A new, bigger space is in the works for this recently closed Surf City restaurant

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
Updated ·2 min read

When Chug & Grub closed last year, local food fans lamented the loss of a comfortable restaurant with elevated fare, an extensive selection of gluten-free options, and specials like Thursday burger night.

And since then, Travis Surratt, who owns the restaurant with parents Amy and Justin, has said they planned to return to Surf City.

“We’ve been working on it for a while, months,” he said.

Now in their Aug. 1 meeting, Surf City councilmembers approved plans for Chug & Grub to proceed. The site plan includes about 8,000 square feet of space for a small food-and-retail center. Half of that will be devoted to the restaurant, with the remainder used for three tenant businesses. There's also an additional 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio planned for the eatery.

The Surratt family is working with engineer Phillip Tripp and Hipp Architecture & Development, PC of Wilmington. It's slated for a parcel on Roland Avenue next to the GoGas and across from Food Lion.

The owners of Chug & Grub have a new, larger location in the planning stages for Surf City, N.C.
The owners of Chug & Grub have a new, larger location in the planning stages for Surf City, N.C.

In the meantime, Surratt has been working as executive chef at Sweet N Savory Café in Wilmington, where breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are giving him plenty to do in the kitchen. But he's looking forward to returning to Chug & Grub when he's able.

Right now, he is planning to offer a similar experience to the previous restaurant, just in a larger space.

"We very much want to return to that," he said.

He said he is still hearing from people who are ready for Chug & Grub to return.

"For one, we were really leading the gluten-free options in the area, which a lot of people miss," Surratt said. "Plus, I believe we were able to combine a comfortable atmosphere with really good food."

Chug & Grub will return as soon as they are able, he added.

More: Meet the restaurateur behind this 'big time' Wilmington pizza place

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her ataballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Chug & Grub restaurant planning a return to Surf City