08 Feb Upstate Headlines: Owners of Sidewall Pizza to launch barbecue restaurant
A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of February 6, 2017
Owners of Sidewall Pizza to launch barbecue restaurant
After jumping on the scene just about two years ago, and now with three restaurants under their belt, the owners of Sidewall Pizza Co. plan to open another restaurant later this year. But this one will not be pizza. The new concept will be barbecue, but done in the “Sidewall style.” The restaurant, which is yet to be named, will be at 164 S. Main St., Travelers Rest, and is slated to open in late spring. The building sits next door to the new development containing The Tasting Room and Farmhouse Tacos.
Private money may be the key to saving Greenville’s parks
Pop quiz: How does Greenville pay for a massive new park west of downtown while at the same time improving and maintaining the more than three dozen parks already here? The answer may be found outside of town. Cities all across the country are trying to figure out how to build, refurbish, and maintain public parks, and a growing number of them are turning to park conservancies, which are private, nonprofit organizations that raise money for parks independently of the city, something supporters say can improve park success while keeping down taxpayer expense.
New restaurant to open in former Local Taco spot this spring
The space left vacant by Local Taco off Augusta Road will become a new restaurant concept this spring, thanks to the former restaurant’s original owner. John Ko, who started the Local Taco concept in Nashville in 2009, and grew it to multiple locations including two in Greenville, has taken back over the space of the first Greenville location at 15 Conestee Ave. Ko plans to turn the restaurant space into a new concept that will open in early spring, he said. No word on exactly what the concept will be just yet, but Ko and his partner and manager of operations, Marc Connolly, are focusing on a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant and bar style restaurant that is casual enough to stop by with the family but nice enough to warrant a date night as well.
Upstate mirrors nationwide growth in urgent care centers
Nationwide, there are nearly 7,100 urgent care centers that offer services such as X-ray and lab during extended hours on weekdays and weekends when primary care doctors are typically closed, according to the Urgent Care Association of America. What’s driven both the rise of both retail clinics and urgent care centers has been the recognition that traditional physician offices don’t provide access that works for most people, especially those with jobs who have difficulty getting there during business hours.
Spartanburg County business leaders told to expect growth in 2017
Spartanburg County business leaders were told Friday, Feb. 3, the local economy will continue to grow in 2017 despite a few challenges at the national level. The county continues to attract international companies, and single-family home building is near an all-time high, driven by strong job growth. Tim Quinlan, senior economist with Wells Fargo Bank, said, “Most of South Carolina’s larger metro areas are seeing a pickup in growth. Spartanburg is expanding.”
