3 Guys Basement Barbecue, Hanover's solebarbecue restaurant and catering service,closed after not meeting its goals of high revenues and continuous growth, owner Nigel Leeming said. Some staff have transferred to Murphy's, which Leeming also owns.
He cited the restaurant's location as a primary factor for its lack of success. He alsonotedHanover's irregular traffic and said the restaurant, which opened in April 2012, “got off to a lukewarm start.”
During its run, the restaurant received favorable reviews, boasting a four-and-a-half star rating on Trip Advisor and a four star rating on Yelp.
“There's a lot of restaurants in Hanover. It's kind of ata saturation point,” Leeming said. “When the town's hopping, everybody's doing great, but there are months when students [are] gone and when services drop.”
The Canoe Club manager Olivia Chapman said that business can be unpredictable at this time of the year, but noted that the restaurant has had a fair amount of traffic from visiting prospective students.
“Our business is pretty busy, but not predictably so as in other seasons, so it might be difficult to tell how we’ll be affected,” she said.
Molly’s Restaurant manager Jen Scelda said she was unsure how the closing will affect other businesses because many students went to 3 Guys for its particular offerings as a “barbecue and late-night drinking spot.”
Leeming said 3 Guys's property has been placedon the market, though he declined tocomment about what would replace the restaurant.Before 3 Guys, the bar 5 Olde Nugget Alley occupied the space.
Some catering services, including 3 Guys's popular pulled pork and brisket,will continue through Murphy's.
"You can smoke food anywhere," Leeming said. "It doesn't justhave to bein a barbecue restaurant."
Many students have taken to Facebook and other forms of social media to express sadness about the closing.
Claire Yao ’16, who at the peak of her 3 Guys consumption last winter ordered takeout from the restaurant two to three times per week, said the news disappointed her.
“Nowhere else has mac and cheese that’s as good as 3 Guys mac,” she said.
Yao is a former member of The Dartmouth business staff.
Akash Kar ’16, who went to 3 Guys about once a week, said he enjoyed the restaurant for “the great food and great vibes.”
“It’s always a huge blow to the Dartmouth community when we lose yet another non-DDS dining option,” he said.
Shreya Indukuri ’16 said that she wished 3 Guys had announced the closing in advance, since she would have “definitely gone back a few times.”
Leeming acknowledged that the restaurant had a loyal fanbase of Dartmouth students.
“We had a lot of fans in the College,” Leeming said. “And we hate to disappoint them that we're not going to do it.”
Town manager Julia Griffin is away from her office and was unable to be reached by press time.
