Hidden gem in Charlotte’s Oakhurst neighborhood where the menu is as creative as the food
April 22, 2026
Stefan Huebner to open Greenville, S.C. bar and listening room
South Main Social expands partnership with Conrad Hunter in the former Foxcroft space
by TM Petaccia
For 2023 UPPY Mixologist of the Year Stefan Huebner, the thought of opening a new concept nearly 100 miles away initially didn’t have much appeal for him. But he had an idea, and Dot Dot Dot partner Conrad Hunter had a space. And one visit to Greenville, S.C. was all it took to get the wheels in motion.
“When Conrad approached me about the space, I was like, I don’t know if I want to do a bar an hour and a half away,” Huebner says. “It seemed like a lot of work and a lot of driving, And then, when we came down for the Michelin awards ceremonies for Colleen (Hughes, Huebner’s partner, who was awarded the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award in the Southeast this past October), it sealed the deal. I love this town. The downtown is so perfect.”
The result is South Main Social, a new bar, restaurant, and listening room in Greenville’s downtown, which will begin its soft open period Tuesday, April 28. It’s based on something Huebner wanted to do for a while. “I had this listening room idea in my pocket for a few years and didn’t jump on it in Charlotte,” he says. “Now we have Justin Hazelton at Lorem Ipsum doing it as well as the guys at Vinyl and Soul Gastrolounge. If I would have done it in Charlotte now, I would be late to the market.”
Hunter’s decision to close the Greenville location of Foxcroft Food & Wine, gave Huebner the chance to make his idea come alive. “Foxcroft was making money and things were cool, but the retail component wasn’t as good as the Charlotte stores,” Huebner says. “The lease is still really good. We have seven and a half years left on the lease. The location is one of the best in Greenville. So Conrad said, ‘Let’s do something.'”
When open, South Main Social will offer a drink menu of sixteen curated cocktails, including some barrel-aged cocktails and cocktails-on-draft, under the direction of bar manager Ashley Purcell, who formally was the assistant general manager at Foxtcroft/Greenville as well as bartended at Greenville’s legendary restaurant, now Michelin Recommended, Soby’s. It will also offer twenty wines by the glass and sixty wines by the bottle. “We’re taking the cocktail elements of Dot, mixing it with the successful parts of Foxcroft,” Huebner says.
The food menu will offer a mix of Asian and Latin dishes using locally sourced ingredients, executed by Jermaine Wilson, a longtime Greenville chef who has worked at several downtown restaurants, including Grand Bohemian Lodge and Stir — in collaboration with Foxcroft culinary director Stephanie Klos. Dishes include items such as tempura chicken bao buns, smashed dumpling tacos, and a bourbon-soy glazed ny strip.
Rich Adams, who was the general manager at Soby’s for the past five years, will assume the same role at South Main Social. “He wanted to get into something smaller,” Huebner says. “Soby’s is doing $9 million a year with almost 100 employees. Rich wanted to be at a place where he could have a little more say and do something special.”
Huebner is targeting music vibe is slated to be old-school cool, with a nightly DJ mixing a combination jazz, blues, and classic Motown. “You’ll hear a lot of modal jazz early in the evening,” he says, “a lot of John Coltrane, a lot of Miles Davis, and a lot of Charlie Parker. Later, we’ll add some soul music to keep the energy level up.”
He also sees the prime downtown Greenville location more as working in harmony with area businesses, rather than competing with them, especially with many entertainment venues nearby. “We’re a hundred yards away from the Peace Center. People can join us for cocktails before or after a show or come have dinner before you’re going somewhere else. We don’t think we’ll be taking away from anybody,” Huebner says. “We’ll just add another option for everybody.”
Despite the current social climate, Huebner hopes to take a gradual approach to rolling out South Main Social. “It’s hard to do a soft opening like you used to,” he says. “With the internet, people post they’re at this cool new place, and the whole city shows up. But we’re going to try to get about ten days in before we do an official media night. We’re trying not to open up to all that craziness.
“We look at it this way. We have eight more years here. We don’t have to open up day one to a line out the door. We want to grow the ideas here and make something really special. I’m super excited about it.”
