Love Black Dog. Staff is friendly. Food is delicious. Stellar beers on tap. Totally worth the up to one hour wait.
Strategy - if you are going on he weekend, arrive 20 minutes prior to opening to get in line. If the line is long already, put your name and QTY of guests in your party on the board and then run over to Bunny's for a round of Bloody Marys. If you show up during peak dinner hours, there will be an hour wait.
Burnt ends - burnt ends sell out quickly. Make sure to get your order in quickly when they open.
Platters - platters are a great way to sample several meats and you get two sides. They also have an extensive BBQ sauce list. For a few bucks, you can order all the sauces for your table.
Drink - they have a great beer menu with awesome craft beers on tap. If you like whiskey, there is a tasting menu for that too.
To go - you can do to go orders via phone, however the bartenders are really busy so it may be a wait before they pick up the line.
Splitting the check - they have a cool tablet-based point of sale system. It is easy for the waitress to split the tab for groups and you pay at your table.
Group size - this restaurant is good for parties of 4 or under. Parties of 1-2 can get sat more promptly as there is seating at the bar. While I see people with kids here, it is not a kid friendly restaurant - very small interior,crowded, loud, not sure if they have high chairs.