Spotlight On: Fireside Bar and Grille

Ambler Patch: When did you open your business?

Fireside Bar and Grille: The Fireside opened in October of 2006.

AP: Who is your ideal client or customer?

FBG: Our ideal clientele is everyone looking for good food and a great atmosphere for great prices.  We have been voted best Pub/Bar in Montgomery County, Best Family restaurant in Montgomery county, and have been in Philly Magazine in an article called "9 Bars in Nine Innings: The best places around to catch a game".  So our clientele are families, sports enthusiasts, night life pub crawlers, happy hour office workers, lunchtime corporate employees, etc.  We also have an extensive early bird menu for $10.95 which draws a more senior crowd from 4-6.  So I think what makes us great is that we have something for everyone.

AP: What makes your business unique from others in your field?

FBG: What makes us unique? - Usually places have one or two of what I mentioned above.  We have all of them.  Besides that, I think that being family owned and operated is what makes us stand out.  This is an extremely labor intensive business and its easy to get comfortable and passive.  We have an excellent General Manager in Vince Visco, who doesn't let that happen.  We pay attention to detail, cleanliness, and quality.  Also, my family grew up in Ambler, we went to Upper Dublin, and we have lived here for 5 generations.  We take great pride in excellence in every facet of our business.  Its tough sometimes, but its well worth it.  We are not perfect, but we strive to be as close as possible.  We also get heavily involved in our community.  We do a lot of charity events, sponsorships, dine and donates, raffle baskets, gift card donations, etc.  Its important to our family that we continue to better our community and give back to the families that made our restaurant one of the most successful around.  Our kids go to school here, they play sports here, and they will grow up here.

AP: What made you decide to open a business?

FBG: That is a long story!  And one that would probably be a story in, and of, itself.  However, the quick version is, my dad and I invested in real estate for awhile once I graduated college in 2000.  We made a few good deals and wound up in a position to buy the restaurant from my uncle who operated it as Christophers for years before closing and leasing to several other businesses that failed.  We had a concept in mind that we enjoyed and thought we would try to bring it to Ambler and Upper Dublin.  We were tired of going out and being charged an arm and a leg for a good meal.  We wanted to bring great food to our customers at great prices.  We wanted to reinvent the concept of "Value" with big portions and great quality food made from scratch for great prices.  We built a team that we thought could do it and so far so good.

AP: What’s your most popular item?

FBG: Since our menu is so extensive, we have a lot items that are popular.  We have the only true wood-fired brick oven pizza in the area, so we do sell a lot of pizza...The most popular being our margherita.  We have a huge sandwich/wrap and salad menu that we call our "Grille" menu.  The most popular things there are probably the Pete's Favorite or Prime Rib Sandwich.   We also have an early bird menu and a dinner menu.  Our most popular dinner items are probably the Overstuffed Mushrooms for an app, Chicken Parmesan, Veal and Shrimp Francais, and maybe our veal Marsala as entrées.

AP: What make’s your community special?

FBG: I think what makes our community special are the families that grew up in it that wanted to see it grow and thrive along with the new families and people that have moved in to help get us over the hump.  I also think Ambler has a great government in place at the borough that is Pro-business and growth.  That is extremely important to us business owners looking to open a store or restaurant in the borough and take a risk.  We know we have them in our corner as opposed to a headwind.  I love everything about our town, our families and school districts.  I wouldn't trade them for anything.  I grew up here and now my children are growing up here.  There was a time that you couldn't walk through ambler at night.  Those days seem like a distant, faded memory.  I'm proud of our town and what it has accomplished and think we are still only at the beginning.

AP: Where can customers find your special?

FBG: We have an avid facebook following where we post our daily specials every day.  We also have an extensive website that shows our daily specials on a calendar for the bar and some of our promotion nights.  We have built a very tight following for each day of the week.  For example, Monday nights are kids nights where kids under 12 eat pizza for free.  Tuesday is our BBQ night and trivia at the bar.  Wednesday night is 25 cent steamers and u peel 'em shrimp along with $3.50 Craft and Seasonal Beers.  All of this could be found on our website along with other info about our restaurant and weekend night life.

AP: What are your chef’s specialties?

FBG: We are fortunate to have a very talented head chef, Bob Marella, an excellent sous chef John Parker, and an assistant sous chef Judy Kwortnik.  Between the three of them, we have about 70 years of experience.  That is a true competitive advantage in my mind.  Each of them bring a different flare to our kitchen.  If I had to say what our specialty is, it would be tough to pinpoint one thing, although we have become known for our Prime Rib and Wings.  Our prime rib is second to none and it is priced extremely competitively.

Fireside Bar and Grille is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. and the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. on Sunday and Mondays, 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturdays. Learm more on their website and check them out on their Facebook page.