Bone-In Barbeque opening today

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Bone-In Barbeque, the first restaurant in the BullStreet District, is opening today at 4 p.m.

Announced in April 2017, the restaurant is a brick-and-mortar version of chef Scott Hall’s popular local food truck. It also offers pickup and catering services.

The 3,600-square-foot restaurant features a large bar and inside seating for 77. More than 40 guests can be accommodated on an outdoor patio, and a private dining room can seat 15 to 30 guests.

After 12 years working in New York City restaurants, Hall returned to his hometown of Columbia in 2009 to manage catering for his family’s business, Corley Mill House and Garden in Lexington. As the BullStreet development began transforming the former site of the S.C. State Hospital, developer Robert Hughes approached Hall about opening a restaurant in the former Ensor Building, adjacent to Spirit Communications Park.

“Somebody had to be first, but honestly, I didn’t want to open a restaurant,” Hall told the Columbia Regional Business Report earlier this month. “I worked in restaurants my whole life, and I know how stressful they can be to operate.”

Curiosity led Hall to tour the site, and even though it initially reminded him of a horror film, he could see its potential.

“Before we got halfway through the tour, I told myself I had to do this,” Hall said. “There was a vision right from the start.”

The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will also be open during all home games for the Columbia Fireflies. For day games, Bone-In Barbeque will open a few hours before first pitch.

Hall expects to begin lunch service this summer, with plans to also serve weekend brunch, according to a new release.

“This is more than just a new restaurant in our city,” Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said in a news release. “Bone-In Barbeque expanding from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar location is a sign that our creative class is flourishing. It aligns with the vision of the BullStreet District, because Chef Scott Hall’s work is at the forefront of the food scene here, just as BullStreet is on the cutting edge of modern development. It’s the perfect first restaurant for Columbia’s newest downtown neighborhood.”