by Tracy Sanders
Contributing Writer
With new growth in Woodruff comes new businesses and new types of businesses. Rotties 221 fits into both of those categories.
Owned by John and Yana Allen of Greer, Rotties 221 is a family friendly, German style beirgarten. It features outdoor seating (with lots of greenery), real German tables, and a kitchen which will serve traditional German topas style food items along with other family recipes including Allen’s mother’s enchilada recipe.
“Every part of the project has been done with love,” Yana said.
Yana has a passion for making pies and plans to have “pies and pints” on Sundays.
Roties 221 is located at 228 South Main Street in Woodruff, across from Burger King. It is also conveniently located to the new walkway from McKinney Park.
When asked how they found this location, she said, “John and I were in the area looking for land for family that was moving up from the low country. We drove through downtown Woodruff and saw the building for sale. The owner just so happened to be onsite and showed us around. When we saw the space in the back, we looked at each other and said “biergarten.”
“A lot of the inspiration came from the Fr8yard, in downtown Spartanburg. When you come here, you will get a little bit of New Orleans, Lafayette, Scotland, and Germany (places they have visited or hope to visit, and have influenced their tastes in food and beer).”
The bar will have 24 taps, all craft beers and ciders, predominantly from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. They will also have sodas.
The décor will have “a wee bit of plaid,” according to Allen. The floor is a stamped concrete made to look like wooden planks.
There is a huge fan in the main area and a large screen TV for special events. While renovating, the couple found documents from the Ford car dealership that once occupied the space and plan on using some of the history to decorate. There is a sound system and glass garage door that leads to the outdoor, pet friendly, seating area. There will also be an authentic German Stammtisch table.
A Stammtisch (German for “regulars’ table”) is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large, table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly get-together.
There are two restrooms, both handicap accessible.
The outdoor area will have activities such as corn hole, chalk writing for kids, coloring books, karaoke and other games.
John and Yana have been taking beer connoisseur classes to learn more about beer and to be able to teach others.
“We want people to come here and not just have a beer but have an experience,” Allen said. “We want to give back to the community.”
The grand opening is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, just in time for Oktoberfest.”
The couple also has plans for a micro-brewery in the space they own next door.
Author: Tracy Sanders
