Downtown Spartanburg: Greenville-based Smoking Butt Heads BBQ coming to former Wild Wing spot
Greenville-based barbecue restaurant Smoking Butt Heads BBQ is coming to downtown Spartanburg.
Todd Smith, founder of Smoking Butt Heads BBQ, and Nate Tomforde, owner of Southernside Brewing Co. and Double Stamp Brewery, are bringing Smith's award-winning barbecue to the former Wild Wing Cafe (111 W. Main St.). Wild Wing Cafe closed in February.
Smith and Tomforde are aiming for a summer opening, possibly in mid-June to July.
“Todd is a world champion pitmaster and was looking for an epic space and a space that really showcased the food. When that building became available on Main Street, he saw it and we just felt like with the growth of Spartanburg and the downtown area especially that this could be a perfect venue,” Tomforde said.
Smith founded the Smoking Butt Heads BBQ location at 5021 Pelham Road in Greenville in October 2018, but sold it last October, intending to retire.
The original restaurant was a spin-off of Smith's competitive barbecue team, which competes nationally on the KCBS BBQ circuit. Notably, the competition team won the 2020 World Invitational Championship.
Smith said the restaurant would specialize in competition-style barbecue and would likely have a similar menu to the original Smoking Butt Heads BBQ, which includes smoked wings, St. Louis-style ribs, hot link sausage, brisket, pulled pork, and smoked chicken and turkey.
"There’s a lot more involvement. The process is probably twice as detailed as just regular barbecue," Smith said of the difference in competition-style barbecue. "We don’t chop anything; everything is pulled and pulled per order. The brisket is all being sliced per order. Nothing’s pre-done."
The kitchen will use high-quality, fresh, never frozen meats, Smith said, and all sides are made from scratch, and the sauces and rubs are their own award-winning recipes.
The restaurant will feature a 30-tap taproom with a focus on local craft beers and a full bar. The pair also plan to make use of the building's upstairs stage for live music.
"A huge part of our business model is utilizing the live music stage upstairs. We have a 500-person occupancy up there. So we really think we can bring in some high-quality, well-known bands into the downtown Spartanburg area," Tomforde said.
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sameatsspartanburg. Can't get enough food news? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for foodies, Spartanburg Eats.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: New BBQ spot to come to former Wild Wing Cafe, downtown Spartanburg
