Video: New BJ's Worth the Wait

It took less than four months to build, but for many who attended the opening night of the new BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, there was another hour or more to wait as well. However, the general consensus Monday night seemed to be that the wait was worth it.

Located at the former site of TGI Friday's at 22022 El Paseo, BJ's was a step up in size, and provided a dining experience that got a thumb up as well.

There was a common complaint about the wait time, and there were some service kinks that needed to get ironed out, but the atmosphere and the food seemed to get high marks from those exiting the restaurant on its first day of business. 

The first guest, "an older genteleman," sprinted across the parking lot and ordered two beers, said one employee. The restaurant opened at 11 a.m., and began filling up for lunch about noon.

Dinner turned out to be busy as residents clamored to be part of the first-day festivities. Dinner traffic began picking up about 4 p.m., and by 5:30 the restaurant had filled. 

The Monday Night Football game provided an additional hometown note to the occasion; on the 103-inch TV screen above the bar was quarterback Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets beating the Miami Dolphins, 24-6. Sanchez is from Rancho Santa Margarita.

The restaurant will provide one big advantage over almost every other restaurant in RSM: It is open until midnight every night except Friday and Saturday, when it closes at 1 a.m. It opens daily at 10 a.m.

Regular readers of RSM Patch have had a chance to watch BJ's grow, literally, from the ground up in March.