An iconic Greenwood establishment is preparing to reopen after a year-long hiatus.
The Suds, a drive-in restaurant that’s been located in the heart of Old Town Greenwood for half a century, will reopen for the 2023 season on April 15. It was closed last year due to staffing issues, said Susan Wagner, operations manager.
The drive-in first opened in 1957 as Dog ‘n Suds and quickly became a popular hangout for local youth and car fanatics. Like other drive-ins, cars can pull up to the restaurant to order on one side, and on the other side, people can order and sit at a table.
Items available include The Suds burger, the drive-in’s main burger, and tenderloins. These tenderloins are huge, about three to four times the size of the bun, Wagner said.
They also have Coney Dogs, fries, onion rings, cheese curds, root beer floats and hand-dipped milkshakes.
“We’re one of the only (places) that still do that,” Wagner said. “It’s hand-dipped out of the gallon and fixed by hand.”
On Saturday nights, The Suds is also home to a cruise-in, where people bring out their classic cars. Filling nearby parking lots, people can walk around, look at the classic cars and chat, Wagner said.
The drive-in has changed hands over the years, closing and opening again multiple times. In 2008, the Suds Hot Rod Club purchased the property, and it’s been revived as one of the best classic car cruise-in spots in the country, according to Craft Magazine.
Following last year’s staffing issues, Wagner is excited for the restaurant to reopen for 2023. And she’s not alone, as many commented their excitement on the drive-in’s Facebook page.
“There’s lots of people that support The Suds and want to see it open again. They’re excited that it’s not going to be closed down,” she said. “A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘I came here as a kid’ or ‘I used to work here,’ so it’s a lot of memories for a lot of people.”
The Suds will formally reopen on April 15. Following that, the drive-in will be open Wednesday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., she said.
This is an expansion of hours from years past, Wagner said.
“In years past, it’s been either only Saturday or Friday night and Saturday,” she said.
The drive-in will also have bands throughout the summer, and three bands have already been booked so far. They are also planning a car show for July, Wagner said.
More information about the bands and the car show will be released on the restaurant’s new Facebook page “The Suds Drive In of Greenwood.” Wagner encourages people to follow the drive-in’s new page to get the latest information.
The Suds also had a work day on March 11 where members of the community were invited out to help clean up the drive-in before the start of the season. Ten or so people came out to help get the drive-in ready, which was great, Wagner said.
“In years past, we’ve always had people saying, ‘If you need anything, let us know. We’ll come help,’ because there’s a large amount of people that support it and want it open so I took advantage of that help there,” she said. “… They were there for about five hours, and we were able to get the outside really cleaned up and ready to go.”
The Suds is still looking for employees for the 2023 season, as the goal is to be open every Saturday, Wagner said. Saturdays are their biggest night, and they want to make sure they have enough employees to cover if employees need to have a day off, she said.
“We have a lot of high schoolers, and it’s the end of the year and prom’s coming up from them,” she said. “I just want to be able to have enough people that I’m not frantic when they need off.”
To apply or get more information about jobs, people should message The Suds on Facebook by going to facebook.com/TheSudsDriveInofGreenwood.
