For the past several months, students walking from Northside to the Case Quad have wondered about the construction that has been occurring at the former Barking Spider Tavern. Their curiosity was satisfied with the opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club, a unique take on a local franchise, Dave’s Cosmic Subs. Co-owner Paul Sidhu, says the franchise and location were specifically chosen to add a fun dynamic to Case Western Reserve University’s campus.

Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club is Sidhu and his partner Dan Clark’s second co-ownership of a  Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise. Both men have prior business experience; Sidhu began in real estate finance before starting his own real estate company, Sidhu Realty Capital. From there, owning franchises was a small step. In addition to the two franchises Sidhu owns with Clark, Sidhu Realty Capital also owns three other locations and is the largest Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchisee.

Sidhu said he chose Dave’s Cosmic Subs for its special theme and culture. He has also been a longtime patron and fan of the franchise.

“After researching multiple fast casual franchises we chose Dave’s Cosmic Subs for its high quality sub sandwiches and focus on rock and roll in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,” explained Sidhu.

When Sidhu and Clark chose the Barking Spider location for Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club, they wanted to maintain the Barking Spider’s live music legacy.

“I had been to the Barking Spider multiple times and appreciated how it was a platform for aspiring artists,” said Sidhu. “That was instrumental in our decision to maintain the live music and entertainment and combine it with our quality subs and full service bar.”

Negotiations between Sidhu’s franchise management team and CWRU to lease and retrofit the carriage-house location took several months but were worth it according to Sidhu, who believes the unique nature of the franchise will make it a destination for CWRU students and the broader community.

“I hope the club becomes an awesome hangout space for the entire community of undergraduate/graduate students, faculty and local residents,” Sidhu affirmed. “There is no other Dave’s store like this in the entire country.”