A new barbecue spot from the Bessinger family opens at Lake Murray

Brothers Paul and Cody Bessinger, members of the family behind the Maurice’s Piggie Park chain, opened Driftwood Smokehouse on March 18 at 101 Sandalwood Road in Leesville on the western shore of Lake Murray. The full-service restaurant offers a different experience from the family’s existing barbecue operations, with a full bar, waitstaff and lake views.

FULL STORY: A new barbecue restaurant is opening on the shores of Lake Murray. Here’s where

Here are key takeaways:

• Driftwood Smokehouse opened on March 18 in the building that formerly housed The Cove and Buck’s Pizza.

• The menu goes beyond traditional barbecue. Smoked pulled pork and barbecue sandwiches share space with tacos, salads, baby back ribs and smoked ribeyes.

• “It’s kind of a different twist on the normal barbecue restaurant. Something outside of the box,” Paul Bessinger, 46, told The State.

• The brothers also run the Outpost at Driftwood Smokehouse, a patio bar next door in the former Thirsty Gator space, with covered outdoor seating, its own food menu and weekend live music.

• The restaurant is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.