Kent Sutton, owner of Parkside Sports Grille, goes over a drink menu with a team member.
Cambodian native Jason Rin, right, is joining Parkside Grille and owner Kent Sutton to offer menu choices from his home country.
NEWTON GROVE — After opening in 2014, Parkside Sports Grille faced storms when unwelcome guests Matthew and Florence soaked the restaurant with hurricane floodwaters.
After recovering from two extended closures, another storm came in the form of COVID-19, which limited hours and occupancy due to the pandemic. But thanks to the loyalty of their patrons and support from the community of Newton Grove, the Parkside Sports Grille recently celebrated its seventh-year anniversary.
“It’s definitely been a lot of challenges over the course of the seven years,” owner Kent Sutton said. “The hurricanes and the pandemic have all been things that were totally out of our control.”
As spring brings warmer weather, longer days and hopes for relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, for the PSG team, change couldn’t happen soon enough. It’s something they’re ready to embrace.
“We endured it and we’re seeing a pick up in traffic,” Sutton said. “I think people are beginning to get out. People are getting vaccinated and as the weather turns warm, I think people have a lot of pent-up frustrations and they’re just ready to get out.”
With the easing of the restrictions, Parkside will revert back to their original hours of operation prior to the pandemic, serving lunch and dinner daily, Tuesday through Sunday, beginning this Tuesday, March 16. Among other changes, Sutton recently partnered with Jason Rin, the former owner of Kotta Japanese Grill in Winston Salem. Rin, a Cambodian native, came to the United States at age 11.
“I look forward to bringing the many tastes from my native land to Parkside’s customers,” Rin said.
With Rin’s culinary skills, Parkside plans to add an array of Asian cuisine, while continuing to provide the same great American dishes their loyal patrons have come to expect.
“Keep an eye out for updates to our menu later this spring, as we plan to expand our selections, featuring some of Jason’s favorite dishes,” Sutton said.
Currently, Parkside’s menu includes wings, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, pastas and a salad bar, to name a few. In addition, PSG offers daily lunch and dinner specials, an outdoor patio, and a full service bar.
Sutton is a Sampson County native and graduated from Hobbton High School. After getting his diploma, he earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked in the newspaper business and for Herff Jones as a sales representative.
After coming back home in the late 1990s, Sutton established a referendum for on-premise alcohol sales. While serving as a chairman of the Newton Grove 100 Committee, one of the goals was to bring more restaurants near Interstate 40, which is very close to Newton Grove. He reached out to several chain restaurants, but they thought a town with a population of a little over 550 people wasn’t big enough.
Knowing the town needed a place where people can watch games with their friends or enjoy a meal with family members, Sutton rolled up his sleeves and got to work. The building on Clinton Street was purchased in 2013 and was renovated. Through a partnership with former associate Johnny Kaleel, Parkside Sports Grille opened its doors in 2014. About a year later, Kaleel left for a salesman opportunity with a food equipment company.
Throughout the years, Sutton had an eye-opening and rewarding experience by doing a little bit of everything. Some of those duties included inventory, marketing, bartending, and cooking. Unfortunately, recovering from natural disasters and a pandemic came with it.
“The good thing about the flooding is that I had flood insurance, so I was able to build back and keep everything moving forward,” Sutton said. “The pandemic obviously has provided some other challenges. First and foremost, we had to close the dining rooms from last March to Memorial Day weekend. We were able to do takeout only. We were able to sustain it.”
For the team, Payroll Protection Plan was also a big help. The federal funding helped the restaurant keep employees during the pandemic.
Prior to the restrictions last March, Sutton said Parkside had become known as “the place for live entertainment” in Sampson County, featuring weekly entertainment on either Friday or Saturday nights. With the restrictions being eased, Parkside has begun booking acts for the summer. Those performers are Wilmington’s Radio Fyer, Nashville recording artist and Angier native Paige Johnson, along with local favorites Jonathan Parker, Carolina Dreamers featuring Clinton’s Steve Powell, and the DJ/Karaoke, featuring local DJ Ross Kimbro.
“If you enjoy live music, plan to come out and enjoy your favorite acts, as we look forward to hosting a variety of musicians on the Parkside patio,” Sutton said.
The restaurant is also encouraging patrons and future customers to visit https://ift.tt/3th9lWf and the restaurant’s Facebook page for more information and upcoming dates as the community works to get back to normalcy.
“We weathered it and we’re looking ahead to a brighter tomorrow,” Sutton said.
Reach Chase Jordan at 910-592-8137. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.
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March 14, 2021 at 11:29PM
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‘Grille’ fired up again - Sampson Independent
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