Longtime locals bar Neal and Pam’s reopens in Surfside Beach after fire forced it to close
It’s been eight months since a fire damaged Neal and Pam’s Bar and Grill in Surfside Beach, causing the well-known local bar to close.
Now, owner Zach Baker celebrated its reopening Monday.
There will be a grand reopening set for Saturday with a band, Baker said.
The footprint of the building didn’t change, but visitors will see new seating and menu items, Baker said. “(I) tried to keep it ... familiar,” he said, adding that the stage is still there.
New food includes breakfast items, lobster rolls, Gator Po’ Boy and burgers. There also will be daily specials, Baker said.
In addition, there will be familiar faces as Baker was able to retain about 80% of his old staff, he said.
A fire on July 22 caused the restaurant, 20 S. Ocean Blvd., to close. Baker said the fire started when an air curtain, a machine that blows a controlled stream of air across an opening, over the service window shorted out and caught fire.
Baker credited diner Josh “Bam” Burnette, who with his wife, Ashley, was eating wings and a burger Monday at the restaurant, for saving the bar that day.
Burnette was pressure washing at 4 a.m. when he noticed fire. He began spraying the flames and called the fire department, Baker said.
Baker has operated the bar for 12 years. He took over from longtime owner Neal Stapleton, who sold Baker the bar when he retired in 2011.
This time of year is peak season for the restaurant, although it stays busy year round, Baker said.
“We’re a locals bar that does really well with the tourists,” Baker said.
This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 8:38 AM.
