These changes are happening at 4 downtown Myrtle Beach restaurants
The owner of a popular Myrtle Beach eatery has plans to expand his business to additional locations throughout Horry County after closing and selling three area restaurants last year.
Residents could soon see ART Burger-Sushi-Bar, located at 706 N. Ocean Blvd., opening locations in Carolina Forest, North Myrtle Beach and somewhere in the Grande Dunes area in the coming year, Owner Larry Bond told The Sun News. Bond said he’s currently working with realtors to scout out possible locations.
“Our goal is to open two restaurants a year,” Bond said of the restaurant which features a nitrogen bar, gourmet burgers and artistic sushi. “We’ve put in an offer on another location.”
In order to see his plan come to fruition and focus on expanding the ART brand, Bond said it resulted in him selling three other Myrtle Beach restaurants — The Chemist, Gordo’s Tacos & Tequila and The Noizy Oyster — his company, BondFire Restaurant Group, owned.
The Chemist and Gordo’s are both located on 9th Avenue North, with the former opening in 2015 and the latter in 2016. The Noizy Oyster, which has long been a staple in Myrtle Beach, is located along First Avenue South on Kings Highway.
While all three locations have been closed since September, Bond, who now resides in Miami, Florida sold each location last summer to local proprietors, explaining that he felt the downtown restaurants required more focus than he could offer. He also added that his ambition “outpaced” his cash flow.
“It’s a hard lesson to learn but one that I rather learn now than later,” Bond said. “I found great local operators to sell The Chemist and Gordo’s too so they can get the focus the concepts deserve and locals will have great options year-round in (the) downtown.”
The Belegu Family, who operate Lombardo’s Italian Restaurant, will now run The Chemist, while Bond’s former business associate, Ryan Mattia, will assume ownership of The Noizy Oyster.
Jetlir Belegu and Mattia both said of their respective restaurants that the name, concept and integrity of the restaurants will remain in tact with minor changes made to the menu. Both restaurants will also be open all year.
“I decided to take The Noizy Oyster to re-open and focus on expanding that brand,” Mattia said. (I’m) looking forward to making it the best I can.”
While Mattia is still working to obtain the required permits and licenses, he and Belegu said they’re each aiming for a February grand re-opening.
Local restaurateurs Greg Messcher and Ryan Weatherwax, who own The Toasted Turtle together, and several other restaurants independently, will jointly operate Gordo’s, with a projected opening around St. Patrick’s Day in March.
Messcher also noted the name and concept of the restaurant will remain the same, a request Bond had made when he sold each restaurant. Additionally, the restaurant will stay open throughout the year.
“I’ve been wanting to get into the downtown for awhile,” Messcher said. “We thought it’d be a good fit.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 2:07 PM.
