Fri, March 29, 2024

Local restaurateurs pivot and launch new restaurant concept

Last summer, after facing a possible suspension of its liquor license, Southbound Smokehouse on Central Avenue closed its doors. The business’s owners have now teamed up with another local entrepreneur to launch a new restaurant concept in the same building.

Brian Brittingham and George Claussen own Southbound, which is now located in SRP Park. The pair, along with Andrew Crumrine, who owns the building located at 1855 Central Ave. near Buona Caffe, opened Soul City Pizza in mid-February 2022.

“I thought we needed a local pizza place,” said Crumrine, who previously owned Crum’s on Central at that location.

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Soul City Pizza has a music-themed menu that includes not only pizza but also appetizers, wings, and salads. Its specialty pizza flavors include the Diana Ross, Buffalo Soldier, and White Album. Vinyl records adorn the walls inside the restaurant. The restaurant also offers beer and wine.

Owners of Soul City are, from left, Brian Brittingham, Andrew Crumrine, and George Claussen.

He said they chose the music theme, in part, because James Brown used to perform on stage at another of the building’s previous tenants, Le Café Du Teau, an upscale French restaurant.

In the future, Crumrine wants to expand the menu by offering more pasta dishes. The restaurant currently offers delivery through DoorDash, but he said they eventually want to deliver food to customers on their own.

“We did really well in the spring,” Crumrine said. “We’re getting great feedback.”

He said they’re currently gearing up for football season and students going back to school, which he expects to bring in more customers.

Soul City offers a lunch buffet, Tuesday through Sunday, and arcade games, such as Pac-Man and a claw machine. Customers can place orders online or in the restaurant using a QR code.

Soul City Pizza is a music-themed restaurant. (Photo by Josh Heath)

The restaurant currently has around 20 employees and like many other businesses, finding workers was a challenge. He said they’re struggling to find a dishwasher.

“We got lucky because we were able to pull some from Southbound,” Crumrine said. “We’ve got good management.”

While launching a new business is never easy, having two other partners has made it easier for him. 

“We’re very blessed to have a lot of experience on our team,” he said.

Crumrine said their strengths complement one another. He knows food, Brittingham is adept at finance and Claussen is a marketing expert.

Soul City Pizza is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s open Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit soulcity.pizza or call 706-733-5464.

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