Old Town Hall owner and chef Vesha Sanders (right) will be assisted by Chef William Webb.
RIDGEWAY — A casual dining restaurant once again anchors Ridgeway’s downtown shopping area. Vesha Sanders opened The Old Town Hall Restaurant on Friday. Sanders, a hands-on restaurateur who loves to cook, will be serving up a selection of traditional southern dishes to include shrimp and grits, steak, burgers, chicken, pasta and salads as well as a variety of desserts. Sanders has operated restaurants in New Orleans, Arizona and Orangeburg. At her new location, Sanders said the menu would also include some Cajun entrees such as shrimp etufe, and beignets. “I think everyone these days is a little bit into New Orleans cuisine – it’s very popular right now.”
A special feature in the restaurant, and new to Ridgeway, will be an old fashioned soda fountain with ice cream and soda treats that were available in small town drug store soda fountains in the 1950s. “We’ll offer banana splits, real old fashioned sodas, malts, coke floats – all of it,” Sanders said.
Later in the fall, the restaurant will house a separate carryout station located beneath the rear of the restaurant. The space used to be occupied by the town jail. The entrance is located just a few feet from the entrance to Just Around the Corner consignment shop.
The carry out station will offer pizza, hot dogs and other take-out meals as well as bottled soft drinks from a self-service cooler. “It will be a quick lunch or snack to take home or back to the shop on busy days,” Sanders said.
The restaurant is located at 140 S. Palmer St., across from Ruff Hardware store. It’s open for lunch Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and for dinner Fridays from 5 – 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. For information, call 803-337-0241.
