Long-time restaurant entrepreneur to open new concept at this SC airport. Here are the details

A location that Food Network host Robert Irvine said was the most unusual he’s had on his show will soon have a new tenant.

Hangar 28 Kitchen and Events is expected to open in a former flight school turned restaurant at the Greenville Downtown Airport in June.

It was once the longtime home of the Runway Cafe, which Irvine slammed for unseasoned food, ugly decor and screaming children during a 2023 Restaurant Impossible episode.

The cafe closed a year ago after it lost its lease from the Greenville Downtown Airport Commission.

Hangar 28 Kitchen and Events is owned by Trish Ballentine, who is also the chef. She owned Corporate Deli and sold it after 13 years before opening Dish Out, a cafe and catering company. She sold that, too and then came up with the Tipsy Taco brand, which is now a franchise with locations in South and North Carolina.

Lauren Good, a 20-years event planner in the wedding industry, is the director of operations and hospitality.

Hangar 28 “will transform the iconic South Ramp restaurant and hangar space into a daily gathering spot and elevated event destination,” the restaurant said on its website.

“At its core, Hangar 28’s menu will feature raw ingredients, built with intention,” the website says. “No shortcuts — just wholesome, approachable meals created to satisfy diners of all ages.”

It will be open for lunch daily and breakfast on the weekends and will have a full bar.

It will also offer private charter catering services for people flying into or out of Greenville Downtown Airport, South Carolina’s busiest municipal and general aviation airport.

A 3,500 square-foot event space will be located in an adjacent hangar.

It will have a 16-foot glass hangar door, “giving a unique backdrop of active runways and modern design,” the website said

“From corporate gatherings and impactful fundraisers to maker’s markets and holiday parties, The Hangar is where your ideas can take flight,” the restaurant said.

Runway Cafe operated at the airport for 15 years, beginning as a 70-seat indoor, 120-seat outdoor restaurant but downsizing through COVID and beyond.

Robert Hoover, airport spokesman, said when it was announced Runway Cafe would close that a new concept was needed because Greenville was increasingly becoming known for its restaurants and many improvements had been made on the airport site.

The airport property also includes a children’s park, Military History Museum and Takeoff Mini Golf. A 10-acre skate park and BMX track adjacent to the airport are in the planning stages.

The site also connects to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a bike and walking path that originally extended from downtown Greenville north to Travelers Rest but now has a number of spurs all over Greenville County.