From dishwashers to cooks, dozens have entered this contest to win a Burgaw restaurant
Richard Johnson has been looking for another restaurant to fill the historic courtyard square in Burgaw for a while. The Wilmington-based entrepreneur has made it a mission to revitalize the Pender County town. One key to that, he said, is expanding the restaurant scene.
His first effort was Fat Daddy’s Pizza. Johnson and his Burgaw Now revitalization group have also been working with former Front Street Brewery brewer Kevin Kozak on the upcoming Burgaw Brewing Company, which is scheduled to open soon at 103 S. Wright St.
More:Doing Dry January? Want to cut back on alcohol? This new Wilmington business can help.
But there’s another space at 106 W. Courthouse Ave. To fill it, they launched the Own Your Own competition to find the right restaurateur.
As soon as it was posted online, entries started coming in, Johnson said. Now, there are more than 162 people who have submitted to the website. It shows how many people have dreams of opening their own restaurant.
Cooks, dishwashers, servers, and managers have all entered. More than 40 of them have more than six years of experience in the business. Fifty-nine have been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade. The vast majority are from North Carolina, but because it is a national competition, 14 other states are represented.
The winner will have a $1 million budget to design and build the restaurant of their dreams. It will include a spacious kitchen, a dining room and an adjacent courtyard for outdoor dining.
“We are definitely looking for someone who can operate a successful business,” he said.
Johnson said entries will be accepted through March. The only requirement is that the applicant be 18 or older. Then there will be a series of challenges, including one where the candidates prepare their signature dish in a pop-up event in Burgaw. He’s also recruited judges in Keith Rhodes of Catch, Christi Ferretti of Pine Valley Market, Myra McDuffie of MeMa’s Chick’n & Ribs, and Dean Neff of Seabird.
RelatedWith a renewed plan and design, a Burgaw brewpub is on the way
STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest food news by signing up for the Port City Foodies newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.
But the Own Your Own competition could be more – a reality television show. Johnson and his team are talking with possible partners and plan to film important steps in the competition.
“This is something that we could replicate in other ways, maybe for future seasons,” he said.
But the primary goal is bolstering Burgaw. Johnson said the town’s lunchtime traffic has shifted to the fast-food corridor near the highway. He wants to bring it back downtown and restaurants are one way to do it.
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New restaurant in Burgaw, Pender County will go to contest winner
