By Adrienne Erica Boudreau:

You can smell it down the street.

Barbeque fans are rejoicing as Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is set to finally open its doors today at 4 pm.

The process of revitalizing the old film depository building on Franklin Street into a roadhouse style restaurant took a while but is now complete and filled with bustling activity.

The staff of 120 people conducted practice runs last week by inviting family and friends to try out the food and drinks, to ensure proper training for the big night and beyond. After serving up plates of brisket, pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and just about everything else on the menu to friends, family and neighbors, the staff seemed prepared, confident and enthusiastic to get on with the show.

Feet away from a server’s station there appeared to be few complications, as the small glitches were handled with ease and patience by company trainer Brandon Russell who told me, “We want our floor and kitchen staff ready for what is about to come, and running into these small problems is what is going to get them ready for opening night, because I can tell Buffalo is ready for it.”

“The menu at the Buffalo location has all the company favorites on it but is also a little bit unique to Buffalo,” said Russell. For example, the addition of ‘Dino Poutine,’ hand-cut french fries covered in gravy, pimento cheese and pulled pork, definitely reflects Buffalo’s proximity to our neighbors up north.

Aged wood lines the walls of the big, dark, restaurant, and enough metal decorations, paintings and wall hangings present a tasteful amount of rustic flare. The crux of the historic Buffalo-centric décor was furnished by Horsefeathers on Chandler Street, an antiques business that has worked with Dinosaur to outfit all of their other operations. There’s plenty of Buffalo flavor seen throughout the restaurant.

Beautiful stained glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling and over the bar area, and a custom wall mural by Elliot Matice and Kathy Maio is featured in the hallway leading to the restrooms. Mattice and Maio paint unique murals for each Dinosaur Bar-B-Que location, and Buffalo’s features jolly, old-timey gentlemen in mid-toast to each other riding pigs and buffalo – a nice touch!

The 7,200 sq.ft. location seats roughly 180 diners in two different dining areas, contains a takeout area at the back, and also a spacious bar area with a few casual seats. The north side of the building features a patio to be used in the warmer months.

Building owner Mark Croce said in a previous conversation with Buffalo Rising that Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has the potential to be one of the highest grossing restaurants in the region, along with the Walden Galleria’s Cheesecake Factory, because of its unique nature, renowned reputation, and proximity to the medical Campus, downtown, and the Theater District.

There will be no reservations accepted on opening night, but after that reservations can be made over the phone or on Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s website.

Here’s to the big day that a lot of BBQ lovers have been waiting for…

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que | 301 Franklin Street | Buffalo, NT 14202 | (716) 880-1677