Grill Tales

Grill Tales 

MENCHES BROS.   |   CANTON, GREEN & MASSILLON

Growing up, Linda Aleman often heard family members tell stories of how her great-grandfather, Charles Menches, and his brother, Frank, invented the hamburger and waffle cone. To ensure those tales lived on, the Menches family launched a food stand at the Stark County Fair. Later, in 1994, they opened Menches Bros. restaurant in Green to serve burgers and casual fare.

The Menches story started at the 1885 Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, when the brothers ran out of sausage for sandwiches they were selling. A meat vendor refused to butcher in the heat, instead giving them ground beef. They grilled it, finding it bland, then added brown sugar and spices. That made the meat too dry. 

“Charles was drinking a cup of coffee and threw the coffee on it to give it some moisture. They liked it,” says Aleman. Frank named it the hamburger after the fair’s host city, serving it with onions and homemade ketchup on rye. “People were lining up for it.”

Another breakthrough came at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The brothers ran out of bowls for serving ice cream and spotted a pizzelle vendor, prompting them to buy a Parisian waffle press to make the thin waffle-like cookies. Later, Frank saw Charles using a fid — a cone-shaped spike — to split tent rope. He wrapped a hot pizzelle around it, and the waffle cone was invented. 

While the family only sells the cones through its food truck, you can get a burger — and choose from 50 variations — at three Menches Bros. locations. Lovingly called the “sandwich of the glorified grease joint” by Frank, the burgers range from loaded, like those topped with cheese sticks or pulled pork, to classic, like the Pop’s double ($14.99): two 80/20 ground sirloin patties smashed on the flattop with double slices of American cheese. Each sandwich still uses the brother’s patty recipe and is served on buttered, toasted buns. 

The big Mench ($13.99) showcases another Menches creation — the Mench sauce. A barbecue, mayonnaise, salt and pepper blend, it’s delicious on an almost 1-pound patty. 

“The sauce is a little sweet and spicy, and it’s mixed with the meat that’s kind of sweet,” says Aleman. “It marries to everything.”

From features in Bloomberg to Forbes, Menches Bros. has preserved the family’s legacy. Each burger tells the story of a resourcefulness that produced landmark American foods.

“They were innovators,” Aleman says. // KP 

Canton, Green and Massillon, 330- 896-2288, menchesbros.com