When will 2 restaurants open on Surfside Beach Pier? One a familiar spot, another new
The nearly eight years it took to rebuild the Surfside Beach Pier has impacted the opening of two restaurants.
And while one is set to open this summer, it may not be until fall before the second restaurant will once again welcome diners.
The Whistling Duck and Surf Diner were among four businesses that were selected by Surfside Beach Town Council to be located on the new pier.
The wooden pier was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and had to be rebuilt. Because of construction delays and other issues, the pier didn’t reopen until last year.
Drippy’s Homemade Ice Cream and Perry’s Bait and Tackle are already open on the pier.
Surf Diner will return to the new pier after previously operating on the old pier before it closed. The seafood restaurant was known for serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Whistling Duck is the new kid on the block, having no other locations or ties to the town previously. It is locally owned by Mike and Rebecca Wallace.
A lease agreement was signed with The Whistling Duck on March 1, 2024, making it the fourth and final business to open on the pier.
“It’s taken a little longer than we were hoping,” owner Mike Wallace said.
Wallace said that while he is shooting for the end of June for the restaurant’s opening, it might be early July because of the construction and inspections timeline.
Wallace said the restaurant’s construction was delayed until the pier was completed.
The new restaurant will offer a variety of options, including wine, small plates, cheese boards, charcuterie boards, grab-and-go sandwiches, and traditional sit-down dining.
“(We were) looking to add to the area, not compete with the area,” when it comes to dining options, Wallace said about the restaurant.
Wallace said there are a good variety of eateries surrounding the pier. “We wanted something just a little bit different,” he said.
For the Surf Diner, it may be around Labor Day before it opens, according to Surfside Beach Town Manager Gerald Vincent.
Bill Howard, who owns Surf Diner, as well as The Family Barn in Surfside Beach, did not return a message before publication.
Vincent said in addition to the construction of the pier, Howard is also facing issues with subcontractors and other construction problems that are causing him delays in opening.
“He’s doing the best he can,” Vincent said of Howard. “He’s doing a wonderful job in trying to get it up and running.”
Each business pays the town monthly, as specified in its lease agreement.
If the restaurants are not open, then the city loses money on those properties, Vincent said.
The Whistling Duck pays about $75,000 a year, while Surf Dinner pays $130,800 a year, according to Vincent and the lease agreements.
