New restaurant will offer kid games, self-serve beer-wine wall

A kid-friendly restaurant is coming to Maricopa.

But its self-serve craft beer wall and selection of wines will appeal to adults, too.

Two city residents, Ray Jones and Terrann Gillespie, will open a Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ, a quickly expanding franchise started in 2018 in Long Island, New York, according to RestaurantNews.com. The local franchisees will build a restaurant, but no location or timeline was specified in the report.

The menu posted online at iwantcrave.com shows plates of smoked brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken. There’s also a Brisket Bowl — a skillet filled with smoked brisket, 4-bean baked beans, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, diced tomato and onion.

The gluten-free, beef hot dogs are served on buns and come with two free toppings — chili, jalapeno, bacon, spicy pickle chips or craft beer cheese, for example — with additional toppings available.

The menu also features bratwurst and mild or hot sausage as well as sandwiches and salads. Four kids’ meals are available.

Part of Crave’s unique concept is a self-serve beer wall with as many as 32 local craft brews. Patrons can choose a beer and decide how much to pour. Wines will also be available at the wall.

Family fun is also part of the concept.

Games such as cornhole, giant connect four and board games will be available for the kids. TVs will show sports. Crave hosts events like princess parties, trivia nights, $2 Tuesdays and Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays.

Most locations feature a patio and some have a drive-thru.

The restaurant offers self-order kiosks and an app enables customers to order ahead and get their order at curbside or by delivery.

The Maricopa location will be Crave’s first in Arizona, according to the corporate website.

Neither Crave’s corporate office nor the franchisees returned requests for comment about the plans for Maricopa.