Double Nickel, the smokehouse in which Elk Grove native and Chicago Bears Pro Bowl Linebacker Lance Briggs is a partner in, opened on Monday. The Sac Bee's Cathie Anderson has some of the backstory on how the restaurant came to be.

Although Elk Grove’s Double Nickel Smokehouse owes its name to the No. 55 on Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs’ jersey, it is Briggs’ childhood friend Cameron Lee who owns the majority stake in the restaurant...

As children, Lee said, he and Briggs would talk about businesses it would be fun to own. Restaurants were on the list, along with bowling alleys. Lee and Briggs kicked off their business partnership by acquiring Strikes Family Entertainment Center in January 2012. Lee had been working as the food and beverage director at the bowling center, and when the opportunity to buy it arose, he talked it over with his wife, Victoria Lee, and Briggs.

The Lees, sweethearts since high school, thought the timing was right. Cameron Lee had a business degree from University of Arkansas, Monticello. He had risen through the Paragary chain to become a general manager at Cafe Bernardo in Davis. He had also been in management at the Melting Pot in Rocklin and the California Pizza Kitchen at Arden Fair Mall. He had worked in the banking industry, and more importantly, he had been at Strikes long enough to figure out the pitfalls and promises of the business. The couple took their savings and merged the money with a 20-percent investment from Briggs and a bank loan.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

Jonathan Mendick in Sac News & Review has a little more on the menu.

Some of the Double Nickel's entrees will include smoked brisket, short ribs, salmon, and shrimp and grits. It will also offer sides such as braised vegetables, coleslaw and a green-bean casserole. Local beer, wine and cocktails round out the menu. Briggs said that he's sampled some of the best smokehouses in the nation throughout his football career and always wanted to open a barbecue spot with a Southern flair.

Read the entire story in Sac News & Review.

Cowtown Eats was first to report news of the restaurant's imminent opening on Aug. 10.

Double Nickle is located in the Elk Grove Sports Center at 3443 Laguna Blvd. and can be found online at http://www.smokehouse55.com.

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