SPARTANBURG — Rigsby’s Classic Rock Cafe, a rock ‘n’ roll-themed upscale restaurant in downtown Spartanburg’s Morgan Square, is now open.
Located between Monsoon Noodle House and the Flying Biscuit Cafe, the latest addition to the Rigsby’s family of restaurants deviates from the other burger-and-beer-focused eateries.
“I think classic rock, that era of music, it meant something and people could understand it,” said restaurateur Jeff Rigsby, a Beatles fan who’s partial to “The White Album.” “It kind of touched you. You could hear certain songs and it takes you back to a time.”
In 2018, Rigsby chose Greer to open his first smoked burger restaurant.
Back then, he’d been inspired by a smoked burger he’d tried up north. It was a way to add flavor to the meat beyond the toppings.
“I really just wanted to make a place that I liked to go to, because I think I’m probably the average customer,” Rigsby said.
Today, there are three Rigsby’s Smoked Burgers, Wings and Grill locations in the Upstate: Anderson, Boiling Springs and Spartanburg.
But Rigsby’s Classic Rock Cafe is a departure from the rest. The menu has burgers, but also steak, salmon, grilled meatloaf, pork chops, chicken alfredo, flatbread pizzas and shrimp and grits, to name a few.
The soundscape is of course classic rock, and Rigsby said the TVs around the space will have videos of whatever band is being played in the restaurant.
There’s also an attached live music venue. Rigsby said they’ll have live bands with plans to broadcast the performances on the TVs in the restaurant so folks can eat and listen to the live music at the same time.
When Rigsby bought the building, it came with the basement space being rented by UnderPin Lanes ‘N’ Lounge, so he decided to buy that business as well to have more control over the entire space.
“We wanted this to be kind of a showplace, an elevated place where you’d bring a date here, and you could eat a really nice meal, go watch a band in the back,” Rigsby said. “Or you could go downstairs. We have bowling downstairs so you could go down there. We’ve got a bar down there as well.”
Rigsby’s Classic Rock Cafe is currently open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4-9 p.m. on Sunday.
In addition to the rock cafe, Rigsby is also bringing five Keke’s Breakfast Cafes to the Upstate, with the first scheduled to open in Spartanburg this year.