A reader sent in a tip that the old Benchwarmer Bob’s location which closed way back in early 2007 looks as if it will be replaced by Burnsville biker bar, Black Dawg Bar and Grill.
The reader’s tip said that after stopping in to check out the old site he spoke to a Realtor who said that the property was purchased by two gentlemen (first names used only) who currently own both Bumper’s and the Black Dawg in Burnsville. After asking the Realtor which one would be more likely to close, the Realtor responded that it would be the Black Dawg which would reopen in the new location possibly in mid-July.
I went ahead and contacted another source who claims to be close to the action for verification and they confirmed that the sale of the building will be to the owners of Bumpers. This person was not aware of the connection to Black Dawg however so we’ll leave this one at least partially in the rumor column at this time reader Greg says that a friend of the owner confirms that the Black Dawg is moving so we’re going to mark this one as true.
Any other little tidbits floating around out there? If so, go ahead and post them below. As details develop I’ll keep the thread updated right up until the day the restaurant opens and we have a chance to stop in.
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May 6th, 2009 at 11:51 am
One of the guys I work with had heard that Black Dawg was moving from a friend of one of the owners, so I’d say that adds a bit of credence to the rumor.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I don’t care. I just hope they offer sandwiches, salads, wine and coffee drinks. There’s nowhere within hundreds of miles to get any of that stuff.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:58 am
If we’re swapping rumors, I’ve heard the building is haunted. I wonder if the new owners will have experiences with cold spots and a ghost in the basement.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
MSPD: Once again, I bow to your wittage.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Sank: Its the ghost of the last pedestrian seen in HOC, circa 1894. Tragically killed by a chamberpot thrown from a balcony by an elected official having a fit of pique when her attempt to keep a drive up brothel out of town was foiled. “They want sex, they can get out of their buggies” she cried as she hurled the bronze pot from her elevated doorway. Sadly, it struck poor James McEnroe on the head as he walked the boardwalk from his home above the saloon toward the Coffee Cafe for his morning cuppa. He’s haunted the area ever since, moaning: “A curse upon this place, a vision you cannot see, walk not beneath the buildings, else you might get hit with pee.”
May 6th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Whit: Once again, I bow to your ownage but you still owe me a new keyboard and monitor as the ones I have here are now soaked with the water that shot out of my nose.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Oh man, that’s some great stuff Whit. Bowing returned.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
No problem. I think Mrs. Marcos has some monitors in her front yard, so I’ll just swing by there and pick one up for ya. Dean Spiros over at Star Trib South isn’t using his keyboard, just the photocopy machine for those city-drafted press releases, so I don’t think he’ll miss his if I walk out of the office with it. :)
May 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Whit,
You are the model of suburban efficiency! My neighbors will thank you for removing the monitors.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Just not that excited by this move, but it is interesting that Black Dawg often has live bands. I would be willing to bet that they generate more ticket revenue per month than the PAC.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Consipiracy theory: The Mayor is somehow behind this. She’s given up on the thought of new businesses locating to Burnsville, so she’s orchestrating existing Burnsville businesses shuffling around from empty space to empty space to give the appearance of vitality. Surely there’s some morons who will see the “new” restaurant/bar and have no idea that it left an empty hole somewhere else in Burnsville.
Press release from Kautz: “Look! Businesses are flocking to the HOC! Well..the HOC-ish.”
May 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Wait…never mind. That would be far to creative for her.
Carry on.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Well she did promise “white tablecloth” restaurants would come to HOC after the PAC was built. I just don’t think she was thinking the tablecloths would be made of white butcher paper.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
You know, if they spelled “dog” right, their signing wouldn’t be as expensive, and it wouldn’t look as dumb.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I think its safe to say that Black Dawg is as far from white tablecloth as one can get.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
MSPD, you might be right!
Mayor Kautz probably was instrumental in getting this empty space filled. Maybe she gave them the property on the condition that they would provide public restrooms with outdoor access to another key part of the HOC.
Seeing as how difficult it is to get traffic lights in this town, she felt it would not be safe for people to cross the Burnsville Parkway just to get to Nicollet Commons Park for a quick shower and a trip to the MCC for relief.
Having heard the the Black Dawg was a “biker” bar, she felt that it would fit well with Burnsville’s healthy city’s initiative.
I heard they might also apply for a drive-thru because the Mayor said she didn’t think that there would be any issues with pedestrians and bikes.
