DANBURY, CT — After the dust cleared from the bombshell announcement that Barbarie’s management would be taking over Chuck’s Steakhouse, the real work of moving a restaurant began.
Richard Dominguez, manager of Barbarie’s Grill at the Danbury Fair Mall, said the plan is to have that site shuttered and “Chuck’s Steakhouse by Barbarie’s” back open at 20 Segar Street some time in January. The owners of Barbarie’s Grill closed the $2.38 million deal with their iconic rival just last month. Chuck’s Steakhouse began its business in 1973.
Dominguez told Patch his crews were “working day and night” to meet their deadlines, but the current punchlist shows the Barbarie team has its work cut out for it.
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“We’renovating the whole kitchen,” Domingues said, but it has been 50 years since Chuck’s has seen any kind of upgrades. The new owners are also taking the opportunity to paint, put in new carpeting and update the lighting system. Still, he expects the transition to be “seamless.”
Happily for the restaurant’s many fans, Dominguez said that Chuck’s bigger-than-life salad bar would be untouched during the renovations. In fact, diners should not expect much in the way of radical changes to the dining experience.
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“We’re just incorporating our menu with theirs,” Dominguez explained.
The Barbarie family has operated restaurants for close to 60 years in Danbury, beginning with Jim Barbarie’s Restaurant on Padanaram Road. Barbarie’s Black Angus Grille opened on Eagle Road in 2012, and Barbarie’s Grill opened in the parking lot of the Danbury Fair Mall in 2020.
T-bone steak and filet mignon are the restaurant’s bestsellers, along with salmon and sea bass, and are likely to remain so. In an era where entire menus have been overrun with what used to be “vegan options,” and even insects are being eyed hungrily as a protein source, Dominguez said that the Barbarie’s and Chuck’s style steak house is here to stay.
“If you work hard, the industry is doing well,” Dominguez said when asked about the current state of the steak-and-potatoes business. “We work hard to get our customers back: great service, great food, and they come back.”
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