The former Checkers location at the corner of Woodbourne and Bristol-Oxford Valley roads in Middletown’s Levittown section is seeing new life.
On Monday, Big Q BBQ, a new concept from the owner of the popular Pineville Tavern in Buckingham, will open.
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The new BBQ joint hosted a free sample giveaway on Saturday. The owners expected a few people, but what seemed like hundreds lined up for a taste of the newest quick service restaurant in town.
Drew Abruzzese is the owner of the Pineville Tavern and now Big Q BBQ. According to to him, the idea for a barbecue restaurant started about two years ago when he purchased a smoking device for the Pineville Tavern’s catering business.
“The restaurant business is all about change,” Abruzzese explained, adding that the restaurant business is just as complicated and hectic as any depiction makes it out to be. Therefore, when looking to set up a new adventure, Abruzzese looked simpler. “The next thing I wanted to go for was something with fewer moving parts.”
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According to Abruzzese, he is “trying to simplify the idea and create something different.”
“We wanted to open a place without a hundred menu items but with something for everyone,” Abruzzese explained. The menu includes everything from pulled pork sandwiches to fish sandwiches and family platters.
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According to Abruzzese, everything is made from scratch and cooked on the premise. “I want everyone to know that the rules we follow to create the Pineville Tavern are the same rules we followed here,” he said. “We want to serve really great food for a great price,” Abruzzese concluded.
The landlord of the building, which sat vacant since Checkers moved out in 2013, contacted Abruzzese‘s real estate father looking for someone to rent the building. Abruzzese looked at the location and loved it. “We came in and loved the look of it, the idea of it, and we started doing our research.”
The logo is what made Abruzzese fall in love with the name. The logo was created by Milton Glaser, who designed the “I ‘heart’ NY” logo in the 70s.
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Big Q BBQ opens at 7 a.m. and will be open until 10 p.m. every day.
