DHEC inspections delayed Neo Burrito’s planned March 19 opening until March 23. But beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday, those $1 breakfast tacos will be ready to go, president and COO Walter Godfrey says.
The 50-seat, shotgun location at 1268 Pendleton St. in the Village of West Greenville has been much anticipated since it was announced in January 2017. Construction, including having the sidewalk in front of the store ripped out and replaced, and other permitting delays complicated the process.
“Neo Burrito set its sights on the Village of West Greenville towards the end of 2016 and signed the lease in January of 2017,” Godfrey says. “The search for a location in Greenville began in 2015 with Rakan Draz and John Odom from Avison Young, and we explored possibilities on Pelham, Woodruff, Augusta, and South Main Street before discovering the gem of the Village. The community, surrounding restaurants, and art studios made me feel at home and reminded me of where Neo began in West Asheville in 2009. Zak Yancey, CEO and founder of Neo, loved the area as well and was excited to begin this venture.”
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Godfrey designed the restaurant and worked with H2E Construction to build it out.
“We wanted to conserve the historic nature of the building with the exposed bricks, wood beams, and old advertisement, so we modified our typical industrial utilitarian look to fit the space,” Godfrey says.
Features of the space that make it unique to the Village: a sketch of the storefront by Village artist Kate Furman is featured in the mezzanine portion of the dining room; Taylor Beck, a Village local and the first Neo Burrito Greenville hire, created the chalkboard art and menus featured at the entrance; and the brick walls once coated in tar were uncovered after 25 hours of work with a grinder, and the pattern depicts a mountain range.
Godfrey says Neo also wants to source ingredients from as many local farms as possible.
“We have reached out to Reedy River Farms and other local farms desiring to form long-standing partnerships with farmers in the Greenville area,” he says. “We would love to connect with additional local farmers we may have overlooked and encourage them to come by the store and introduce themselves or reach out to us at westgvlneo@gmail.com.”
Neo Burrito currently has 11 employees and is still hiring.
Hours of operation are Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
