Smashburger's three central Ohio stores will reopen by mid February. The Colorado-based fast-casual burger concept closed the three stores in September after Ohio yanked a franchisee's vendor license due to unpaid sales taxes.

Smashburger�s three central Ohio stores will reopen by mid February.



The Colorado-based fast-casual burger concept closed the three stores in September after Ohio yanked a franchisee�s vendor license due to unpaid sales taxes.



Smashburger plans to operate the three stores as company-owned locations. The store in Westerville will open Jan. 20, the store in Gahanna will open Feb. 3, and the location in Lewis Center opens Feb. 16.



�We�re proud to bring Smashburger back to Columbus,� said Scott Crane, Smashburger chief executive, in a press release.



Crane also commented that the company wants to open even more locations.



�We have identified four to five additional communities for potential Smashburger growth in the Columbus market,� Crane said, in the press release.



The former franchisee, Ventrue53 Restaurants, owed the state $7,099 and $8,179 according to a pair of lawsuits. The contractor that built the three Smashburger locations also sued for money owed. Etter Home Improvement said in a suit filed in May that Venture53 owe $454,000 for the three restaurants.



Smashburger opened in Columbus in 2013. The chain has 340 stores in 35 states.



jmalone@dispatch.com