By Brandi Wylie ‘24
From sitting in a bassinet at the cash register with “Ms. Mildred” to celebrating his birthday parties in the dining room, Wade Lindsey III ’08 grew up in his family’s business, Wade’s Restaurant.
With Lindsey now a co-owner, the 77-year-old Spartanburg eatery was recently named the 2024 James Beard Foundation for America’s Classic: Southeast winner.
“We’re not trying to be exciting; we just want to give great service and good food,” Lindsey says. “It feels nice to be recognized for trying to do it with quality rather than flash. No offense to those other restaurants because I love going to them. It’s just not who we are. It has never been who we are, even as a mom-and-pop restaurant.”
A future in the family business was not part of Lindsey’s original plan, but Lindsey worked at the restaurant one summer and decided there was no turning back.
“What started my passion for the restaurant was a combination of the immediate feedback nature of the restaurant, the pride of continuing the family legacy and how the systems were involved,” he says. “Once I truly realized what an awesome business my family created, I was ready to dive in, continue that legacy and put my mark on it.”
Lindsey’s grandparents, Wade and Betty Lindsey, opened Wade’s in 1947. What started as May’s Grocery evolved into a place to buy a hot plate for lunch and a drive-in style restaurant, and eventually, a popular local meat-and-three.
Lindsey’s father, Hamp Lindsey, and aunt, Carole Miller, took ownership of the restaurant in 1977. He and his sister, Anna Lindsey Liles, are the third generation of family ownership.
Lindsey has updated the restaurant’s technology and training. He has simplified the menu and implemented an accurate system for tracking food costs. Lindsey hopes to continue to improve and possibly expand to a second location.
Winning the award, Lindsey says, was the validation he was looking for.
“This has shown me that as I’ve become more and more in charge of the restaurant, I haven’t messed up,” he says. “My grandparents built something amazing that I’ve been able to not only help maintain but grow and bring something new to. It wasn’t me who won the award. It was all of us together.”