Doylestown Restaurant Sets The Scene For TV Docudrama

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A borough restaurant and bar will be featured in a new true crime docudrama airing nationally this summer on Fox Nation.

A film crew took over Chambers 19 Bistro and Bar in the heart of Doylestown Borough in late July to shoot scenes for a four-part series that tells the untold story of George Marquardt, “The Godfather of Fentanyl.” In the early 1990s, the self-taught chemist from the Mid-West created "street fentanyl," a heroin substitute that became widespread among drug users in the 1990s.

Chambers owner John Wolff said it was exciting to watch the crews turn the bistro into a Boston Pub where a key moment in the investigation unfolds. It was also exciting to see about 25 locals appearing as extras in the scenes, including some of his own employees, he said.

“They asked me if I wanted to be in it but I respectfully declined," said Wolff. "But we did have a couple of our employees who came early and really enjoyed themselves as part of the production.”

The scene inside Chambers 19 during the film shoot. (Courtesy of Chambers 19)

Wolff describes the shoot as “bigger than I thought it was going to be. I was able to stand behind the scenes and watch them film with different angles. It was crazy the way they got multiple shots and the way they directed. It was a cool learning experience.”

Wolff said he was contacted by the production company, Steven Rotfeld Productions out of Bryn Mawr, which asked to use the establishment for a day of shooting. “The production company knew of our bar so they reached out to us. I thought it would be a pretty cool experience so I said yes and they showed up with all of their gear.”

The day of the shoot started early at 5 a.m. “When we opened the restaurant for normal hours, at that point they were focused on the bar area and they were over there for a few more hours. They wrapped everything up by 4 p.m.,” he said. “We weren’t completely closed down. It was more of a half day for us.”

During the filming at Chambers, Wolff said the people from the production company “were super nice and very understanding."

The extent of filming was a first for Chambers. “We had hosted (Fox 29's) Bob Kelly’s show in the past. We've had a couple other people film in here but not to this scale,” he said.

The scenes that were shot at Chambers depict pivotal moments in the show as law enforcement zeroes in on the source of the deadly drug.

“As described to us, we’re the spot where everything goes down,” said Wolff. “The FBI finds out all the details they need pinning Marquardt to the fentanyl. That all happens in the bar.”

The series, which is hosted by Fox News anchor John Roberts, will premier on Fox Nation on August 14. The segment featuring Chambers is scheduled to air on September 4. Needless to say the crew at Chambers is already planning a watch party, said Wolff.