When Chris Chase (‘03, ‘05) began working at Madison Street Tavern while earning his master’s degree at Tiffin University, he never expected it would lead to business ownership. What started as a part time job grew into a career rooted in entrepreneurship, community connections and creating a place where people feel at home. Today, he owns MST Pub & Grub, MST Sauce Co. and the MST Street Grub food truck.
At the time he started working there, Madison Street Tavern did not even serve food. Rather than pursuing opportunities elsewhere, Chase saw potential in both the business and the community. “I saw that there was a need in this town for more places to eat, more places for people to hang out. I invested in myself instead of another company, and here we are.” Since opening in 2009, MST has grown from a small tavern into a full-service pub, a nationally recognized sauce company and a mobile food truck.
His award-winning sauces are among the business’s most recognizable products. “Kitchen Sink is one of my favorites. It’s won awards and is really unique, nobody else could ever duplicate it. It was one of my first four sauces, and it was created with some of the original guys 15 years ago. To see it win competitions across the country is pretty neat,” he said. Another favorite is Griff sauce, named after a TU classmate. “We were eating wings at one in the morning and just kept mixing stuff. It came out awesome, and we won first place in an international flavor award for that one. It’s cool that it’s not just our hometown that enjoys the sauces, it expands throughout the country.”
Local partnerships remain a defining part of MST’s identity. A key example is Tiffin University’s Dipped in Gold: Golden Glaze Sauce, where 100% of proceeds support TU scholarships.
He has also partnered with other local schools to raise funds through his sauces. Chase also collaborates with local business Ballreich’s to sell chips seasoned with his flavor rubs. In addition to chips, MST offers Dry Rub and Social Burn snack sticks.
Innovation continues to shape growth, including the MST Street Grub food truck launched in June 2025. “The biggest reason we opened the food truck was to try to create an opportunity for more people to get Madison Street through online or pickup at a faster pace,” Chase said. He also upgraded the point of sale system. “Our old system was Jurassic. Now we’ve got analytics, a rewards program, email and text marketing and better insights into our sales and menu,” he explained.
At MST, people come first. “We’re in the people business, not the food business,” he said. “If you treat people right, they’ll come back for the food.” He trains his team to connect with customers. “The more connection you have with the customer, the better chance they’ll enjoy their visit and come back. Even the back of the house guys that don’t see the customers realize that we have a standard to live up to. Having a little bit of vested interest in it, feeling like they’re part of building something bigger than themselves.” For first time visitors to MST, Chase hopes they find more than just good food. “Hopefully they experience the atmosphere and the feeling of family and inclusion. That it’s more than just a restaurant; it’s a place that we call home.”
Chase credits Tiffin University for much of his journey. “TU kind of started my whole journey of working here. If I didn’t stay for my master’s degree, I would never have started working here. I would have never decided to own the place.” That experience became the foundation for how he approached what came next, turning a job into long term ownership and a career built through consistent, hands-on decision making. What began as work during graduate school became a foundation for how he approaches opportunity: noticing need in a community, investing in it directly and building something that lasts beyond himself.
His path reflects how higher education can shape not only career direction, but also the way graduates choose to create value where they live and work, turning learning into tangible, community rooted impact.