RIDGEWAY – The Old Town Hall restaurant, vacant since July when Vesha Sanders closed up shop and moved on, will soon have a new tenant, a new menu and a new full-service bar.
According to documents obtained last week by The Voice, a group of business investors from Lugoff, headed up by Mike Phelps, have inked a deal to open the new restaurant at its location on 140 S. Palmer St. Phelps told The Voice last week that he plans to open the restaurant for business the first weekend in November to coincide with the Pig on the Ridge festival under the name The Olde Town Hall Restaurant and Pub.
“We still have a couple of things to do,” Phelps said. “There are a few minor repairs that need to be made before everything is 100 percent concrete. We’ve got a lot of equipment to buy.”
Phelps said the menu would be simple, yet diverse, ranging from filet mignon to chicken wings, prepared by a chef he said was “locally known,” but whose identity he wished to keep under wraps, for now. Phelps operates a loan company in Lugoff and has never run a restaurant before; but his chef, he said, has 12 years of restaurant experience and will be the driving force behind the new venture.
Phelps said he plans to be open Tuesdays through Sundays for lunch and dinner, with brunch offered on Sundays.
According to the lease, signed Aug. 18, the restaurant will operate lease-free for six months, after which they will pay the Town $500 a month for the first year. If renewed, the rent goes to $600 a month for the following two years, and $700 a month for the following three years if renewed again. If renewed a fourth time, the lease would be $800 for years seven and eight, with an option to renew for a ninth and 10th year at $850 a month. Years 11-15 would be $875 a month. The lease also required a $1,000 security deposit.
