The hottest South Carolina destination is no longer Myrtle Beach, it’s a strip mall

A mere four miles off the Johnston Road exit of Interstate 485 lies a haven for North Carolina residents who have been itching to leave their homes: a strip mall on Red Stone Drive in Indian Land, South Carolina, with not one, but two restaurants open for drinks and food.

These two establishments, The Office and Margaritas, have been serving up hot food and drinks to customers since South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster lifted the business closure order on May 4.

For some in Charlotte who live just a few minutes away from the border, these two restaurants have provided the opportunity to reclaim some moments of normalcy outside their homes. Both offer indoor and patio seating, which for the past two months have felt somewhat like a distant memory, thanks to the global pandemic COVID-19.

Victor Ramirez, the assistant manager of Margaritas, has noticed an uptick in customers coming across the state line in recent weeks. “They come here and tell us that they’re coming from [North Carolina] because there’s nothing open there.” North Carolina’s stay-at-home order has mandated dining rooms to remain closed, though they are allowed to re-open with limited capacity at 5 p.m. Friday.

It didn’t take long to realize why the customers were making the trek south. Huge blue-rimmed glass margarita glasses — larger than your head — line the bar right as you walk in.

Surprisingly, Ramirez has been selling these monstrous, shareable drinks like hotcakes, despite social distancing advisories. “A lot of people come because of the margaritas. Over the weekend I sold 80-90,” Ramirez said.

Ballantyne resident David Demaine, 78, prefers the Corona-rita, which has no relation to the pandemic — servers shove an 8 oz. mini bottle of Corona beer into the top of a margarita before serving it.

“I come here practically every day,” Demaine said, his face mask lowered beneath his chin. “I watch what I do … and I try to stay healthy, because I’m in one of the high-risk levels. This place is good — they’re really conscientious with regards to dealing with the virus. That’s why I come back here.”

Indian Land’s The Office

A short walk across the street leads you to The Office, a craft bar and kitchen which only recently opened last August.

Customer Nishal Sethi, who owns Bombay Grille in Pineville, is grateful that The Office is open for business and allowing customers back inside to dine. “You’re actually able to come out, you’re on a patio, you’re having dinner or lunch, and it’s a different atmosphere. It’s so different from being home all the time. I think a lot of people are coming out for that reason.”

Jamie Rivenbark, who co-owns The Office, agreed the reason that people have been flocking to his bar — even from a distance — was likely due to the ability to have an in-person experience. “There’s more from Ballanytne coming — the furthest trip I’ve seen, is someone Ubered down from Lake Norman,” Rivenbark said. “We got a lot of guests in since we opened the patio and the dining room. Our regulars came back for the most part, but we have had a lot of people from North Carolina [come in].”

Back to North Carolina dining rooms

With North Carolina restaurants able to open back up Friday evening, the traffic to this strip mall is likely to decrease as everyone’s favorite spots closer to home slowly start letting people back inside.

Even though Rivenbark may lose a few customers as North Carolina gets back on its feet, the Charlotte native had kind words for his friends and neighbors across the border. “I wish them all well, and hope that everybody gets back to normal.”

Jakob Menendez is a freelance multimedia journalist who writes human interest stories. You can find him on Twitter @jakobmenendez23.

This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 9:56 AM.