Hot wings, alligator and live music are specialties at this new Myrtle Beach restaurant
Starting a new restaurant requires a lot of willpower to get it off the ground.
When it comes to power, Troy Bennett has plenty.
A strongman competitor who has competed numerous times, Bennett, his wife, Tracy, and business partner Taylor Jonathan have turned their cooking strength into one of Myrtle Beach’s newest restaurants.
Dirty Myrtle Wing Company is tentatively set to open by Labor Day weekend at 2297 South Kings Highway. The restaurant inside will be accented with burnt wood, have televisions on the walls, a projector screen hanging from the ceiling and glass walls that open, allowing cool air into the eatery.
“You’re going to come in, and you’re going to love what you eat,” Jonathan said. “If you wait a little longer, the food’s worth it.”
This is not the Bennetts’ first foray into the restaurant business. The couple previously owned 99 Bar and Grill at 703 South Ocean Blvd. before closing it during the COVID-19 pandemic. They currently own the Rollin’ Wings food truck.
The partnership between the Bennetts and Jonathan began via Jonathan’s marketing agency Soar Social. The trio bonded over their mutual love of motorcycles, and the group decided to open a restaurant together.
“When the opportunity came, (Troy Bennett’s) strengths and (Tracy Bennett’s) strengths and my strengths all work together,” Jonathan said. “It was too perfect to not pay attention to.”
Chicken wings will be at the heart of the new eatery. Customers will get to choose from 10 to 15 sauces of the Bennetts’ own design, including their homemade barbecue sauce that’s sweet and tangy and a garlic Parmesan offering.
Troy Bennett added that Dirty Myrtle Wing Company will also have a hot wing challenge. The contest rules are not final, but Bennett is confident that most won’t be able to stand up to his signature “Satan Sauce.”
“I promise it’d be the hottest thing you’ve ever tasted,” Troy Bennett added. “And hotter than anybody else’s hot wings around.”
Another staple of the menu will be alligator.
“We actually put it on our food truck and it was one of our bestsellers next to the wings,” Troy Bennett said. “We have some people from Louisiana from the Bayou try it. And they came back to the food truck and they were like, ‘This is the best alligator we’ve ever had’.”
The restaurant will also serve shrimp bowls, seafood bowls, smash burgers and a menu of mocktails that is still in the works. The chicken and shrimp will be locally sourced, Troy Bennett added.
A new pavilion and strongman planned at Dirty Myrtle
Apart from the food, Dirty Myrtle will also be hosting events. The restaurant will have live music nights in its outside space called “The Pavilion,” paying homage to the now-defunct Myrtle Beach amusement park that closed in 2006.
“We’re bringing The Pavilion back at Dirty Myrtle,” Jonathan said. Jonathan added that the restaurant is already in talks with some local artists for concerts at the restaurant.
Other events Dirty Myrtle Wing Company is considering hosting are bike rallies and UFC pay-per-view watch-alongs. Troy Bennett added the eatery might host a strongman event but no plans are set in stone.
“This place is a chill, casual, social spot at nighttime,” Jonathan said. “Come in, grab a bite to eat, sit around watch a little bit (and) hang out with friends.”
Dirty Myrtle Wing Company is looking to hire about 10 people and the hours are tentatively 11 a.m. to midnight. Dirty Myrtle is located at the former site of Prime Chicken, which closed earlier this year.
The owners of Prime Chicken have since opened Prime Bar and Grill located at 1803 North Kings Highway.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Taylor Jonathan’s marketing agency. The agency is called Soar Social (Updated: 12:45 p.m. 08/08/2023)
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