Can’t wait to see her face when she finds out that not only do these “bikes” create carcinogenic fumes but they’re loud as hell too driving down Nicollet and past her condo at 1:30am.
I suspect we’ll see another “cross her arms in disgust” and “act like a six year old and lay on the floor kicking and screaming rant” when she finds out what she’s really in for.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Lovely. More crappy food. Whit, you are in fine form today.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
“Having heard the the Black Dawg was a “biker†bar, she felt that it would fit well with Burnsville’s healthy city’s initiative.”
Oh man…EVERYONE’S in fine form today. I’ve been laughing my ass off all day long.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I can add nothing to the genuis that is these comments (are?) bad English teacher…
May 7th, 2009 at 11:46 am
It’ll be nice to see someone put that facility to use. Maybe with the larger digs, they’ll see fit to add some good, local craft brews. The south metro is in desperate need of a place for the beer geeks that live there to flock to.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:53 am
I think its a nice upgrade for them, but it really leaves a chain of empty store fronts and no traffic down along the old Black Dawg location.
May 7th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Kris, I heard rumor that someone was thinking about putting in a brewpub at the old BWB’s location but that they scratched the idea when they heard that BDBG was buying it instead. You’re right, done correctly that would be a really nice addition to the South Metro and it certainly would get me to go down there. As it stands right now, I wouldn’t be going out of my way to visit either MCC (I don’t like the politics behind them going in there) or the new BDBG.
Chad, I bet that’s exactly what the mayor wants to have happen. By showing that it’s empty and rundown she can justify an input of taxpayer dollars during her planned revitalization of the entire area into the “Chain of Lakes South”.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Actually where Black Dawg is now has gone under a bit of a revival in the past couple of years. Granted the old Menard’s is an empty big-box, but where Motoprimo was for a while is now an O’Reilly’s, and the other couple of stores were full the last time I went by. The little mall itself seems to have gotten a bit of a face lift, too.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone else take the space, it’s probably cheaper to rent than other spots in Burnsville.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:25 am
great posts…
now if this were an offshoot of the Bulldog Bar and Grill (Uptown, Northeast Mpls and Lowertown St Paul…great burgers and beer selection) it would be a place heavily frequented by yrs truly ….
Black Dawg… not so much.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Bulldog is pretty decent. Love the Tater Tot Hot Dish (if its still on the menu?)
Another example of the type of place that just does not exist south of the river.
May 8th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I visited Cincinnati for a conference in August 08, stayed in a suburb about 20+ minutes north of town, (Mason OH?) … much like our area… they had an Irish pub chain bar , Claddagh, which had live music and good Irish and English beer on tap, and across the parking lot a brewpub/sports bar place, beer of the quality of say Granite City or Rock Bottom… nothing special, …. but on a Saturday night both places were hopping.
This in a suburban shopping mall. I dont think Cincinnati is near MSP in size is it? (just checked MSP is 16th largest, Cinci is 24th largest)
what is it about the demographics of the SOTR that keeps anything above the Chili’s/Applebees/Ruby Tuesday out of this area?
I think one good bar/grill with decent beer selections and reasonable food (I ate at Claddagh in Cinci and have eaten at their location in Madison WI and believe me it is nothing to write home about) would make it here? In fact I think the currently vacant Macaroni Grill on 42 would be an ideal location for something like this?
Does anyone else think that a place like that with some local craft brews, and some decent imports and some reasonable food might work somewhere down here …..or are the demographics really that dismal here ?
I think the closest that comes to this type of place are the Bonfire’s in Eagan and Savage, and the times I have been there recently they have been loaded with customers…. they have a few good items on the menu, but generally the food is passable, neither terrible or great… ?
May 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Mulch, in my experience places like Champs, Applebees, Bonfire, etc are very busy. There must be something south of the river that destroys taste buds.
I actually thought Macoroni Grill was a big step up from Olive Garden. The few times we went there it was fairly busy, yet it closed, which was a great surprise to me. It would be great to see something decent in that spot, esp if something moved in before they fill the vacant spot over nicollet park in the HOC.
May 9th, 2009 at 10:04 am
While the old BDBG wasn’t much to write home about aesthetically, I can attest that the ladies’ restroom was! HUGE with numerous roomy stalls…beautiful tile and woodwork…hope they carry the concept over to the new location.
