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Columbia Business Monthly

Home Team BBQ To Open In Columbia

Photo: Home Team BBQ's downtown Charleston location.

Charleston-raised Home Team BBQ will bring its award-winning barbecue to the Columbia community, beginning Monday, May 13th at 11 a.m. The restaurant’s fifth location will offer brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night offerings within Five Points’ old Harper’s building at 700 Harden St., Columbia, SC 29205.

Chief operating partner and pitmaster Aaron Siegel and partner-chef Taylor Garrigan, along with fellow Home Team partners Tony McKie and Sean Daniher and directors of operations Jonathan Banta and Adam Rothstein, are set to launch the first Home Team location in the state’s capital. The barbecue concept opened its Charleston flagship in 2006, and has since expanded its imprint across South Carolina to four locations, with a fifth location in Aspen, Co.

Known for bringing fine dining fundamentals to the slow-cooked meats and comfort food of the South, Home Team BBQ has consistently received praise for their food and hospitality from local and national publications alike, including Travel + Leisure, Esquire, USA Today, Southern Living, Huffington Post, and Food & Wine. Furthermore, Siegel and Garrigan have represented Home Team BBQ on a variety of national television shows, including Food Network’s Chopped and HeatseekersFox & Friends, and Cooking Channel’s Late Nite EatsMan Fire Food, and Burgers, Brew & ‘Que. After considering multiple properties across the southeast, the team chose Columbia once they recognized the opportunity to carry on the mantle of a neighborhood institution such as Harper’s.

“When the Columbia opportunity came up, we knew we couldn’t turn it down. This location will allow us to bring our unique brand of hospitality to Five Points, and we are excited to become a part of the Columbia community,” says Siegel. “We look forward to welcoming our new neighbors into Home Team!”

Home Team Columbia’s menu will be consistent with previous locations, offering elevated yet approachable, multi-regional barbecue paired with creative sides, fresh salads, tacos, and more. Guests will also be able to choose from chef-driven, daily specials that will often spotlight local ingredients and trending flavors based on seasonality. Signature items will include Fiery Ron’s burger (two 4 oz. patties, American cheese, house made bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, house pickle, harissa mayo, brioche bun), BBQ nachos (pulled pork, pulled chicken, chicken chili or black beans, three house made salsas, sharp cheddar, Monterey jack, pickled jalapeños, cream, guacamole, chimichurri), and the award-winning Fiery Ron’s smoked chicken wings (Home Team BBQ dry rub, Alabama white sauce; optional death relish), to name a few. For the late-night crowd and local industry workers, Home Team invites all to skip the drive thru and indulge in a specialty menu of satisfying snacks, both large and small, available from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. nightly. With five house-made signature sauces (Carolina Mustard, Red, Pepper Vinegar, Hot Red, and Sweet Red), it will be diners’ choice as to which region they’ll honor when topping their meats and fixin’s.

The menu will also highlight an ever-changing bar program featuring an expansive American whiskey selection and fun frozen cocktails, such as the far-famed Game Changer and Frozen Irish Coffee, all curated by Rothstein for the well-initiated and beverage-curious alike. In addition to Home Team’s signature ‘Nose to Ale’ Golden Ale (brewed in conjunction with Palmetto Brewing Co.), the restaurant will feature a host of local and regional craft breweries alongside national mainstays. Executive chef Jason Rheinwald, previously of Home Team’s Downtown Charleston location, will serve as the driving force of the kitchen, bringing along with him a wealth of knowledge and experience and continuing the “Home Team culture.” Joining Rheinwald is Columbia local Andrew Babcock, who will lead front-of-house operations as general manager.

Newly constructed by Columbia-based architect firm Studio 2LR and contractor Kirk Construction, Home Team BBQ will provide the same playful culture and welcoming atmosphere that fans have grown accustomed to. Upon entering, guests will be greeted by an 8-foot by 9-foot mural of Barnwell native and “Godfather of Soul” James Brown. The mural, in addition to all other hand-painted signage, is the work of Charleston artist Sean Williams and wonderfully complements the Blue Sky mural found on the building’s exterior. The Five Points community will be happy to know that the nostalgic Blue Sky mural will, of course, remain untouched as a true icon for tourists and locals alike. Framed music, sports memorabilia, and images of Home Team memories will line the walls, and, in true Home Team fashion, the restrooms will be plastered with pages from historical barbecue books as a way to pay homage to the barbecue traditions of the region and beyond.

Guiding diners to the entry is Home Team’s neon circular sign, accompanied by the original pedestal which has served as a symbol of the Five Points area for more than 30 years. Apparent changes to the Harper’s building include all new windows and the removal of the interior walls to create an open space, allowing for a more inviting interior. Reclaimed barn wood and weathered metals will make appearances throughout the room, and guests will be enlightened to learn that what previously served as the ceiling beams of Harper’s building have been repurposed to create the restaurant’s bar top, hostess stand, and various accent pieces.

Home Team BBQ will seat approximately 240 guests and an additional 40 on the year-round covered patio, complete with picnic tables and several televisions. Inside seating will offer both low and high-top tables, in addition to booths and large format tables to host parties up to 12. Sports fanatics can rest assured knowing the restaurant will be fitted with seven indoor televisions, allowing patrons to cheer on their respective home teams.

Home Team BBQ will also offer an expansive catering menu, which will range from barbeque and Lowcountry boils to oyster roasts and more, and may be arranged for pick up, delivery, or off-site full-service. For additional information, menus, or to place an order, please call 833-444-7427.

Home Team BBQ will be open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., with a limited late-night menu available from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. and weekend brunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Parking will be plentiful with more than  70 marked spaces for Home Team diners. Online ordering and the restaurant’s loyalty program are forthcoming.