Popular Neighborhood Social Gathering Spot Amps Up Already Stellar Menu with New Tavern Specialties, Premium Handhelds, Gameday Burgers, Appetizers and Flatbreads
Fresh off its honor of cracking the coveted FSR 50 list by Full Service Restaurant Magazine and once named runner-up in ESPN’s Best Sports Bar in North America, Hickory Tavern isn’t resting on its laurels. Instead, it’s making its already stellar menu even more craveable.
Hickory Tavern, the social gathering spot with 27 restaurants in 16 communities across the southeastern United States, today announced an amped up menu with new appetizers, flatbreads, sandwiches, burgers and steaks. It’s all about of the evolution of “Your Craveable Experience,” where guests are drawn to a lively bar, great food and a passion for entertainment and sports.
“With ‘Your Craveable Experience,’ you can make Hickory Tavern anything you want, but please don’t call us a sports bar or a chain restaurant because we are so, so much more,” said Hickory Tavern CMO Thom Perez. “The beauty of being ‘un-chained’ is that we can revisit our menu anytime in order to please our guests with new, freshly-prepared items from appetizers to entrees and everything in between. And that’s exactly what’s we’ve done with our revitalized menu.”
Beginning today, Hickory Tavern guests can enjoy the following delectable new masterpieces:
- Crab Cake “Duo” – Two house-made Maryland-style crab cakes, served with roasted corn & tomato relish, Cajun remoulade, Tavern greens and side
- Hawaiian Pork Ribeye – 48-hour marinade, pineapple, ginger, soy & sesame, Tavern greens & French Fries
- Southern Fried Chicken BLT – Hand-breaded fried chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, Applewood smoked bacon, buttermilk jalapeno ranch dressing, served on a hoagie roll
- Smokehouse Gameday Burger – Fresh ground beef, two slices of thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, shredded jack & cheddar cheese and crispy onion straws
- Pimento Burger – Fresh ground beef, house-made Pimento cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles
- B+B Burger – Fresh ground beef, slow-braised bacon onion jam and Blue cheese.
- BBQ Chicken Flatbread – Roasted chicken, BBQ sauce, red onion, jack & cheddar cheese, drizzled with sour cream and cilantro
- Veggie White Flatbread – Fresh tomato, spinach, garlic & balsamic glaze
- Pepperoni Flatbread – Pepperoni, marinara sauce & mozzarella cheese
- Jumbo Onion Ring Tower – House-made style onion rings served with roasted jalapeno ranch
- Ahi Tuna Poke – Ahi Tuna, fresh cucumber, Pacific-inspired marinade & Wonton chips
With Hickory Tavern’s exceptional menu and experience, traditional sports bars and casual dining chains pale in comparison. Starting with a welcoming and warm greeting and moving into attentive service with a guest-first mission, visitors are then treated to an extensive and diverse menu.
Since opening its first location in Charlotte two decades ago, Hickory Tavern has become the neighborhood’s favorite destination for any occasion. Hickory Tavern’s unique brand of polished casual features a lively bar atmosphere, upscale menu and 60 big screen TVs and projectors for catching all of your favorite entertainment and sports.
Hickory Tavern’s latest honor put the brand in the prestigious FSR 50, which recognizes the top 50 emerging restaurant brands, featuring 50 high potential, performance-proven full-service brands with fewer than 50 locations.
“The FSR 50 recognizes multi-unit full-service restaurant brands with more than five locations but fewer than 50—and each of the brands has proven performance as well as potential for sustained success,” says Connie Gentry, editor of FSR magazine. “In naming the top 50 emerging chains, we considered a variety of factors including menu innovation, sales growth, brand expansion, and support for their communities. Chef-driven menus that encompass food as well as beverage is a common thread among the restaurants selected.”
Founded in 1997, the Hickory Tavern brand has grown to include 27 businesses in 16 communities across the southeastern United States. Hickory Tavern is a neighborhood social gathering spot that is centered around a lively bar, serves great food and has a passion for sports and entertainment. The Hickory Tavern goal is to create your craveable experience. To do this Team Members connect with each guest individually to ensure that they deliver the specific experiences that each guest craves. Guests use Hickory Tavern for countless social reasons, occasions and events. Whatever the reason; Hickory Tavern is the perfect venue for Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, Late Night, Parties, Events and on Gameday. Hickory Tavern has added 2 new locations in 2017: Columbia, SC and Holly Springs, NC. Additional openings are planned across the entire Hickory Tavern footprint for 2017 and beyond.
