Just wanted to send a note of appreciation. My boyfriend and I love BBQ ribs so we decided to check out a few places, compare and choose which place we thought had the best ribs in town. Sticky Lips won! Your ribs are awesome! Your sides are great! Besides your food, the service was prompt and the employees were friendley. There is no reason for us to continue on our hunt for the best ribs in town, you got it going on!!
Sincerely,
T. Tauriello and
B. Bigelow
Rochester, NY
Just a short note to say what a great meal my wife and I had at your restaurant.
Jessica was our server and she offered just the right touch of welcome and interest in our first experience
of your offerings. I wanted to say that we enjoyed our menu choices and look forward to coming back many
times for the rest of that menu. We shouldn't have waited so long the first time but with two kids in school,
the time to adventure was limited. Now that our daughter works around the corner at Channel 8 as a news producer,
I can see where we'll have the time to get out to your place a bit more often. Congratulations on a great theme
and staff, and a memorable menu. And best of luck with your video projects. Maybe Channel 8 should stop by to
do a local story on your efforts!
To know the real story behind the success of STICKY LIPS PIT BBQ, it's necessary to go back to 1982, when Irondequoit native Howard "Howie" Nielsen opened his first restaurant. Having spent time in Chicago, Nielsen learned to love the city's stuffed pizza. At the young age of 21, Nielsen brought the dish to Rochester, and opened THE PIZZA STATION on June 10th, 1982.
In a short four year period, The Pizza Station grew to four locations and 75 employees. However, after a name change to CHESTER CAB PIZZA, there were some problems to overcome. A restaurant fire was particularly devastating, and Nielsen's early attempts at franchising did not work out well. By the end of the decade, Nielsen was close to going bankrupt.
The Entrepreneur
In the mid 1990's, Nielsen had scaled back his operation to the one Chester Cab Pizza on Park Avenue. He decided to try his hand at becoming an inventor. While credited with the inventions of the Santa Cruz Sit-Up Board, Earth Jam Basketball, and America's Most Unwanted Dart Board Game, Nielsen's efforts were unfortunately more educational than money making.
As a father of two young sons, Nielsen's creative mind next drew him into movie making. The release of WHEN FOOTBALL WAS BIGGER THAN LIFE in 2000, followed by the 2006 release of IRONDEQUOIT: LACROSSE TOWN U.S.A. were well-received locally. "When Football..." even won a Telly award. Once again, these ventures were more gifts to the community than money earners.
A New Beginning
On opening night, April 22, 2004, the marquee read "I just spent my life savings, please eat my food." After eleven months of renovation, the building at the corner of Culver and Atlantic was transformed. What was once an automobile showroom (and later Carvel's Ice Cream) was now the two story STICKY LIPS PIT BBQ. Remembers Nielsen, "People must have felt sorry for me. We had a line out the door and it hasn't stopped since."
What keeps customers coming back is a simple philosophy: make the best BBQ in town. The decor is handpicked original signs, magazines, photos and antiques from the 1940s and 50s. The walls read like a museum of Rochester and national history from the time period. The girls of the friendly wait staff are the new "Rosie Riveters" of today. Sticky Lips BBQ is truly a Rochester original.
Our staff at Sticky Lips works hard, and we will continue to do our best to keep you coming back again and again.