I’ve been there for bingo a couple of times and had burgers–nothing special.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
OMG Bingo. I wanna play bingo.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Now all they need is a meat raffle, and we’re set.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
see, you’re making jokes. I’m not. I DO love bingo. bee, eye, ehn, gee, o.h, baby
May 20th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I should just stop linking to the Star Trib and Thisweeklive. They don’t seem to understand the whole link love thing.
I did the hard work.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
“He said he may book acoustic music shows upstairs and comedians downstairs, where there will be more of a nightclub atmosphere.” I would LOVE to see the balance sheet for this place for a night a comedy act is there, and compare it to the costs/”income” for a similar act at the PAC.
May 21st, 2009 at 6:42 am
I thought this quote was great. I guess this guy Skip was not consulted about the MVHS move.
“Obviously, a thriving business is better than an empty building,†said Skip Nienhaus, Burnsville’s economic development coordinator. “If it’s taken over, that would be fantastic. And even better if it’s taken over by someone who’s already a business owner in Burnsville. I think it shows their commitment to Burnsville to be expanding.â€
It sounds like a nice upgrade from Black Dawg, and this article makes it sound like Black Dawg and bumpers are both going to remain open?
May 21st, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Ok, I went to the Bulldog on East Hennepin last Saturday evening , had a cheeseburger done medium (delivered perfectly) and a pint of Rush River Amber Ale. for some reason , maybe it was just before 6pm, the Amber ale was $3, my daughter had a bottle of Grain Belt Premium and it was 3.50… go figure.
anyway… the burger there was excellent…supposedly they make the burgers from Kobe beef? And the fresh cut french fries were perfect as well.
Plus they have a shuffleboard game with sawdust on it. Added benefit.
Not expecting this type of place to happen in Bville. But one can hope that this new venture will be a serious step up from BWB’s.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
I’d love to see cornhole/beanbag courts setup. Plenty of Minnesota bars around the state have tournaments, I think that sort of thing would be great in the South Metro as I’ve seen *A LOT* of backyard games going on around Apple Valley, Lakeville, and Burnsville.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Pull tabs are my idea of exercise.
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:40 am
We were out on business a couple of weeks ago, and the bar we hung out at one night had a VIDEO BEANBAG MACHINE! It’s bad enough that it’s not really a ‘sport,’ but to have it as a video game? Wow! ;)
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:59 am
As long as they don’t call it cornhole, it’s all good.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Maybe someone can invent a video quarters machine too.
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
LOL! Amen, Mulch!
June 18th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
The latest on the Benchwarmer Bob building… It will be named Anthony’s Parkway Grill. Opening sometime in mid September.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:24 am
[...] game has rolled into town and stolen some more of its planned acts. Anthony’s Parkway Grill, soon to be opening in the old Benchwarmer Bob’s location, will feature a comedy club in the basement. Unfortunately for the ever so confident Wolf Larson, [...]
July 21st, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Black Dawg Bar will reopen on 7/30 as McKracken Pub.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Oh great here come the endless “how many Burnsville residents does it take to fill McKracken” jokes.
July 21st, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Heard the owner of Black Dawg sold to his brother…
July 31st, 2009 at 12:23 am
Well MSPD, there were about 15 people filling McKracken tonight.
Stopped in for the Grand Opening of McKracken’s Irish Pub at around 11 PM and there were about 15 people in the joint. They have spruced it up a bit, were still working on the stage and sound system for tomorrow night for Mr. Peabody. Can not say that it looks a lot different than it did as BlackDawg. As far as an Irish Pub, did not see anything in the joint that would resemble an Irish Pub. Oh well they had free pizza and Bill they have the Bag “Champion Toss” video game which I have never played before but laughed when I saw it. Sounds like Anthony still has a stake in the place, Anthony’s Parkway Grill is targeting a September opening. I drove by there on the way home and all of the circus colored awnings are still up as well as the BWB sign.
July 31st, 2009 at 7:50 am
Just to Clarify….Peabody is at McKracken’s on Saturday night
July 31st, 2009 at 10:20 am
Scott, you are correct. It was after midnight last night and I saw 8/1 on the poster and my watch showed the date as 7/31 and thought tomorrow night being Friday night, you are correct.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
no problem….I just had to check
I’m part of the band, and today is my wife’s Birthday…I would be in deep shit