The on-again, off-again Shakedown BBQ appears to be back with a solid plan to open by the end of the year.
The popular barbecue brand in Dauphin County announced Wednesday it is opening a restaurant at the former Nomad’s Pizza at 1708 Fairmont Drive at the Union Station development in Lower Paxton Township.
“We owed it to ourselves and more importantly we owed it to YOU!!! We had to do it right, and we finally got it done,” reads Shakedown’s Facebook message.
The news comes just weeks after Shakedown’s owners, Chris and Sarah Heilig, announced plans for another project fell through. They were planning to open The Doghouse as a joint venture with the owners of Irgo’s Tavern in Lower Paxton Township.
“We regret to inform you that our recent venture will not be moving forward as planned,” they wrote. “Despite our best efforts, unforeseen challenges have made it impossible for us to continue on this path.”
Back in action, the Heiligs said they anticipate opening the restaurant around Dec. 1. The menu will feature the brand’s classics with new additions and specials including pizza and hoagies.
“It’s been a wild four years to say the least. We knew the only way we could truly come back to you was on our own terms, by our own set of rules, with ShakeDown BBQ on the sign and not hidden mysteriously behind another name,” they shared.
Shakedown BBQ ignited more than a decade ago, first operating out of a pickup truck with a steam table, three coolers, a smoker and grills in the parking lot of Manada Hill United Methodist Church at Route 39 and Old Jonestown Road.
It relocated to a permanent location near the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in East Hanover Township before closing in 2019. Shakedown was one of the Harrisburg area’s first barbecue joints.
