New owners of Hilton Head deli and ice cream shop hope diners notice ‘positive’ changes
A Hilton Head deli quietly changed hands last fall, and the owners want customers to know a new sign and a new name — Gr8 Bites — aren’t the only differences.
Beth Elmquist and her husband, Greg, who previously worked at Chart House on Hilton Head and Sigler’s in Bluffton, took over Munchies in November.
Before they bought the business, Beth Elmquist had stopped by Munchies for ice cream with her grandson and saw the untapped potential in the space in Main Street Village on the island’s north end.
“I said to my husband, ‘You should buy that place. You should go in and make an offer,’ ” she explained. And that’s exactly what happened.
The Elmquists first modernized the space, adding new lighting and giving everything a fresh coat of paint. Then they turned their focus to the menu.
Chef Gregory makes all the food from scratch and does all the baking. “My husband knows how to cook,” Elmquist said.
The couple’s two adult children also work with them in the restaurant, making it a true family business.
The menu
Gr8 Bites serves breakfast all day with breakfast sandwiches, eggs with sides, pancakes and French toast on the menu. Lunch or dinner choices include a wide range of sandwiches, panini, homemade soups and salads, along with a few comfort food options like chicken pot pie or pork schnitzel.
The Elmquists, who moved from New Jersey to Hilton Head about seven years ago, made sure there were New Jersey favorites on the menu, too.
“We have Taylor ham/pork roll,” said Beth Elmquist, and the couple kept Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs front and center.
For dessert or a treat anytime, customers can choose from 21 flavors of Kemp’s ice cream. The list of ice cream, as well as the broader menu, includes gluten-free options.
“We are the only ice cream-serving place on the north end of the island,” Elmquist said, explaining that customers also can order old-fashioned milkshakes, root beer floats and banana splits.
The deli gets its coffee from The Grind in Bluffton.
When you have coffee at Gr8 Bites, “you support two small business owners instead of just one,” Elmquist said.
Challenges
Opening a restaurant in the off-season can be a difficult road, but the Elmquists persevered and were looking forward to business picking up in the spring.
“We just got cooking and — boom — coronavirus,” Elmquist said.
The deli also has struggled with shaking off people’s perceptions of the previous restaurant.
“So many people have bad vibes because of stuff that happened there,” she explained. “When you have a very bad experience, you don’t ever go back.”
But she has one message for locals and visitors alike: “Maybe you’ve had a bad experience with prior owners, but we have one motto and it’s ‘positive.’ ”
If you go
What: Gr8 Bites
Where: 1407 Main St., Hilton Head (in Main Street Village)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday with later hours during the summer season from May 1 to Sept. 1. Dine-in, takeout and curbside offered.
Phone: (843) 682-6227
Facebook: www.facebook.com/munchiesgr8biteshhi
