Ohio State to purchase Catfish Biff’s for $1 million, pending full board approval

Maeve Walsh
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:45:24 +0000
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The Ohio State Board of Trustees will vote Thursday to authorize a $1 million purchase of the building formerly home to Catfish Biff’s Pizza and Subs, a South Campus staple known for its late-night customers. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

With $1 million, Ohio State could purchase more than 65,000 pizzas from Catfish Biff’s. Instead, it’s opting for the building and land.

The Ohio State Board of Trustees will vote Thursday to authorize a $1 million purchase of the building home to Catfish Biff’s Pizza and Subs, a South Campus staple known for its late-night customers. The purchase is meant to support the University Framework Plan, a long-term strategy to update campus-area infrastructure, according to the Board’s meeting agenda.

The move by the Board is a “strategic acquisition,” and there are no future plans at this time regarding what the space will be used for, university spokesperson Dan Hedman said.

Funding from the university’s Land Purchase Account will be used to purchase the property, according to the meeting agenda.

Located at 75 W. 11th Ave, Catfish Biff’s first opened its doors in 1984 and has served the campus community since the business announced its temporary closure in March due to COVID-19. In August, the restaurant announced its plan to reopen in January 2021.

Currently owned by Hays & Hucek, Inc., the restaurant will continue to operate under a lease with the university through May 2021, according to the meeting agenda.

The building is the last piece of property on West 11th Avenue that the university does not own, according to the meeting agenda.

Neither Catfish Biff’s nor Hays & Hucek, Inc. responded to request for comment by the time of publication.

Correction: A previous version of this story referred to the building and land Ohio State is purchasing as formerly home to Catfish Biff’s Pizza and Subs. Catfish Biff’s will continue to operate under a lease with the university through May 2021.