The Virginian-Pilot
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It's not a bar nor based in Boston, but Famous Al's Hot Dogs at the Knells Ridge Shopping Center off Battlefield Boulevard has the makings of being Chesapeake's Cheers.
Thursday night is Game Night at the eatery, where customers are encouraged to meet and play games together, like Yantzee, Pictionary, Bunko or Uno.
From 6 to 8 p.m., the restaurant offers free popcorn and snacks.
"Some of our customers suggested it," said Samatha Brown, an owner/operator. "We wanted to create a sense of community and provide a social outlet for our customers. Some have made great friends here."
Brown has strived to create a family atmosphere because it is family. Her mother, Dolly Roches, is a co-owner/operator. Brown's children, Justin, 6, and Isabella, 4, often stop by with their father and Brown's husband, Dave, another co-owner/operator.
And what Norm was to that legendary bar where everyone knows your name, Renee Valentine is to Famous Al's.
Called Miss Renee, she moves around the restaurant to encourage diners to join in. Then she goes back to her perch at the corner of the bar-like counter to watch.
"I've been coming here just about every day for two years," said Valentine, who is a caretaker for an elderly couple. "This is my social time, my only 'me' time."
"Renee would come in to keep me company," added Roches. "We just picked a night to start playing cards, and that's how it got started."
Eve Holliday of Great Bridge visits the restaurant about three times a week.
She met another fellow diner, Delma Wilson-Baldwin, when both came in separately. Now they are friends.
"It just enhances the dining experience," she said of Game Night. "It's fun and we talk about events."
Devon Hubbard Sorlie, 222-5202,
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