If you ask a town planner where the boundaries of Old Town Bluffton are, they’ll likely tell you that the technical borders are formed by the May River, Huger Cove, and Bridge Street.
If you ask anyone else where the boundary of Old Town is, where the line exists between the eccentric enclave for artists, creators, and assorted weirdos and the up-and-coming getaway for the upscale tourist, they’ll point to the dotted yellow line on Pin Oak Street where it meets May River Road.
On one side of that line, a chic, modern two-story office building, housing the businesses that are helping fuel Bluffton’s renaissance. No one is saying they shouldn’t be there; in fact, all but the most entrenched Blufftonians welcome the wealth of opportunity they’ve brought. But their gleaming tower does stand in stark contrast to the low-slung roof, colorful signage, and unbridled eccentricity of their neighbor across the border at Squat ‘N’ Gobble.
The World Famous Squat ‘N’ Gobble Cinnamon Roll, hot from the oven, served with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
“I have a few customers who hadn’t been in here for a few years say, ‘Did you move locations?’ I tell them, ‘No, we’re still in the same spot. Everything is just built up around us,’” said Star Wozniak, who runs the restaurant with her mom, Star Rush. “Which I don’t mind. I don’t mind Bluffton growing. I think they’re doing a lot of great things.”
It’s hard to deny that Bluffton has received its share of hometown upgrades over the past few years. That is what makes the enduring presence of Squat ‘N’ Gobble so crucial to the fabric of Old Town. No amount of gentrification can change the fact that Bluffton is still a small town, and people who are drawn to small towns are drawn to places where they know they can always visit, always be welcomed, and always get their favorite menu item.
The Squat Squad poses for a quick photo with owners Star Rush and daughter Star Wozniak (seated on table).
“It’s important for us to keep Squat ‘N’ Gobble like people remember it. That’s part of the charm,” Wozniak said. “We have generations of families coming in here where people remember coming in here as a kid who are coming in with their kids.”
It’s a difficult task, keeping things fresh while maintaining that atmosphere. Stepping into Squat ‘N’ Gobble is a bit of a trip back in time, to an era when roadside restaurants gladly wore the label of “greasy spoon” and the décor was typically whatever random artwork or photos the owner had lying around. (In fact, Rush is an avid thrifter, and the assembled décor at the restaurant represents her best finds.) It was an era when travelers would mingle with the locals, drawn by the fact that this small town restaurant was, in essence, the heart of town.
Avocado ‘N’ Bacon Benedict, Hot Coffee, Fresh Seasonal Fruit Plate and The Hangover Cure is served with a side of Texas Pete.
No matter how much Bluffton has grown, no matter how much the state of mind has become The State of Mind (Trademark), Squat ‘N’ Gobble endures. Because it’s still that quirky roadside restaurant. And it’s still the best place for a local to get a good meal served with a side of genuine friendship.
“There’s this sense when you come in that we’re inviting you to our home, not just to our restaurant. You’re a friend,” Wozniak said. “Our servers know the regular customers by name, what they drink, what they eat, and what table they like. They also know your kids, your dogs, and notice when you get a new car. We love our customers.”
A booth at the Squat ‘N’ Gobble sits waiting for the next hungry patrons to wander in.
That atmosphere is one that Rush and her late husband, Paul “The Greek” Riganas, cultivated over the years, but largely came with the building. The restaurant’s roots stretch far back into Bluffton’s history, to a time when it sat across from the only grocer in town. Allegedly named by a member of The Headliners band after a roadside greasy spoon he frequented in Tennessee, its stories are as numerous as they are wonderfully Bluffton.
“When Paul and I first came here to check it out before we leased, the owner had a swimming pool in the back and his kids were all coming back and forth between the kitchen and the pool,” Rush said. “I remember asking Paul, ‘Is that kosher?’”
The couple quickly excised the swimming pool, kicking off a long period of experimentation that Squat ‘N’ Gobble’s existing customers ate up. With a culinary background informed by the massively multifaceted diner menus of his native New York, Riganas filled the menu with breakfast staples like bacon and eggs, alongside mouth-wateringly authentic Greek food, sandwiches, burgers, Southern fare, and even, for a time, pizza.
The Greek Platter with grilled gyro meat, spanakopita, a small Greek salad and pita points with tzatziki.
“It was a menu of anything you could imagine, and it was overwhelming. I think it was eight pages long,” Wozniak said. When Riganas passed in 2011, Rush and Wozniak took on the unenviable task of whittling down the menu to something more manageable without upsetting that delicate balance of retaining everyone’s favorites.
“We’re in the process of hiring a new cook and he made some shrimp and grits the other day with tomatoes on top, which looked pretty and tasted fine,” Rush said. “But we have to keep these dishes the same, but if someone came in here every day last year for shrimp and grits, the next time they come back they want it to stay the same.”
A gyro with a side of giant onion rings and a side Greek salad.
In the end, what Squat ‘N’ Gobble does best is prove the old adage, the more things change the more they stay the same. Its stasis is all part of the charm – the knowledge that your next visit will be just as appetizing, just as welcoming, and just as quirky as your last. It shows in the familiar faces that you always seem to meet inside, regardless of how long it’s been since your last visit.
And if things do change, you can rest assured that those same faces will be there to greet you. Because as long as there is an Old Town Bluffton, no matter where you draw the border, there will always be a seat waiting for you at Squat ‘N’ Gobble.
