Track 3, a unique microbrewery, just opened at 1625 Limekiln Pike in Dresher. While they do sell pastries, sandwiches and paninis, customers are allowed to bring their own food (BYOF). More information at Track3Brewing.com

by Len Lear

Nearly everyone who eats out in the Philadelphia area is familiar with BYOB restaurants, which have proliferated in recent years for two obvious reasons – saving a considerable amount of money and being able to bring a wine you know you will like rather than one from a very limited number of high-priced choices.

Joe Burdo, 46, a resident of Dresher (next to Glenside), however, is pioneering a new concept (at least for me) which may just become the next big trend for those who enjoy dining out as often as possible. In mid-May Joe opened Track 3, a microbrewery and coffeehouse at 1650 Limekiln Pike in Dresher, near his house, with a twist. Although Track 3 does offer pastries, snacks and some cold and hot breakfast and lunch/dinner sandwich options, customers may also bring their own food (BYOF) to enjoy with the coffee and/or beer. Burdo even encourages customers to bring in food from nearby hoagie and pizza shops.

“How on earth can an owner make money by having customers bring in hoagies, pizza, etc., from elsewhere?” I asked Burdo last week. “It is hard enough to make a profit by selling your own food and drinks.”

His reply: “There are quite a few brewpubs that offer limited food in addition to their beer that is brewed on premises. Most brewpubs actually started out that way. It's a relatively new concept to pair microbreweries with a full-service restaurant.”

Also interesting is the fact that Joe is a Ph.D. scientist; in other words, one of the last people you would expect to be making and selling coffee and beer full-time. (The coffee actually comes from Ambler’s Wake Coffee but is roasted on the premises.) Joe was born in Detroit, lived in the suburbs for a few years, moved to farm country in Michigan for five years, then to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for two years and then to Memphis for several more years.

Burdo earned a bachelor of science in Biology from Western Michigan University in 1994 and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey in 2002.

Burdo’s graduate research was on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. His wife, Tricia, a molecular biologist, and he moved to San Diego after graduate school. (They met at Hershey.) Joe did his post-doctoral research at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and his wife worked at the Scripps Research Institute.

At the Salk Institute, he continued working on neurodegenerative diseases along with some nutritional neuroscience work. (Tricia has a Ph.D. from Penn State Hershey in Cell and Molecular Biology, and she is now an Associate Professor at Temple Medical School in the Neuroscience department, working on a cure for HIV.)

The family moved to Massachusetts after their second daughter was born, and Joe taught physiology and neuroscience and did research for nine years at Bridgewater State College and Boston College. After that, he co-founded a neuroscience education company called NeuroTinker with an engineering colleague from Minnesota. The family moved here three years ago after Tricia was recruited to Temple University from Boston College, where she previously did research.

“But I stepped away from NeuroTinker earlier this year to focus on Track 3 full time,” said Joe. Why would he give up a career he worked so hard to achieve for something so risky, like walking out on a high wire?

“I’ve been a home brewer for more than 15 years, and I love the process and product. Brewing beer, particularly in a small brewpub setting, constantly involves science, engineering and troubleshooting, all of which I enjoy. Also, I was ready for something more social than the work that I was involved in at my neuroscience education startup. Most importantly, I love learning and new challenges, and there is plenty of that in brewing and running your own business. Life isn't about the destination for me; it's about the adventure.”

All of the beers at Track 3 are brewed on premises. As for the name Track 3, Burdo and his business partners, Dave Bentley and Michael Pousland, noticed that some of their favorite rock songs are the third track of their respective albums, such as “Wild Horses” from the Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” or “Sweet Emotion,” the No. 3 song on Aerosmith's "Greatest Hits."

For more details, visit Track3Brewing.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com. WARNING: Limekiln Pike becomes Edge Hill Road after about a mile from Easton Road at Arcadia University. After a few hundred yards, Edge Hill Road is closed for construction (as of the writing of this article). I suggest using GPS and/or Mapquest for help.