Two years ago, UB alumni Chris Vavrina and Steve Vasile decided to end the era of chicken wings and pizza dominating the menus of Buffalo restaurants and brought a new taste to the city - "the garbage plate."
Owners of the University Hots restaurants Vavrina and Vasile aimed to mix up the restaurant scene of Buffalo and provide a place for college students who are hungry after an evening of bar hopping.
The restaurants - located on Main Street near South Campus and on Elmwood Avenue near Buffalo State College - feature a traditional cuisine of Rochester, N.Y. A basic plate consists of two cheeseburger patties on a bed of hot home fries and cold macaroni salad, topped with a ground beef hot sauce, ketchup, mustard and chopped onions.
"After attending UB for four years, we recognized that there was a need for a different taste in the University Heights area," Vasile said.
"(It's) a meat lover's paradise and fried food lover's heaven," Vavrina said.
Chris and Steve are lifelong friends who grew up together in the Rochester area. They came to UB together and both earned degrees in business. The fall after graduation, at the age of 22, they opened University Hots at the Main Street location. Business was booming and a year later they opened their second location on the Elmwood Strip.
The restaurants offer one of the most popular style of food in the U.S. - hot dogs, hamburgers and just about anything else that can be thrown on the grill or in a fryer.
For those in the mood for something new, choose a main dish and two sides. Thrown in a Styrofoam container, a customized garbage plate is born.
It may sound gross, but that's the beauty of it. Underneath the messy fa?\0xA4ade, the garbage plate is delicious and can help get rid of any hangover.
"It was only a matter of time before it reached the Buffalo market, and we are proud to bring a taste of Rochester to Buffalo," Vavrina said.
University Hots is more than the typical fast food restaurant. There is the usual variety of burgers on the menu, ranging from $3.50 to $5.50, as well as a variety of eight-inch subs ranging from $5.75 to $7.00. There is also a good selection of sides, such as macaroni salad for $2.00 and pizza logs for $3.50.
The garbage plates remain the most popular choice.
Specialty plates include the "Undergrad," which has one meat and two sides, the "Graduate," which has two meats and two sides, or the "PhD," which has three meats and two sides.
Still, it's unlikely that anything on the menu will run over ten dollars, and it is difficult to leave hungry. Everything is made to order, and employees will acquiesce to all requests within reason. Suggestions for the menu are always welcome.
Chris Strubble, a University Hots employee, combined a grilled cheese sandwich with a BLT, and a new sandwich was added to the menu bearing his namesake.
The d?(c)cor inside both restaurants is plain and clean, with the suggestion of a college atmosphere. During the daytime and early evening, the restaurant is quiet and low key, with a melting pot of regulars. At night, it turns into an after party of sorts, with loud, crazy college students who may have had a little too much to drink. Seating is limited, and it tends to get crowded on the weekends, but the background music is always ideal.
Outstanding service is an integral part of the University Hots experience. Employees, usually UB and Buffalo State students, are always polite to customers, and the atmosphere is kept young and fun.
"Even when it's busy, the service is always fast and friendly, considering the clientele they sometimes have to deal with," said Caitlin Paul, a senior health and human services major.
Take-out and delivery are both available, and the menu is online for browsing at .
