Big Dog’s Café in Toms River May Have A New Location

Big Dog’s Café, a popular local eatery opened in early 2023 at 2039 Route 37 East in Toms River.  They also opened a location at 242 Atlantic City Blvd in Bayville. They had a solid reputation for good old American eats. Hot dogs, burgers, wings, cheese steaks, creamy shakes, fries, and so much more. https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cEq6NubTN/ One fan of Big Dog’s Cafe, called the place, awesome.  She wrote, “I love their incredible Elote wings.” Elote is a Mexican preparation where the wings are slathered with mayo or crema, and topped with lime, chile, and Mexican cheese such as Cotija, modeled after Elote Mexican street corn that’s become popular in recent years. Then several months ago, both locations closed without warning. From the perspective of this Toms River resident, it looked like business was booming. Every time I drove by, the place was packed. I guess there were problems we all weren’t privy to. No one knows why they suddenly closed. About six weeks ago, Melissa D. posted, “Soooooo i guess both the Toms River and Bayville locations shut down and never posted anything? Kinda weird because they just redid the whole inside of the Bayville one a month or so ago? Wonder what happened?” Big Dog’s Café had a huge social media presence and now, NOTHING. The building that once housed Chomp and the beloved Joe Joe's Italian Hot Dogs for over 30 years is currently empty with a “For Rent” sign in the window. Big Dog’s Café's Possible New Location Yesterday, as I was heading to Seaside with my husband, I noticed a Big Dog’s Café sign on the store next to the Cigar & Convenience store at 3101 Route 37 East across from Quick Chek on Route 37 East, right before you hit the bridge. Does that mean that Big Dog’s Café will be re-opening at this new location at some point? There was talk that the owners weren't happy with the original Toms River location and wanted to revamp the concept in a larger space. I tried reaching out to one of the owners via text and email but have yet to receive a response. When he responds, I will keep you in the loop.  Stay tuned.