New burger restaurant in Gales Ferry to host grand opening Saturday
Ledyard — Of the 28 types of burgers on the menu, a seasonal one stands out — a hamburger patty with a pineapple slice, dipped in moscato wine, between two glazed doughnuts, topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
While the "Pineapple Delight" might be more grandiose than others at the new Gales Ferry's restaurant "Best Burgers and Brew," or Triple B for short, burgers are at the core of the new restaurant. The business, located at 1649 Route 12, the site of the former Moe's Burgers, will host a grand opening Saturday.
Owner Dave Collins was a regular at the former Moe's Burgers, which closed last year. A retired electronic test engineer who worked for 34 years at Electric Boat, Collins said his retirement left him restless. When Moe's closed, Collins sensed the opportunity and took over the space.
"My brain (was) going to mush. ... I might as well start doing that," he said of the restaurant business.
Since winter, he and his staff have put a considerable amount of time and effort into the 3,600-square-foot space, taking it down to the "bare walls," completely renovating the bar and dining room as well as upgrading the kitchen facilities before reopening. Collins said he put his "life savings" into the restaurant.
Collins said he was able to retain "about 70 percent" of the original staff of Moe's.
The restaurant now features a full bar and dedicated dining room space which, during the day, is closed off by a temporary wall that can be removed in the evenings. Outside, there's a patio dining space as well as a smoking area.
A new menu puts burgers first, but also offers hot dogs, as well as several salads and grinders.
The restaurant wants to attract sailors from the Naval Submarine Base in Groton by expanding its weekend delivery hours. Collins said the move has been successful thus far.
Trivia games are offered on Thursday nights, as well as DJs on the weekends and karaoke.
Since April, Triple B has been in a soft-opening phase as Collins retrained staff and prepared to handle bigger crowds.
"We've been doing back of the house training figuring out how we're going to deal ... we're as good as we'll ever be," he said.
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