The day my Instagram feed buzzed with the promise of Choco Taco Milkshakes, Jack and Coke Slushies, and Burgers piled so high with delicious toppings, I’d have to dislocate my jaw to take one bite. The phoenix arising from Dive ‘n Boar was finally emerging from the ashes. With retro vibes, an excellent variety of beers on tap, a creative and entertaining menu, AND dessert options practically begging you to contract Diabetes, I knew the spirit of the Dive had not been lost forever but reincarnated under the banner of LTO (lettuce, tomato, onion – I know it stumped me at first, too) Burger Bar.
Chad Gangwer, a saucy internet friend I have acquired via camaraderie over a poor choice in an apartment marketing campaign, is the father of the LTO Burger Bar brainchild and has been a driving factor behind many other eateries in Greenville. You may recognize him by his “Piedmont Mullet,” healthy beard, mountain tattoos, and unintentional R.B.F. bouncing between Southern Culture, of which he is the Co-Owner, and LTO.
He started his restaurant career at 17 working at Fatz Cafe a.k.a. “one of the worst jobs in the universe” (as first jobs tend to be) before moving on to Blockhouse where he decided to take the position of Kitchen Manager on the premise of “It can’t be that hard!” – immediately eating his words on a poppyseeded bun of “It was so hard.” To recover from the learning experience of Kitchen Manager, he then moved on to Arizona Steakhouse, where he would stay for 17 years and accumulate titles of server, 10 year general manager, and 2 year regional manager. Thinking maybe the lifelong restaurant business might not be the career path of choice, Chad tried his hand in Mortgage Banking only to leave with an extra 25 lbs of Chad, a forever distrust of banks, and the desire to be at home in the restaurant kitchen.
Having lived in the Greenville area since 17, Chad had witnessed most of Greenville’s growth and restaurant uprising. While downtown has its gems, “I wanted to go somewhere to get the Downtown experience without having to always go Downtown,” said Chad. This lead to a walk-through of the once Brioso’s which turned out to be a close fight for the space that Southern Culture luckily won. At the time, the opening of “Restaurant Row” was a miracle for those of us who lived in Travelers Rest, seeing as how we could have a great dining experience without making the laborious trek to Greenville or having to settle for Ruby Tuesdays. (Also, who doesn’t want access to fried chicken sandwiched between waffles and bottomless mimosas?)
As the success of Southern Culture grew, the success of their burger-neighbor Mojo’s unfortunately did not, opening up a space for Chad’s new concept: Dive ‘n Boar – a late night venue with a “munch-heavy” menu that paid homage to Southern BBQ and served fresh, craft cocktails. “Business was average,” said Chad, “Dive wasn’t profiting or failing, so we felt the need to try re-branding.” This lead to revamped decor, a new chef, and a dining experience you could file under Gastropub. “I am not a fine dining person,” says Chad, “so, I spent more time with SoCo because I know comfort food, being raised on it so much so that it was practically shoved down my throat.” The re-branding, unfortunately, did not prove successful, which lost the large cult following the original Dive had accumulated with its Rowdy Trivia, irreverent menu, good prices, and late night specials.
Following his own advice in dealing with the restaurant taking a literal dive, Chad “stayed positive. Learned from the mistakes, and pursued the Plan B that any owner or entrepreneur should have in place in case things go South.” And so LTO moved up the alphabet to Plan A. Chad felt that people were missing Mojo’s and the unique personality of Dive, so he decided to combine the two to create a place that “was fun to dine, the employees enjoyed their job, and that continued to carry the Downtown away from Downtown spirit over simply being a Cash Cow.” While it might not be a Cash cow, you’ll still find plenty of cow on your buns – both in a burger and as the fabric on most of the seating.
The decor is charmingly retro, representing the late 70s through 80s, which is great because “it won’t offend your 5 year old child or 80 year old grandpa.” Chad believes the most important features of any restaurant are, “having the decor immediately grab you once through the doors, the menu should be entertaining to read, the staff should be friendly and personable, and the food delicious.” Standards all of which are easily achieved at LTO.
Many difficult hurdles have been either gracefully leaped over or smacked into during the initial launch. The first hurdle (running headlong into this one), was the immediate clobbering of the restaurant by the opening weeks’ crowds. “Our opening week completely proved that Greenville does whatever it wants to,” says Chad in regards to the huge, immediate response followed by the severe drop off into normalcy after the first two weeks. Due to this overwhelming surge in business, LTO faced some tough reviews on Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. “Social media can be a great marketing tool, but I would say the split is 60% negative and 40% positive because it’s more fun to say something mean than it is something nice on the Internet. Sometimes it’s hard not to take the reviews personally,” said Chad. And finally, the trifecta of hardship concluded with “Being a brand new concept and remaining consistent was difficult. Many times great ideas on paper are drastically changed once married to the human touch.”
To manage all of the stress, Chad spends at least one day a week in the Mountains. “My priorities are as follows: Family. Work. Outdoors. You absolutely make time for family. You absolutely make time for Mountains. You absolutely make time for work. The sacrifice normally comes out of sleep,” said Chad. His favorite spots, (which maybe I shouldn’t tell you about since the goal in his trail running is to avoid the general public), are Paris Mountain and Table Rock. (And cycling on the Swamp Rabbit Trail when it is not, again, littered with the general public.)
In his many years of finding the balance between life and work in the Service Industry, he has gained this wisdom: “Be yourself at all times. Don’t let the success or unsuccess change your perspective. Treat your staff like family. No one likes delicious food served by an asshole,” Chad laughs, “and don’t EVER focus on the negative, it is compounded when you’re the one steering the ship.”
Of the menu, Chad highly recommends the 85′ Piedmont Mullet Burger and the Hot Clucker Chicken Sammy. Of the drink menu, he recommends the La Croix cocktails and Jack and Coke Slushie, which he recommends with caution. Babies could be made.
Starting on Friday and Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m., LTO will be regularly hosting Disco Happy Hour which includes half off wells, $2 off wine by the glass, $5 Disco Burgers, and “if people want to actually Disco, we’ll gladly move the tables. The goal is to pack it out and bring back the late night that Dive once had.”
Chad says, “The most rewarding part of the restaurant business has been the high fives, the hugs, the recognition from customers that really get what we’re trying to achieve or just complimenting us on how good the food was. And it also keeps me young. At home, I’m a fun, but protective father to a 7 year old daughter, and in the kitchen I’m a 25 year old, joking around about all the things 25 year olds joke about.” So, if you’re looking for your home away from Downtown, Southern Culture has your brunches smothered in syrup or pimento cheese, and LTO has your once wide open weekend nights occupied with fun, funk, and full bellied burgers. Be sure to give the guy with the mountain tattoos on his hands a high five on your way out.
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