Like many convenience stores, Dave’s Grill & Grocery in Aiken, South Carolina, serves homecooked meals of barbecue, hot dogs, burgers and chili. But customers can also get something a little more unusual in a c-store—fresh-cut meats.

“What attracted me to buy the store last year was its meat market,” said owner Andrew Siders, who purchased the store from Dave Golding, its previous owner of 38 years and the Dave of the store name. “Dave had a background as a grocery store meat manager and had brought in an extensive meat counter to the store that the locals loved.” 

INDUSTRY ATTRACTION

For Siders, the fresh meat section was just one of the many compelling reasons to trade his insurance agency for a convenience store. “I’ve always liked the convenience store model, especially those in a more rural market like Dave’s,” he said. “This is the perfect next step for me when I was ready to sell my insurance agency.”

Prior to insurance, Siders worked in retail. “I liked the buying and selling and the community aspect of retail,” he said. “For me, Dave’s was a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a retail situation.”

Siders has been taking a fresh look at every aspect of the business category by category. “I knew from the beginning I would keep the meat market with a meat cutter,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe how much meat we sell because Dave’s has a reputation of being a great place for fresh cuts of steaks, whole ribeyes, roasts, pork chops, chicken, bacon, ham and ground beef.” The store also makes its own sausage.

The location between two towns in a largely rural community of horse farms means customers stop by Dave’s for fill-in groceries and impulse shopping. In January, Siders received his beer and wine license, and he is in the process of building a high-quality selection of alcohol.

On the fresh foodservice side, Siders added his uncle’s chili recipe, which had been very popular at an area restaurant in the 1960s and ’70s. “Our Hot Dog Chili has become our No. 1 seller since we added it to the menu shortly after I took over the place,” he said.

“Our Hot Dog Chili has become our No. 1 seller since we added it to the menu.”

He’s also brought in new items to meet the diverse customer base. “For example, there’s a large Hispanic population in the area, and I brought in Bimbo salsas and hot chips, which has been a popular addition to the store,” Siders said.

In addition, he kept the store’s long history alive by leaving some of the old advertisements on the walls. “The store had an old Winston cigarette display case that needed some elbow grease to bring it back to its former state,” Siders said. “I cleaned off years of gunk to showcase the original Winston script, and everyone loves it.”

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Dave’s has a large social media following that Siders has built on as the new owner. “It’s very easy to get the word out about our specials or new products,” he said. “I’ve had posts gain 35,000 views on Facebook or Instagram.”

With Siders’ background as a businessman in the community, he’s had some high-profile customers stop by the store. For example, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Sue Evette and a state representative stopped by the store on the same day last fall. “Since I know the governor, he came by and had a fried bologna sandwich,” Siders said.

The bottom line for Siders is making every customer feel like family when they visit. “We pride ourselves with being very friendly and always speaking to customers,” he said. “I really harp on customer service and the friendliness aspect of our store. I don’t want any customer to say Dave’s is an unfriendly store.”

Siders already has his eye on the future. “One town has been after me to bring Dave’s to their community, so I’m in the planning stages to do that within the next year,” he said. “Eventually, I’d like to have 10 to 12 Dave’s locations in other rural communities because I see this concept as filling a need in those areas.”