New and returning Winthrop students discover an upcoming grill where the Taco Bueno used to be.
Winthrop senior Nick Graham remembers when the building beside McDonald’s on South Cherry Rd. was an abandoned Church’s Chicken. Graham, a music major from Greenville, also recalls the brief passing of Tex-Mex restaurant Taco Bueno in the same location from mid-2007 to its close in Jan. 2008. After returning to Winthrop from a summer resort maintenance position in Montana, Graham was pleased to see new life taking form on the corner of Camden Ave and Cherry Rd.
“I thought someone had stolen my idea and finally opened a Whitecastle next to McDonald’s,” Graham says, “Then I saw it was an entirely new restaurant and realized I needed a new pair of glasses.”
University Char-Grill, a new burger joint across from Wofford and Richardson residence halls, is slated to open in early September. According to the Herald, this will be the potential chain restaurant’s debut location, appearing just in time for new and returning Winthrop students. Sophomore sociology major Emily Scott is also excited about approaching burger joint.
“[University Char-Grill] is opening at the perfect time when students are just starting to get tired of Thomson [Cafeteria] food and are looking for a quick bite,” Scott says.
But Scott worries about the Char-Grill’s success in that location. “Apparently businesses have a hard time staying open next to Mickey D’s. The building was empty my entire freshman year,” Scott says.
Business major Roy Emerick shares Scott’s sentiments about the new restaurant. “I can’t wait for a new burger place—I just hope it doesn’t close before I get a chance to eat there,” Emerick says.
