The Triangle is about to welcome its third Hickory Tavern, the neighborhood social gathering spot that is centered around a lively bar, serves great food and has a passion for sports and entertainment. The new restaurant will add approximately 100 new jobs to the region.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based restaurant brand will open its new location at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3 at the SouthPark Village Center (401 Village Walk Drive) in Holly Springs. The opening expand the brand’s footprint in North Carolina to 16 restaurants and 27 restaurants for the brand overall. Its other Triangle locations are in Carrboro and Cary, which opened last year.
Since opening its first restaurant in Charlotte two decades ago, Hickory Tavern has become the neighborhood restaurant destination for the entire family. Perhaps best known for being named runner up in ESPN’s Best Sports Bar in North America, Hickory Tavern’s unique brand of polished casual features a lively bar atmosphere, upscale menu and 60 big screen TVs and projectors for catching all of your favorite teams and sports.
“With all of the exciting things going on in the area, Holly Springs just made perfect sense for us. When we got the opportunity to take a spot in SouthPark Village, we jumped on it. And the fact that SouthPark Village is bordered by the three busiest roads in Holly Springs, it’s truly is a landmark destination,” says Hickory Tavern CMO Thom Perez. “Our two other Triangle locations have outperformed expectations by such a large margin that we were absolutely compelled to look for more locations in the area. The Holly Springs restaurant is the next of what we expect to be several new Triangle locations.”
The 6,000 square-foot restaurant features a separate restaurant and bar area as well as a patio featuring a stone fireplace with customized sofas available for approximately 80 guests. Hickory Tavern offers a huge selection of beers, with 36 on tap, including several from North Carolina-based breweries.
While known for its sports passion, Hickory Tavern is noticeably different from a traditional sports bar, highlighted by its extensive and diverse menu. In addition to wings, burgers and signature sandwiches, guests will find Seared Ahi Tuna, Oregon Cedar Salmon, Shrimp and Grits, Seafood Bayou and three steak options on the menu. Hickory Tavern is also noted for its kids menu with nine entrées and nine sides options as well as the B.Y.O. Salad, a build-your own salad by choosing the type of leaf base, vegetables, fruit, cheese, crunches and proteins.
