I guest-coached a fitness class last weekend, and a squad of 10 or so people rolled onto that back porch with me afterwards to eat burritos and have one of Gringos’ famous margaritas, which was on the house when they presented their custom koozie, designed by General Manager Jeremy Krauze, declaring that they had each “survived Amanda’s Orangetheory takeover” — a feat that certainly earned them some tequila.
The bartenders are my good friends and the bouncers and security team are my big brothers; the people there are a family, and they have welcomed me in. I pop behind the booth to say hi to DJ AVX every Friday night when he gets on the turntables at 10pm. I try not to miss their epic parties and events, even if it means I have to show up late in black-tie attire from the thing I had scheduled before, which I have been known to do a time or two. Turnouts are always amazing, and this is because the Gringo’s squad knows how to throw a good time, Malibu ice luge included.
What most people don’t know, however, is that these events raise funds for extremely worthy local charities. I got Jeremy to leave the bar, meaning I got him one block away to the terrace of Jianna for some spaghetti, and picked his brain about what goes into these events.
The Human Foosball tournament — yep, you read that right — was an all-day party that went into the night after the inflatable soccer field had been deflated.
Gringo’s provided an RTIC cooler full of gift cards to the winning team, European Union; the cooler also included donations from Breakthru Beverage with 17 bottles of booze, gifts from Corona and Modelo, Toss Pizza Pub, Willy Taco, Breakwater, Sharkey’s, Connolly’s, Biscuit Head, Ink N Ivy, Dapper Ink, Pour Taproom, Liberty Fine Cuts and Shaves, and Hair by Erika Krauze.
“We strive to be so much more than just a restaurant and bar. We want to be a pop cultural movement and hopefully assist in the draw of people moving to Greenville. This city has been far too kind in welcoming and accepting us over the past four years of being open and we love the opportunity to give back,” Jeremy told me the day before he cut a check after totaling donations, giving over $1,800 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Running of the Bulls, a bi-annual bar crawl, benefits a local charity with each installment. The Fall 2016 event benefitted the Greenville Humane Society, and proceeds from the April 2016 event benefitted Project Host, a soup kitchen that also trains patrons in culinary skills. Project Host received a $2,900 after the dust settled and the bull costumes were tucked away for another day.
I took over the Greenville360’s Instagram at Willy Taco’s Uno de Mayo event (this past Monday, May 1) and found most of the Gringo’s team was there doing what they do best — enjoying a few bevvies and having fun together. We danced to a Guns ‘N Roses cover band and stood right next to the speakers. When I looked back, Jeremy had hoisted himself on a bouncer and legend Cody the Caveman’s shoulders, living in the moment.That’s the best way I can describe these guys, and this bar that is more than a bar. They make the community a better place, a more fun place to throw down, and a place that I love to call home.
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