There’s a new restaurant in town and you won’t want to miss this one. King Tut Grill, located at 502 SE Main Street in Simpsonville, celebrated its grand opening on Friday, April 19, 2019. Since then, this establishment has experienced an overflow of customers. Steaks, tips, burgers, and barbecue currently comprise the main fare offered at King Tut Grill. They use fresh ground beef and the patties are made by hand. Their bar boasts thirty-two taps, the biggest tap collection south of Greenville. Warner Bouzek, the owner of King Tut Grill, has high hopes for this new venture because he has gathered the most experienced restaurant team in the Greenville area to operate it. The loyal group, which includes James McBee, locally known as “Tiny” and famed for his savory steaks, has worked together for fifteen or so years and they share a common history of Bennigan’s and Steak-Out. The establishment also is a family affair. His daughter, Chandler, who just received her MBA from Clemson and attended University of South Carolina for undergraduate education, helps out as bar manager.
When driving through Simpsonville, down Main Street, one can easily locate King Tut Grill because parked right in front is a gold-colored 1976 Cadillac. Mr. Bouzek is proud of that car, originally from the Lewis Grizzard Museum in Atlanta, Georgia and purchased at an auction. The car now bears his restaurant’s logo and name designed by Jim Simmons of True Zeal, a local graphic and web designer. Additional parking can be found behind the establishment and there are outside as well as inside booths.
Inside the restaurant, the first thing one notices are the kiosks. Mr. Bouzek and his team are all about providing consistently good food amazingly fast. The customer can place his or her order at one of the kiosks, on a special app that can be downloaded to one’s cell phone, or at the bar itself. Both kiosk and app offer one great advantage. As soon as the customer enters the order, it goes straight to the grill area and preparation begins!
Gazing around the restaurant, one can’t help but admire the beautiful woods composing counters, tables, and fixtures. Mr. Bouzek, who enjoys woodworking, constructed, carved, and/or finished many of these furnishings. He fondly points out counter tops composed of rare Brazilian red wood, tables and panels constructed from maple wood, and special foot rails of black walnut wood with copper trim. Multiple large-screen television screens line the walls making this an ideal site for cheering a favorite team on to victory. Mr. Bouzek supports them all since his daughter has attended Clemson and University of South Carolina and he began his own career following graduation from the University of Georgia. On the back wall, a colorful mural depicting the restaurant logo and name and designed by Mr. Bouzek, captivates the eyes.
Mr. Bouzek says he is “just a local guy who has been here for 35 years.” He tended bar while in college and ended up taking a job at Bennigan’s in Greenville, South Carolina after his years at the University of Georgia. He became manager at Bennigan’s, and then moved on to owning and operating a Greenville Steak-Out franchise. In addition to his years in the restaurant industry, he operated a gym for a while.
Mr. Bouzek has big plans for this new venture! Not part of any franchise or chain, his restaurant stands out for its uniqueness. In the future, they will offer late night options of various pizza foods, in particular New York style of pizza. In a couple of months, he wants to add delivery as well as catering services. His plans include offering whole meal delivery and hiring an in-house staff of drivers to accomplish this. He says that his management team is preparing to specialize in provision of large food quantities to meet the catering and delivery needs of this community.
See their web-site at www.kingtutgrill.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook,com/KingTutGrill/ for complete menu, operating hours, additional information, and updates. To view more pictures, check out this newspaper’s website https://sentinelinternet.com/.