Famous Dave's to Chestnut West

**eldondre** · 07-07-2010, 04:24 PM

The Famous Dave’s barbecue chain, which has locations in South Philly, Northeast Philly, Springfield and Cherry Hill, is moving into Center City — they’re taking over what was Goodburger at 1725 Chestnut, the location’s franchisee confirms to Meal Ticket. The burger joint closed in August of 2009. We’ll have further details on the project soon; for now, a liquor license application in the window suggests they’ll be serving booze along with the ‘cue

Famous Dave’s coming to Chestnut Street :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

**loveisnoise** · 07-07-2010, 04:27 PM

I love famous dave's.

**arjay** · 07-07-2010, 05:14 PM

It's about time >something< went into that space!

**eldondre** · 10-29-2010, 11:46 AM

Famous Dave's. Center City gets its first outpost of the BBQ restaurant, including liquor license, at 1725 Chestnut St. Opens 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 1

Restaurant notes: What's opening when... | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/28/2010

**ChiefSalsa** · 10-29-2010, 11:48 AM

Dave's is one of the few chains I would venture to in leui of a locally owned restaurant. Damn good food.

**Pitt** · 11-03-2010, 04:51 AM

Blah. not surprising considering Chestnut West's demographics, but Famous Dave's sucks. In other BBQ news, Baby Blues at 34th and Sansom is excellent.

**3rd&Brown** · 11-03-2010, 11:34 AM

This is a nice tenant for that spot. Good fit. I think it will succeed.

On another note, I thought the sky was falling in Center City?

**ChiefSalsa** · 11-03-2010, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Pitt

Blah. not surprising considering Chestnut West's demographics, but Famous Dave's sucks. In other BBQ news, Baby Blues at 34th and Sansom is excellent.

Pitt, How is their beer selection?

**eldondre** · 11-03-2010, 01:27 PM

coors light, pbr, bud, lager. brisket was extremely tender but had a strange flavor. methinks they boil it or something. would not order again. pork was a bit salty but decent. might try as a sandwich. baked beans were okay as was corn. on the whole its what gou expect out of a chain. place was full and they did very little to the space so debt levels are likely low

**eldondre** · 12-01-2011, 12:54 PM

Famous daves crappyq is no more

**loveisnoise** · 12-01-2011, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by eldondre

Famous daves crappyq is no more

They closed already? I like famous dave's, but that location sucked the big one.

**hubba1** · 12-01-2011, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by loveisnoise

They closed already? I like famous dave's, but that location sucked the big one.

]
YEP..My wife has been a bartender at the Columbus Blvd store since they opened and texted me earlier that her store was a mess because Chestnut closed, and sent all the managers to her store, so they had 7 managers fumbling over each other, basically trying to one-up each other so they get to keep a job, heh heh...and basically making the store run like total sh--.

And yea, honestly, for a chain- they have pretty good food, the one on chestnut sucked because a majority of it was made at Columbus, then brought over to be heated for serving.... they have no smoker there, so everything was done, then moved there.

**loveisnoise** · 12-01-2011, 06:10 PM

Ugh. You're kidding me. (OH, and I think your wife waited on me before. Black hair?)

The chestnut one was so confusing. It was like a wawa hoagie line for BBQ. Serve yourself, workers doing nothing, and managers constantly shifting between the register and the prep area. It seemed like a place college kids went to for pitchers of beer. The serve yourself thing was b.s. since it was the same price as columbus blvd but no table service.

Originally Posted by hubba1

]
YEP..My wife has been a bartender at the Columbus Blvd store since they opened and texted me earlier that her store was a mess because Chestnut closed, and sent all the managers to her store, so they had 7 managers fumbling over each other, basically trying to one-up each other so they get to keep a job, heh heh...and basically making the store run like total sh--.

And yea, honestly, for a chain- they have pretty good food, the one on chestnut sucked because a majority of it was made at Columbus, then brought over to be heated for serving.... they have no smoker there, so everything was done, then moved there.

**hubba1** · 12-01-2011, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by loveisnoise

Ugh. You're kidding me. (OH, and I think your wife waited on me before. Black hair?)

The chestnut one was so confusing. It was like a wawa hoagie line for BBQ. Serve yourself, workers doing nothing, and managers constantly shifting between the register and the prep area. It seemed like a place college kids went to for pitchers of beer. The serve yourself thing was b.s. since it was the same price as columbus blvd but no table service.

Nah, she is usually the day bartender all week long, but not black hair... more reddish\brown....oh and 8 months preggo now, hard to miss! lol and yeah, I knew that place was going down for a while, the guy owns 5 or 6 in the area, the Columbus Blvd place was basically keeping Chestnut open for the past few months, not sure how he still has some of the other places going still, the one on the Blvd does almost no business and Cherry Hill has been struggling for years now, The South Philly one and the 2 in DE are the only profitable ones, I think!

**loveisnoise** · 12-01-2011, 06:17 PM

The one on columbus does almost no business?! Every time I go in there it is so packed that I usually have to sit in the bar area! Am I just hitting a busy pocket or something?

**loveisnoise** · 12-01-2011, 06:17 PM

Damn it. Now I want BBQ.

**hubba1** · 12-01-2011, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by loveisnoise

The one on columbus does almost no business?! Every time I go in there it is so packed that I usually have to sit in the bar area! Am I just hitting a busy pocket or something?

No, the one on Columbus is the most profitable one, I meant THE BLVD... Roosevelt...lol

**loveisnoise** · 12-01-2011, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by hubba1

No, the one on Columbus is the most profitable one, I meant THE BLVD... Roosevelt...lol

Ohhhh... I didn't even know there was one there! Can't believe one owner owns all of those! They sure are putting all of their eggs, or racks of ribs, in one basket.

**hubba1** · 12-01-2011, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by loveisnoise

Ohhhh... I didn't even know there was one there! Can't believe one owner owns all of those! They sure are putting all of their eggs, or racks of ribs, in one basket.

Yeah, it was some deal he made with corporate, he had to have so many open by a certain point... that's why the half assed Chestnut store was opened, he needed one more location...so he just threw that one together. He has South Philly, N.E Philly (pretty much across from the Chickies and Petes up there) Springfield, Cherry Hill, Christiana and Wilmington.... (and had Center city)... that's a lot of places to be relying on 2 or 3 high sales locations!