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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's Syracuse Location
Map
Restaurant information
Established1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Food typeBarbecue
Street address246 West Willow Street
CitySyracuse
CountyOnondaga County
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code13202
CountryUnited States
Other locationsHarlem, Brooklyn, Rochester, Troy, Buffalo
Other informationFormer locations in Newark, New Jersey, Stamford, Connecticut, Chicago and Baltimore
WebsiteDinosaurBarBQue.com

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New York City, and formerly in New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland.

History

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First opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, the restaurant subsequently opened locations in older buildings of historical significance in several cities. The Syracuse location used to be N&H tavern and once housed a Cadillac dealership. The Rochester restaurant is a former Lehigh Valley Railroad station overlooking the Genesee River. The Buffalo restaurant is a former Universal Pictures film storage vault. The Brooklyn restaurant had been a tool & die shop, and the former Newark location was once a boxing club where Rubin Carter trained, Stamford was a Yale Lock Co. factory.[1]

A cookbook with many of the restaurant's recipes was published titled Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse in 2001.[2] Many of the restaurant's signature sauces are also bottled by Private Label Foods and sold in grocery stores and online.[3]

In late November 2006, the Syracuse location was affected by the Norovirus and was closed for about a week until cleared to reopen by county health inspectors. Hundreds of customers and employees were affected. It is unclear how the virus materialized. Onondaga County health inspectors found no fault on the restaurant's part.[4]

In May 2009, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was voted America's best barbecue in ABC's Good Morning America poll. Approximately 4000 out of the 7500 participants in the poll chose Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.[5][6]

Adam Richman, host of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, took the show to Syracuse (season 3, episode 13) on June 8, 2010. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was the first stop for Richman, who tried the restaurant's "Pork-Sket" sandwich (which features 1/2 pound each of brisket and pulled pork). It was first broadcast on the Travel Channel on September 1, 2010.[7]

In March 2015, a New York City law firm filed a class action lawsuit against Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, claiming the chain systematically underpaid its tipped workers. The firm, Fitapelli & Schaffer, has filed similar lawsuits for workers at T.G.I. Friday's and Chipotle.[8]

Dinosaur BBQ was always a staple at the New York State Fair. However, they were not present at the 2024 New York State Fair.[9]

Restaurants

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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has 6 restaurants currently in operation along with 4 restaurants that have closed down.

Current restaurants

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Restaurant Number Restaurant Name Location Opened Seats Square feet Notes
1 Syracuse, NY 246 W Willow St, Syracuse, NY 13202 1988 ? ? Original restaurant. Formally an N&H tavern and once housed a Cadillac dealership
2 Rochester, NY 99 Court St, Rochester, NY 14604 1998 ? ? First restaurant in Rochester, New York. Formally a Lehigh Valley Railroad station.
3 Harlem, NY 700 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027 2004 ? 7,000 First restaurant in New York City.
4 Troy, NY 377 River St, Troy, NY 12180 2010 250 9,200 First restaurant in the Capital District. Formally Fresno's restaurant.[10]
7 Brooklyn, NY 604 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 2013 65 ? Formally a motor freight company and the Perfect Steel Rule Die Corp.
8 Buffalo, NY 301 Franklin St, Buffalo, NY 14202 2014 180 6,000 First restaurant in Buffalo, New York. Formally a Universal International Pictures movie vault.

Former restaurants

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Restaurant Number Restaurant Name Location Opened Closed Duration Of Time Operated Seats Square feet Notes
5 Newark, NJ 224 Market St, Newark, NJ 07102 May, 2011[11] August, 2021[12] 10.24 years 180 6,000 First restaurant in New Jersey.[13] Formerly a boxing club where Rubin Carter trained.
6 Stamford, CT 845 Canal St, Stamford, CT 06902 December, 2012[14] June, 2020[15] 7.5 years ? 7,500 First restaurant in Connecticut. Closed due to the effects of COVID-19. Formerly a Yale Lock Co. factory
9 Chicago, IL 923 W Weed St, Chicago, IL 60642 April, 2015[16] July, 2016[17] 1.25 years 168 12,686[18] First restaurant in Illinois and the Midwest. Two story restaurant.
10 Baltimore, MD 1401 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231 September, 2015[19] January, 2018[20] 2.39 years ? ? First restaurant in Maryland. Building opened in 1885.[21]
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cazentre, Don (January 8, 2014). "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que readies for its Buffalo opening, with a Hollywood touch". syracuse.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Stage, John (2001). Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 1-58008-265-3.
  3. ^ Cazentre, Don (June 9, 2021). "Full bodied and feisty: Syracuse-based Dinosaur Bar-B-Que launches first new sauces in 15 years". syracuse.com. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Coincidence or connection?". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 19, 2007.
  5. ^ "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que voted America's best barbecue in ABC's "Good Morning America" poll". Syracuse.com. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  6. ^ "Smaknews.com: The Leading Smack News Site on the Net". Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  7. ^ "'Man v. Food' at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Heid's in Liverpool". Syracuse.com. June 9, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  8. ^ "Law firm alleges Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cheats tipped workers out of wages". Albany Times-Union.
  9. ^ "It's official: No Gianelli / Dinosaur stand at the 2022 NY State Fair". July 2022.
  10. ^ "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Upstate N.Y. chain aims to grow beyond cult status—but moving at its own pace". Nation's Restaurant News. April 19, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Benny, Michael (March 23, 2011). "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que expanding". WSTM. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  12. ^ NYLotteGiants (August 20, 2021). "Dinosaur BBQ has permanently closed its Newark location". r/devils. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Gorce, Tammy La (June 16, 2012). "Vegetarian Woos a Ribs Place". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Just, Olivia (November 10, 2012). "Dinosaur's Stamford location set to open in December". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  15. ^ Schott, Paul (June 10, 2020). "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que permanently closes in Stamford". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Gerzina, Daniel (April 16, 2015). "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Chicago, a Massive Den of Smoked Meats in Lincoln Park". Eater Chicago. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Selvam, Ashok (July 20, 2016). "Barbecue Bummer: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Closing Chicago Location". Eater Chicago. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Gerzina, Daniel (April 21, 2015). "Opening Alert: 9 Things to Know About Dinosaur BBQ Chicago". Eater Chicago. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  19. ^ "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's Baltimore location closes". Baltimore Sun. January 19, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Weaver, Teri K. (January 20, 2018). "Dinosaur BBQ in Baltimore closes after two years". syracuse. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's Baltimore location closes". Baltimore Sun. January 19, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
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