Carolina Ale House kicks off restaurant boom at Fort Mill’s Kingsley Village

Kelly Heizer has helped open Carolina Ale House restaurants in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville over the past 12 years.

He’ll remember the latest opening Wednesday in Fort Mill for a very tasty reason: A new Caribbean tuna sandwich with jerk seasoning was recently added to the menu.

“It’s become my favorite in three days,” Heizer said. “All the pizzas are great, and I think we sold a hundred burgers the other day for lunch.”

Carolina Ale House is just the first restaurant to open in the fledgling Kingsley Village Town Center just off Exit 85 from Interstate 77.

Other upcoming restaurant tenants include a Brixx pizza place, a Clean Juice bar, a Corkscrew winery, a Panera Bread, a Smashburger, and a Starbucks location, according to the Kingsley website.

The 6,500-7,000 square-foot Carolina Ale House can hold up to 350 customers inside, with room for about 150 outside, according to Heizer. He believes Kingsley is a strong spot for a restaurant because of the traffic descending on Fort Mill.

A new 125-room Courtyard Marriott hotel recently opened at Broadcloth Road. More than 200 apartments are planned, of which 48 will be located over retail in the town center.

Kingsley Village is a 626-acre mixed-use community that’s home to the Lash Group and LPL Financial. Lash Group expects 2,400 employees to work at its facility, while LPL Financial plans for around 3,000 employees to work at Kingsley.

“We’ve already noticed that there are people who bring their kids and walk around or there’s a bike path that takes them to Lash and back, and then there are people who have a couple drinks with us after golf,” said Heizer, who says the restaurant will employ about 100 workers. “We’re probably the largest restaurant employer in Fort Mill.”

Heizer said there are nearly 70 television screens throughout the restaurant to catch the latest game. He said he believes the Kingsley area will soon be a “mecca” for thirsty travelers who pass through York County and Fort Mill.

“Even around the Carowinds area, people will start thinking, we can go north to Charlotte, or we can be even closer, just down the road to eat,” Heizer said. “We offer everything.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 9:51 PM with the headline "Carolina Ale House kicks off restaurant boom at Fort Mill’s Kingsley Village."