A sign of barbecue to come. Fort Mill's newest downtown restaurant nears its opening.
It's a sign of barbecue to come.
The Improper Pig is taking another step toward its opening in Fort Mill.
The restaurant submitted plans to the town for a new projecting sign on the front facade at 204 Main St., and a wall sign on the Confederate Street side.
The applications are needed, as are petitions for most any structural or aesthetic changes on Main, because the new restaurant falls within the town's historic district.
According to staff at the current location in Charlotte, there hasn't been an opening date set for the Fort Mill restaurant. It could be open by late September, but work still needs to be done at the site before the new owners can pinpoint a date, they said.
Part of that work involves historic review board approval for signs and the like. The review board meets July 10 to look at the signs.
At the same meeting, the review board will consider new railing on the 100 block of Main, along the retaining wall at the bottom of Main Street. The railing would improve safety in front of several sites, including Southern Sugar which opened in March.
New paint, signage and other curb appeal improvements are on the agenda, too, for Olive's Mud Puddle on the opposite side of Main. Also, an historic home at 135 Confederate is being expanded and converted into an office building. A plan approved early last year for a technology company would have nearly doubled the size of the building, but the owner and plan have changed since.
When Improper Pig opens, it will join a bustling crowd of businesses on Main. Recent additions include Southern Sugar, Amor Artis Brewing, Towne Tavern Express and commercial space at the Old Centre Theatre. Improper Pig also joins a growing list of restaurants in town. Neighbors Hobo's and Local Dish sit on Main, while across town, Kingsley has a handful of new restaurants open and more coming.
The Kingsley site lists existing restaurants like Carolina Ale House and SmashBurger, along with "coming soon" offerings Spice Asian Kitchen & Rooftop and Taco Molino Mexican Street Food. Kingsley will be the third location for Stewart Penick's Terrace.
Even the barbecue scene is growing as Improper Pig nears its opening date. The former Beef 'O' Brady's team confirmed last month they're looking to open a restaurant at Steele Street Station, at the corner of Tom Hall and Steele streets, as a continuation of their Red Oak BBQ and Catering.
The former Beefs site in Baxter is now home to another new restaurant, Killingtons Restaurant & Pub.