Tom + Chee

Tom + Chee is a Cincinnati restaurant brand whose menu centers on grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, along with playful specialty items. It was founded by Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward, who started out selling at a local event before opening restaurants. The founders appeared in the Season 4 finale, Episode 26. On camera, Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban jointly agreed to put in $600,000, taking 30% of the company between them. The terms changed after taping. Cincinnati Magazine reported that Cuban withdrew because of a disagreement over franchising, and that Corcoran later agreed to a far smaller stake. We have not confirmed the founders' original ask from a primary source, so it is not listed here. After the show, the brand grew quickly through franchising and opened many franchised locations. That growth proved hard to sustain. Local reporting describes financial problems, closed stores and the company's lender taking control of its assets. In 2017, GSR Brands, the parent of the regional Gold Star Chili chain, bought the Tom + Chee assets, so this page lists the brand as acquired. The Tom + Chee website is still online under that ownership, but we have not independently counted how many restaurants are open now. For Shark Tank followers, the story shows how a deal agreed on air can change a great deal once due diligence and the realities of franchising set in. The sale and the store counts at that time are covered in the update below.