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11/15/2021 11:00 PMIn a town with a reputation for great restaurants, Branford is welcoming a restaurant with a great reputation, Archie Moore's Bar & Restaurant, to the heart of downtown at 988 Main Street.
Famed for bringing the joy of buffalo wings to Connecticut since 1982, Archie Moore's Bar & Restaurant now boasts five restaurant locations in the state, including its newest in Branford, as well as those in New Haven, Fairfield, Milford and Wallingford.
Archie Moore's opened its doors in Branford on Monday, Nov. 8 with a soft opening that made a big splash, said manager Todd Ressler.
"It's been incredibly busy; overwhelmingly busy," said Ressler. "We knew we'd be busy due to the anticipation over the past couple of years of us coming to town, but it was above and beyond our expectations for the first week. I think we fed half the town of Branford our first week!"
A grand opening celebration will take place within the next couple of weeks, he said. Look for information on the grand opening to be posted on Instagram (@archiesbranford) and Facebook (search Archie Moore's Branford). The new social media sites are already filling up with tantalizing images of the kind great food that's on tap and has helped to make the popular eatery chain a legend in the state's bar and restaurant realm.
A shoreline resident of 50-plus years, Ressler said he's long been aware of Branford's status as destination shoreline dining town and sees that momentum building in downtown Branford.
"It's certainly becoming a little bit more restaurant-friendly within the downtown area, and we think that's great," said Ressler. "We like to have a lot restaurants and bars in the area, because it gives people the opportunity to bounce around and enjoy the town, without just coming to one place and leaving."
News of Archie Moore's coming to town has been around since 2019; with plans to open the Branford location in 2020. But that all changed when the pandemic shut down indoor seating at restaurants and bars in March 2020.
"Unfortunately, we signed a lease a month before Covid hit, which sort of shut down a years' worth of production for us," said Ressler. "But slowly and surely we started to get things up and open last week."
Ressler said the first day of business in Branford was phenomenal, followed by a continued flow of customers coming in ever since.
"We opened by 11 a.m. our first day, and by noon time, the restaurant was filled," he said. "There's been a lot of anticipation for us over the past year. I think the anticipation, and people waiting for us to open, really pushed things along for us."
The restaurant offers lunch, dinner and full bar service; so don't be disuaded by the provisional permit sign at the Main Street entrance -- the state requires that the permittee have it posted outside the business for 30 days, said Ressler.
"The bar is open and we are serving alcohol," he said.
Tucked within an interior courtyard entrance off Main Street, Archie Moore's restaurant is also accessible from the large public parking lot behind its Main Street location. Inside, the restaurant can seat between 85-90 customers between its full bar with high top seating and dining room seating. The outdoor courtyard is planned for use for additional seating in the future.
"We're looking forward to doing the outdoor seating out there. We're going to have about 40 seats outside," said Ressler. "We're pacing ourselves, so we'll probably get that going in the spring."
Current hours are Sunday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. until about midnight; with the kitchen open until 9 p.m. on Sunday through Wednesday and with the kitchen open until 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Those hours will be extended in the future, Ressler said.
"We are going to expand those hours," he said. "At this point, we're kind of easing into things."
Archie Moore's Restaurant & Bar in Branford is located at 988 Main Street, Branford Center. Call (203) 481-6100 for more information, find Archie Moore's Branford on Facebook, @archiesbranford on Instagram or visit https://archiemoores.com to learn more.