The creator of the Buffalo Wing is opening a new restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Here’s where

The inventors of the Buffalo Chicken Wing are bringing their original recipe to the Myrtle Beach area.

Anchor Bar, which, according to Time Magazine, served the first plate of Buffalo Chicken Wings in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1964, is opening a new location in Myrtle Beach. The site, 6401 North Kings Highway, could be ready by the end of May or early June, Anchor Bar Operations and Marketing Director Michelle Buchholz said in an interview.

She added that there is no official opening day yet, as construction is ongoing, but the company will hire more than 100 people for the location.

Buchholz said the new restaurant will have a sports bar and family-friendly atmosphere. Anchor Bar will have 40 large-screen televisions for people to watch sporting events or other things of interest. The eatery will also have a kid’s menu and will also offer pizzas, salads and burgers in addition to its staple foods.

Buchholz also recommended that newcomers try the original medium wings, the founding flavor used in 1964. She added that the eatery also wants to serve locally brewed beers along with its standard drafts and Northwest New York staples like Labatt and Genesee. Anchor Bar will also replace a well-known Grand Strand seafood restaurant that closed at the end of 2023.

Mr. Fish, which was open for almost 15 years, closed its doors in August 2023, The Sun News reported at the time. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Mr. Fish’s owner cited increased competition as a struggle the restaurant faced. While the restaurant on the property is changing, the site’s owner remains the same.

According to Horry County Land Records, the same entity has owned the land since 2014, and it has a market value of more than a million dollars.

The new restaurant is part of a growing trend of eateries and amenities opening along the Grand Strand, catering to residents who originally called the northeast United States home.

Pizzerias offering New York and New Haven-style pies— which specialize in thin crust, crispy and slightly overcooked offerings— have opened. Italian Ice and bakeries from Pennsylvania have also started providing options for the area’s sizeable northeastern population. Indeed, South Carolina has seen an influx of newcomers from the northeast, as The New York Times reported in April 2024.

Real estate professionals in the Myrtle Beach area say that the influx is partly due to the less expensive cost of living, four seasons climate and closer proximity to home than states like Florida.