Greenville bars and restaurants bring in crowds with holiday pop-up decorations

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - If you’re looking for a way to get into the holiday spirit , a good option could be your favorite local bar!

Some upstate bars and restaurants have transformed into a holiday wonderland. Themed pop-up bars are becoming more common. There are two in Greenville this year. Both owners say it’s not only bringing in holiday cheer it’s also bringing in larger crowds.

“We’ve completely transformed the restaurant and really given people an opportunity to see us in a new light,” said Nate Tomford, the owner of Southernside Brewery Co.

Since Thanksgiving week, Southernside Brewery has been serving up something unique, a little beer with a big side of cheer.

“Nobody’s ever done this before in the restaurant setting and so we wanted to create an environment that was just really festive and family friendly for everybody to come out and enjoy” said Tomford.

Decor that’s intentionally over the top. The Southern Side has more than 40,000 lights, 40 Christmas tree’s and a few reindeer. Taking the phrase “eat, drink and be merry” to another level.

“We decorate like crazy and try to make it just as fun as can be” said Watkins.

Kirk Watkins the owner of Up on the Roof bar. They started the pop-up during the pandemic to draw more people in the door.

“Oh, it’s a wow factor for sure. When everybody comes up here a lot of instagrammable moments up here” said Watkins.

It worked to bring business and now it’s a tradition.

“We have our trees on top of the building out here. It’s the best view of the entire city” he said about the rooftop bar. Southernside has seen a boost too.

“Yeah, I definitely think the uptick in business has been from the decorations and from the atmosphere. It’s really unique” said Tomford.

Watkins says his team started prepping the decorations the first week in November, so it takes a while to make all that happen. The decor will be up until the end of the year at both restaurants.

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