McGill’s Feedroom Grill near Clover serves meals with historic charm

Farmers have for decades enjoyed gathering for camaraderie around the wood-burning stove at McGill’s General Store, a landmark in the Bethany community since the store was built in 1888.

The stove and comfy rocking chairs remain. But these days, customers can also enjoy heartier fare: A breakfast of bacon and eggs or pancakes; and for lunch, a burger, sandwich or salad.

Store manager Lauren McGill, 23, is a fifth-generation member of the family who opened the tin-roofed store and established a homestead there about 135 years ago. She doesn’t want the store to ever change.

Lauren and her mother, Tammy McGill, 46, together came up with the idea of The Feedroom Grill, a breakfast and lunch eatery that occupies a room once used to store animal feed.

“We’ve thought for years that a restaurant would be good here,” said Tammy, who cooks and runs the eatery. She gave up a nursing career to run The Feedroom.

The fare includes eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and pancakes for breakfast, with burgers, fries, sandwiches, wraps and salads for lunch. Specialties include hand-cut fries, homemade chili and homemade slaw and hand-pattied burgers.

Prices start at 99 cents for a hot dog, grits or a plate of two eggs. The priciest item on the menu is a $4.75 sandwich plate with fries.

Ruth McGill, whose late husband, Charles McGill, ran the store built by his grandfather for decades, serves as the dessert lady.

Ruth still lives in the family homestead next door. To please the sweet tooth of customers, she whips up banana pudding, devil’s food cake, brownies, coconut cake and other classic Southern desserts.

Lauren said the eatery began because she and her mother saw an opportunity to fill a need in the rural community.

“There’s nothing else around here,” she said, referring to dining. “This was something we could add and bring in more people.”

Lauren said the family has been fixing up the store for the past year to open the grill, with the aim of retaining its historic character.

They removed paneling in the main store to show the original wood walls, painted the exposed walls and refinished original hardwood floors. In the dining area, they installed new paneling.

The store still sells animal feed from a separate building. It also sells gasoline from pumps that don’t have a credit card swipe – customers have to go inside to pay with plastic – as well as offering a selection of overalls, boots, general hardware, automotive items, and some groceries and snacks.

Lauren is proud of her family’s heritage, which started in 1880 at a general store across the road.

Her great-great-grandfather, James C. McGill, constructed the current building in 1888.

“We would like to keep it this way,” Lauren said. “We don’t want to change that. There are not many country stores around.”

Tammy’s husband, Jimmy McGill, and his brother, David McGill, own the store and also run a logging business.

She was pleasantly surprised at the eager response from the community. In the first few days, Tammy said, customers lined up to eat in the restaurant or pick up takeout meals.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “I never thought it would be this busy this fast.”

Melissa Velasquez, who lives down the road from McGill’s, was recently enjoying her first meal with her daughter, Sarah Willimon, and her mother, Carolyn Mull.

“It’s awesome,” said Velasquez, adding that she and her family have been regular customers at the store. It’s convenient, she said. And there’s one more benefit.

“The people who work here are so nice.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 9:47 AM with the headline "McGill’s Feedroom Grill near Clover serves meals with historic charm."