Popular restaurant group to open gastropub in old Hilton Head bowling alley

By Teresa Moss

Updated May 17, 2017 3:43 PM

File: Cheap Seats Tavern in Bluffton in June 2015. Submitted photo

The Cheap Seats restaurant brand has been expanding in the area since it opened its first restaurant in 2010, and soon will add an entirely new concept to their lineup.

Rob Hummel, co-owner of Cheap Seats, said the company plans to open a gastropub on the north-end of Hilton Head by late summer.

“It will be a more upscale option,” Hummel said Wednesday. “We will offer gourmet sandwiches and melts.”

Exact details on the menu and opening date are still in the works, Hummel said.

Hummel said the company is in the process of renovating 3,500 square feet of space in the former “Bowling Center” building at 2600 Main St.

The location is perfect for serving the Hilton Head Plantation and Indigo Run populations, Hummel said.

“We feel like our brand and how we do things is suited for the north end — more year-round residents,” Hummel said. “Our price structure is set that way.”

This doesn’t mean the environment won’t be fun. Hummel says the new location will host indoor and outdoor music on weekends.

“It is something that the north-end doesn’t have and has been lacking for awhile,” Hummel said.

Cheap Seats Tavern first opened on Hilton Head in 2010, Hummel said. The restaurant has more of a sports theme with bar fare, including foods like wings and nachos.

A second location, Cheap Seats Tavern 2, was opened in 2015 in Bluffton. The location offers an extensive pizza menu and includes an outside bar, corn hole, fire pit and live music.

The third location, Cheap Seats Riverwalk in Ridgeland, offers a similar menu to the Bluffton location but does it in a smaller environment, Hummel said. The restaurant opened in January.