Co-owners — Trey and Kristen Icas, co-owners of Fourth Street Standard, stood outside the downtown Steubenville restaurant, which is almost a year old. — Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — A downtown small business is celebrating its first anniversary in business by providing a place to serve fresh, healthy food made with quality ingredients in a friendly atmosphere.
Fourth Street Standard, which opened May 15, is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant located at 106 N. Fourth Street. Customers can choose ingredients for their custom-made burritos, tacos and bowls or choose from a number of options. “Standard Selection” If you don’t want to build it yourself.
The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 6 PM and Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM. In addition to ordering by phone, online, and DoorDash, we also offer catering.
According to co-owners Trey Icus and Kristen Icus, the husband and wife duo behind this store, “We would like to eat.” — Homemade and good for you.
Trey Ikas helped found Fresh Twist, a plant-based restaurant in Steubenville, in 2019 with his sister Angela Lombardo. He started working at a pizza restaurant at age 13 and has worked at other restaurants since then, but Fresh Twist was his first experience. It’s not just about cooking.
“I’ve always loved cooking, talking and greeting people, making new friends, and making people happy with food.” He said.
Meanwhile, Kristen Icas went to school for six years to become a nutritionist and has always had a passion for nutrition and the role of food in health.
She first met Trey Icus when he worked at Fresh Twist. Soon after, he began considering a building to open his own restaurant. After Kristen Icus was stuck deciding her next career step, she decided to join in the effort.
A few things were clear from the beginning about what the duo wanted from their restaurant. First, they knew it had to be located downtown.
“I like it here.” Trey Ikus said. “We believe in what this city is changing and ultimately becoming. We see many people trying to do the same. We want to be part of the effort to reclaim neglected areas of the city.”
They looked at other buildings, but none of them looked right, so they put it on hold for a while. Later, they heard that Hu Nan Chinese Restaurant on Fourth Avenue was closing, so they took a tour. With a location already set up for a restaurant, this location was perfect, so the two jumped on it and have since made several renovations.
Also, an important feature of future restaurants will be their food options. Trey and Kristen Icus have always been fans of fast-casual Mexican food, so they said they modeled the menu after what they like to eat.
That demand led to the creation of the Fourth Street Standard’s variety of options, which feature classic entrees like burritos and bowls in addition to nachos and fries. The co-owners made sure to top it with broccoli and shrimp, ingredients not often found in similar restaurants.
Finally, as Kristen Icus pointed out, the two wanted to provide their customers with: “It’s something they can eat and find delicious.”
Fourth Street Standard emphasizes freshness and quality ingredients, “all” Trey Ikas said he can eat anything at home, from meat to salsa. The goal was to provide Steubenville residents with healthier eating out options compared to other fast food options.
Trae Icuss recommends the carnitas as well as the shrimp. People who eat healthy have options, he said, but people who want to eat healthy have options. “Please stay away from the deep end.” You can also order fries with your burrito, like the restaurant’s El Presidente burrito, which comes loaded with fries, mozzarella sticks, guacamole, steak, rice, sour cream, corn salsa, and cheese.
Trey Ikas said the process to open the restaurant went smoothly, with plans submitted to the city for approval. The restaurant had a soft opening in May for family and friends only, but quickly opened to the public and sold out.
As employees became accustomed to sharing food, the restaurant continued to sell out every day. Trey Ikus said. He added that members of the public flocked to support them en masse, and at times the line stretched all the way to the door and was out of sight.
Although challenges have arisen from time to time regarding historic buildings, overall operations have been smooth sailing. “It went pretty smoothly.” In the first year of 4th Street Standard, Kristen Icus said: Over that time, the restaurant has developed a steady clientele of regulars, mostly people from downtown who come on their lunch breaks.
“We can build relationships with them.” Kristen Ikas said. “People have been really supportive here.”
If you choose to dine in, you can watch all the major action from the front windows of the restaurant. Chrissen Ikas said the atmosphere is good for casual conversation, and there are no loud televisions to distract people, except for one connected to a video game system. The restaurant serves beer and margaritas, allowing you to relax and enjoy a drink.
The Ikases, who were at one time co-owners with their fiancée before they married in October, said they wanted to expand the business hours and hire more staff. Currently, the restaurant has about five employees in addition to the Ikasses. As for opening hours, the restaurant will be open late until 10pm during this year’s First Friday Festival, the first of which will take place this Friday.
The city previously announced that a Chipotle Mexican Grill could open in the Fort Steuben Mall area, but the Ikases said they don’t see that as a threat to their business. Although the two businesses may have similar setups, their products differ in the following ways: “Taste and quality” Trey Ikus said.
that “Taste and quality” Fourth Street Standard continues to differentiate itself beyond its first year of business on its namesake street.
