Dayton's Not Dead: Tank's Bar and Grill

Finding cheap food with a reputation for being delicious is kind of like finding spare change in a dorm. You just won't. Tank's Bar and Grill at 2033 Wayne Ave. is the exception, however, with award-winning burgers, chili and breakfast food at a price that won't have you pulling up couch cushions.

According to General Manager Adam Lang, in 1987 Dan Tankersley wanted to open a bar that offered more than drinks, so he started Tank's.

"He wanted to have a bar that you could get a sandwich at," said Lang, "and then he was wildly successful with the food end, so now it's a restaurant you can get a beer at."

If success is measured in awards, then Tank's fits the profile, with a burger that was voted best in Dayton, according to Lang: the Tank-burger.

Lang and Mojo Jarusiewic, the kitchen manager, said that the success of their burgers is due to the fact that they buy fresh beef daily from the local store Dot's Market, their status as a "scratch kitchen" when they make nearly everything on the men in-house and their tendency to buy the best ingredients they can, instead of buying off-brand.

"We try to get the best of the best. All the ingredients are branded," Jarusiewic said. "We don't use cheap mayonnaise, we use Hellmann's. Same way with ketchup, we use Heinz."

In addition to their burgers, Tank's has chili with an impressive winning streak.

"We've won quite a few awards," Jarusiewic said. "[For the past ten years] we've probably entered 7 or 8 cook-offs and we've placed third or above in every one. We took second place in a bean chili category, and we don't even have beans in it."

Even though Tank's has a bar, customers get up bright an early for their breakfast menu, which, according to Jarusiewic, was voted second-best in Dayton. Lang said that you could expect to see customers lined up outside waiting for a table at 8:30 a.m. on weekends, even though they offer all items on the menu at any time during the day.

The menu, Lang said, is tailored to Tankersley's vision of what he wants to eat, leading to larger, cheaper and higher quality portions, saying that one meal from Tank's could feed a person twice. Providing all three is Tank's attempt at ensuring each customer has a memorable experience.

"It costs a little bit more," said Jarusiewic, "but in the long run, it's better for the customer."