A new oyster bar is opening in North Myrtle Beach with ties to Pop’s Garage. What to know
Robert and Amy Attaway own the land that contains Pop’s Garage & Alignment on Sea Mountain Highway in North Myrtle Beach and have been trying to determine what to do with a connected space.
“We were trying to find something that would work here that we thought would complement the garage,” said Robert Attaway, a civil engineer who often travels.
They believe they have identified the business, and the person to run it.
The Attaways hope to open Tailgate Oyster Bar sometime this month with longtime chef George Trizis as the general manager and chef.
The restaurant will have both automotive and old-school themes.
Tailgate was previously a gas station and convenience store. The Attaways replaced the gas pumps last summer with an approximately 500-square-foot covered outdoor wooden dance floor that can accommodate shag dancers and will serve as a waiting area. They plan to build a stage for live entertainment and bar with some outdoor seating there at some point.
The restaurant decor will feature classic car tailgates and bumpers, a working old-school Seeburg jukebox and photos of Grand Strand music and dance venues from the past.
Diners can sit at tables or along a rectangular stainless steel bar, and stainless steel is also featured on coolers and portions of walls.
The exterior side wall of the building features a mural of the former Sonny’s Pavilion in Cherry Grove and the side of an actual old Chevy truck towing the side of a boat. The passenger side of the truck adorns the back outside wall of the business.
Oysters and other menu features
Oysters can be ordered several ways including steamed, raw, blackened, char-grilled or pan fried and will be shucked for customers by employees and served in hubcaps. Several oyster varieties will be available, including local oysters when they’re in season.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. I think a lot of people aren’t used to what I consider a true oyster bar, but I think they’ll like it,” Trizis said.
Trizis’ specialties include seafood scampi dishes, London broil and a village salad that resembles a Greek salad with some altered ingredients. There will also be changing weekly specials.
Other menu items include shrimp & grits, a Lowcountry boil, flounder and catch of the day, kabobs, po boys, crabcakes, burgers, homemade cornbread, soups, steampots and other steamed items, including shrimp and crab legs.
“We’re going to keep it interesting so the locals will come back,” said Trizis, who added that he wants to make the atmosphere “fun and goofy” so customers and employees will enjoy themselves. “Someplace where people really want to work and aren’t just working to make a paycheck.”
The restaurant will have three steamers, a chargrill, stove top and convection oven, but no fryers.
Desserts made by Amy Attaway include a lemon ‘cracker’ pie slice with a saltine cracker crust and spreadable chocolate chip cheese balls served with sweet crackers such as vanilla wafers or graham crackers.
“Everything that’s on this menu is going to be made from scratch,” Trizis said. “Everybody is going to have good food. We want to have something that stands out and is unique and is great food. Otherwise we’re just like anybody else.”
Connecting at church
Trizis said he has been involved in restaurants since he worked at his father’s eatery when he was 7 years old, making toast and being paid in comic books.
He and his brother owned restaurants in Clearwater, Florida, including Country Skillet and Country Harvest, and he opened another one before he moved to Iowa for 10 years, where he was the executive chef at a Market Grille.
He moved to the Grand Strand in January and met the Attaways at the nondenominational Ocean Drive Pavilion Church in North Myrtle Beach. The owner of Pop’s Garage is also a member of the church.
The restaurant and garage will generally be open when the other is closed, as the oyster bar will initially open at 4 p.m. Attaway said he eventually plans to open for breakfast and brunch/lunch on weekends as well.
The opening has been postponed by a delay in the delivery of equipment parts due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on supply lines.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 9:38 AM.
