Mark Tucker
Becca Wactor, Denise VandenBerghe and Holden Graves at their new Wild Ace Pizza and Pub at 103 Depot Street.
Jim Fair
Nikki Funk brought her children, Caden and Colton, to Wild Ace Friday for pizza on the patio.
Mark Tucker
Pizza isn't real pizza, according to Wild Ace chefs, unless its handled the old-fashioned way.
A less-stressed Chris VanderBerghe was telling all who asked, opening night at Wild Ace Pizza and Pub on Thursday, “was the easiest opening we have ever had.”
Chris and his wife, Denise, have made the long-anticipated and much celebrated move from Trade Street to 103 Depot Street. Hours, menus, brews and bar offerings remain the same, for now.
“There were a lot of oohs and ahhs,” Denise said, of opening on Thursday night. “A lot of people were impressed with the size, the newness and how modern it was.”
The 40 x 80 foot outdoor deck was full during lunch Friday. The restaurant has its own parking spaces plus its customers have access to public parking day and night.
The restaurant features 3,200-square-feet of interior space, about six times bigger than the Trade Street restaurant, according to Chris. “We have our own warehouse and that is a great improvement.”
Nikki Funk, owner of Shear Faith on Trade Street, had lunch with her children, Caden and Colton on the deck Friday. “This is fancy for Greer, isn’t it?” Funk said.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of that,” Chris VanderBerghe said.
People have told Chris the new Wild Ace looks like going to a place on Woodruff Road, noting the predominance of contemporary restaurant and outdoor dining options. The biggest difference is little or no traffic issues.
Randall and Depot streets are behind schedule being paved but city officials are suggesting it will be done next week. New sidewalks, streetlights and infrastructure have been part of the city’s upgrade to the location of Wild Ace.
As a train roared past, just yards away from the restaurant, Chris note, “The view from the patio is awesome. You can see City Hall and watch the trains go by. It’s much different than anywhere in town.”
Best of all, Chris said with a laugh, “the customers say they can’t believe how nice and big the bathrooms are. They were so tiny and tucked way in the back on Trade.”
Ironically, it’s the first Greer-built business the VanderBerghe’s have opened that has not fallen on Family Fest weekend. The festival is May 1-2 and Wild Ace will be right in the middle of the action.
Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Call 864-879-6900 for more information.