‘See the whole operation’: New Fort Mill restaurant pits cuisine with a smoking view
It hasn’t been an easy year for area restaurants, with dining rooms closed for months to slow COVID-19 spread. Yet there’s something working at The Office in Indian Land, to the extent that owners are ready to open a sister restaurant in Fort Mill.
Blue Smokehouse & Bar is a fast casual restaurant set for the South Dobys Bridge Road and Fort Mill Bypass.
“We don’t have an open date just yet,” said James Rivenbark, partner with The Office. “We’re targeting mid- to late next month.”
A hiring event for both restaurants will be held 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Aug. 25 at The Office in RedStone. Both restaurants will hire for most positions, with lots of line cook and food runner jobs open at Blue Smokehouse & Bar, Rivenbark said. There may be a management position or two available there too, he said.
The new restaurant will have ceiling to floor glass in places for a new look at the smoking process.
”You can see the whole operation,” Rivenbark said.
The main draw, though, will be the food.
“Pork, brisket and ribs are always the things people will be looking for,” he said.
A corn pudding and seasonal cobblers — they’ll start in Fort Mill with peach — are on the menu too. Prices will be comparable to The Office, Rivenbark said, in the mid-range. The smokehouse will have a full service bar with eight local craft drafts, cocktails and wine.
“We’re bringing 20 years of barbecue experience,” Rivenbark said.
The Office has about 60 employees. The new restaurant will have 30 to 40. It will be 4,900 square feet and include a patio. Rivenbark said the new restaurant plans are an indicator of how business has been at the Office, which opened last year.
“Everything’s going well at The Office,” he said. “Crazy time we’re living in.”
The coronavirus pandemic has been difficult, he said. Yet restaurants are largely reopened or reopening now, and Rivenbark believes there is opportunity in Fort Mill.
“With everything going on, of course it’s been a challenge,” he said. “We’re surviving and doing everything we can to innovate.”
The new restaurant comes in a busy area of Fort Mill, near Doby’s Bridge Elementary School. There are plans or ongoing construction there already for a gas station, retail space and a new Harris Teeter.
