Anyone who has been down to the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que more
than once knows that a bit of a wait is usually the first thing on
order before sitting down to indulge in their world-famous smoke-pit
grub. And it would seem illogical to try packing even more people in
their urban roadhouse, but all it took was questions from the
tried-and-true diners and the answer manifested itself.
“Over the years, we’ve had people ask if they could have
a private space for private parties and functions,” said John Stage,
owner of the Dinosaur. “We had our offices on the second floor for a
while, and about a year ago, decided to move things around a bit and
convert the upstairs into a second room for the restaurant.”
The official grand opening for Upstairs
at the Dino was held April 16, and people can now book the space for
banquets, birthdays, company functions or just a private party for one
if you woke up this morning and your baby done left you, as the old
blues adage goes. For the occasions, two distinct rooms grace the
space, with the larger seating area set at capacity for 150 people,
while the smaller Willow Room—which overlooks Willow
Street—accommodates 50. It was designed by local architectural firm
Dalpos, 101 N. Clinton St.
The Upstairs is only reserved for private functions, not
the casual Dino diners that populate the downstairs’ waiting list
conjured by the righteous babes working the “Hostess Hut.” Yet the
addition of the second-floor space allows the venue to free up 30 more
seats on the first floor, which will ultimately slash the time spent in
pork-hunger purgatory. The area just to the right of the stage on the
first floor, which once housed a museum piece known as a “payphone,”
and what was their diamond-plated restrooms, have been completely
opened up for more tables and chairs. You’ll see when you get there.
But the stage remains the same. “We’ll still be keeping
it free downstairs for anyone who wants to come in and see a band any
night of the week,” continued Stage. “But we’re going to book the
bigger acts upstairs, which will probably be paid-admission shows.”
Indeed, the first act booked for the Upstairs is The Nighthawks, a
Washington D.C.-based roots-rock band on Saturday, May 30.
The Upstairs stage has a little more room for the
musicians to roam around, and features a backdrop replica of an
original early 20th-century freak-show advertisement, painted by local
artists Elliot Mattice and Kathy Maio, that covers the entire wall. The
old-fashioned brick and mortar on the surrounding walls, as well as the
ceiling, are all that’s left from the building’s original structure.
Before the Dino had their second-floor offices, a motorcycle repair
shop once occupied the space; going back even further, it was also home
base for a Cadillac dealership—both apropos for the stigma of the
current joint.
The wooden floors and light fixtures, Stage noted, were
brought in from an old factory in Buffalo, while the rest of the wood
adorning the walls and supplemented as beams beneath the ceiling were
found in barns throughout the upstate area. The full, lavish bar looks
like something where you’d expect to see the Wild Bunch downing some
shots; there’s even a 32-inch flat-screen TV, playing old-school DVDs
such as John Wayne’s 1946 western Angel and the Badman and the 1954 Marlon Brando rebel-rouser The Wild One.
Construction was recently started to install a balcony
overhanging the Willow Street side of the Dino, which can be accessed
through the Willow Room. “We wanted to do a New Orleans kind of thing
with that,” said Stage, who hopes the project will wrap around Memorial
Day weekend. Although the sidewalk is inaccessible at this point and
the sheets of plywood surrounding the work area conflicts with the de
facto motorcycle parking area directly underneath from where the
balcony will be, the new overlook will not interfere with bike parking
at all upon completion. Stage reiterated, “Can’t mess with that.”
If you wish to rent space Upstairs at the Dino, which
includes setup and cleanup, wait-staff, bus persons and table
centerpieces, the main room will cost you $250 Monday through Thursday
nights and $400 Friday through Sunday nights; the Willow Room costs
$150 weekdays and $250 weekends. The rates are based on four-hour
durations and a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to reserve
the main room and $300 for the Willow, both of which will be applied to
the total cost for your event.
Of course, if you want to eat there, the aforementioned
fees do no cover the price of food, which is priced accordingly per how
many Flintstone-sized racks of ribs you want. But most of the Dino
goodness you’ve come to know is available. Bartenders will be included
with open-bar packages and they will also assist you if you want a live
deejay service, special decor and linen rentals or audio-visual
equipment, at a price to be worked out in your contract.
“We’ve wanted to offer our guests the true spirit of the
Dinosaur,” continues Stage, “and work with them for their special
events so they can have their own private Dinosaur for a little while,
which will probably never be the case for anyone on the main floor.”
Upstairs at the Dino, 246 W. Willow St,
is handicapped-accessible. For more information or to reserve one of
the rooms, call 579-0400, or e-mail to upstairs@dinosaurbarbque.com.
MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTOS
