Vaughn's Food Hall to include revamped menus for existing restaurants, new food concepts.
New ownership is underway at a popular Simpsonville food hall as the former Warehouse at Vaughn's was purchased by Innovative Hospitality & Development Group (IHD) and rebranded into a new concept named Vaughn's Food Hall.
The nine-restaurant collective in downtown Simpsonville at 109 W. Trade St. will see notable changes to ordering and payment style as QR codes will now showcase all restaurant menus where food and drinks can be tendered from one system.
The former Warehouse at Vaughns was previously owned by Thomas and Angie Wirthlin of Dine Upstate. A ribbon cutting and opening ceremony took place at the new dining hub on Tuesday, April 2.
"Like most food halls, Vaughn's was originally set up with individually owned concepts, so each one was its own business that operated independently," said Bryan Beal, CEO of Innovative Hospitality and Development Group. "Coming in as a single ownership group allows us to run all of the concepts under one umbrella."
The change in ownership comes in an attempt to make the dining process more seamless for customers and to operationally sync the food business.
Beal, alongside fellow owners Sako Zadoian and Ryan Robertson, is also responsible for two upcoming restaurant concepts: The Mill at Fountain Inn, located at 100 Ellison St. in Fountain Inn, and Trade Street Social, located at 315 Trade St. Both concepts will offer food, adult beverages and a variety of entertainment options.
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Why was Vaughn's Food Hall a must-purchase?
As a frequent visitor to The Warehouse at Vaughn's Food Hall since its opening in 2020, new ownership recognized the venue had become a space that the Simpsonville community had grown to love.
According to Beal, he and Thomas Wirther talked about the former owner's desire to switch things up and focus on other new projects within the Dine Upstate portfolio.
From those meetings, Beal notes that Vaughn's was an opportunity that IHD could not pass up on; a preliminary deal was in place back in October, and since then, both have worked together to make the transition as seamless as possible.
"Thomas and I have gotten to know each other and kept in touch over the past couple of years," Beal said. "It's a big business to take over with a lot of moving pieces... and now we're ready to reengage people with the space."
The decision to change the name of the food hall was two-fold; to first keep the Vaughn's name to honor the family legacy tied to the building, and a removal of the Warehouse portion of the name to not infringe on Dine Upstate's food hall portfolio.
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What else will change about Vaughn's Food Hall under new ownership?
Revamped menus for existing restaurants and new food concepts to come: The Grub Box and Outlawed Ramen.
Customers will now be able to bring alcoholic beverages outdoors as Vaughn's Food Hall will now operate under one liquor license.
Open seating now will be available at Anchor Raw Bar instead of table service, creating more patio seating for guests.
Additional outdoor televisions and future repairs to the parking lot; outdoor bathrooms.
– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Vaughns Food Hall in Simpsonville under new ownership. What to know.
