loves shopping locally, especially at Sunny Crest Farms in Shiloh, when peppers, onions, tomatoes, and squash are at their peak and the menu can really show off Ohio’s best.

Behind the scenes, the rhythm is deliberate and fast. Nick is up early every morning to shop, haul, and prep fresh ingredients, as well as being in the kitchen several nights a week. “We serve three thousand people a week.” He keeps the crew lean and the system sharp with tight stations and clear roles. “Two guys run the whole thing,” he says. Some would call it the hard way, but Nick calls it the better way. It keeps the food fresh and consistent and the team close to every plate.

Ask what he is excited about when the Main Street project wraps and he answers quickly. “I hope it flourishes. I hope more places come down,” Nick says. He talks about how dining districts thrive when people have choices and reasons to linger. “Maybe this week we go here. Maybe next week we try the other place.” A finished, welcoming streetscape means more to see and experience, and a stronger habit for our community of coming downtown.

Nick is thrilled to keep building on the legacy that he has inherited, both from his family and from the Mansfield community. “My dad couldn’t speak English when he got here,” he says. “He built a business and sent us all to college… from cheeseburgers. That’s the American dream.” 

He wants to honor that by moving the story forward. “Every generation is making that move forward.” Nick says. The hope is simple: a busier, brighter Main Street where more neighbors come downtown more often, try a few places, and keep coming back because it feels good to be here. Stop in at Uncle John’s Place, order something simple, and let the quality do the talking. Then come back when the project wraps and take a walk to see what is new around the corner.