27 Apr Upstate Headlines: Why are so many high-end restaurants coming to downtown Greenville?
A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of April 25, 2016
Why are so many high-end restaurants coming to downtown Greenville?
What do Husk, Ruth’s Chris, Halls Chophouse have in common? All three restaurants have opened, or will open, in downtown Greenville in the next year, and all carry an average per-person price of more than $50. Greenville is predicted to add 1,087 new hotel rooms in the next three years, but another measure of the city’s evolution is the growth of the downtown fine dining sector.
Willy Taco is coming to Greenville
Taco-craving food lovers will soon have a new hangout in Greenville with the announcement of Willy Taco’s second location set to open by the end of this year. The popular Spartanburg eatery known for its fresh, inventive tacos will open in the former Feed and Seed building at the corner of East Washington Street and Laurens Road.
NC restaurant group buys 2 downtown Greenville restaurants
A North Carolina Restaurant Group is expanding its footprint in downtown Greenville by buying the rooftop wine bar SIP and The Green Room, officials said late Friday. The Bottle Cap Group bought the two restaurants from High Street Hospitality Group, said Morgan Conroy, director of marketing for the Bottle Cap Group. There are no plans to change the menu at either restaurant and they will stay open, but some cosmetic updates are planned.
Inland port moves record volume
As South Carolina Ports Authority officials announced this week plans to build a second inland port, they celebrated the success of their first one, in Greer. The inland port in Greer handled 8,821 rail moves in March, achieving consecutive months of record-breaking volume to mark a fiscal year-to-date increase of 66 percent with 67,032 lifts since July. Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the ports authority, said the inland port has proven to be a critical component of the intermodal container logistics landscape in the Southeast since opening in November of 2013. “This is truly a momentous day for the SCPA and Inland Port Greer,” Newsome said. “Such volume annualized means we can achieve 100,000 rail lifts in calendar year 2016, a volume that we originally expected that would only be possible in five years’ time. This facility is firing on all cylinders with a rich mix of exports, imports and empty container movements for many of the major container shipping lines.”
First Look: The 05
Construction delayed the opening by almost a year, but this week, The 05 officially opened for business. Named for its zip code, 29605, the new “neighborhood gathering spot” at 3016 Augusta Street is owned by Heather Frechette and Elizabeth Hunt, who also own the bar/lounge On the Roxx at the West End. So far the feedback from the community has been amazing, they said. Customers have been saying “thank you” and “this is exactly what we needed,” said Hunt. While Frechette and Hunt weren’t thinking about opening another bar/restaurant when the developer approached them, they jumped on the chance to open a place for the surrounding community to gather. “We want The 05 to be part of the neighborhood,’ said Hunt.
