Longtime Greenville restaurant torn down to make way for another

The City of Greenville is making way for new urbanization– starting with the demolition of long standing restaurant Shoney’s.

Once a beloved restaurant for the folks in Greenville for birthday parties, baby showers, graduation celebrations, breakfast and seafood buffets, Shoney’s just off of Interstate 65 is now reduced to rubble

The city of Greenville began the purchase of Shoney’s in 2025 under the leadership of then-Mayor Dexter McClendon for the sum of $2 million, with plans to sell the Shoney’s lot to Chick-fil-A for $1 million.

That purchase plan came with backlash from citizens, a temporary 1% sales tax increase and a promise of new industry. Current Greenville Mayor Jae’Ques Brown says those plans have been re-established and are now coming together for Greenville’s benefit.

“Right now we are looking at ways to improve with retail and restaurants within the city,” Mayor Brown told Action 8 News. “We are an interstate city. We have to capitalize on people coming off of the interstate coming into the city to shop to eat to play. We want them to know that we are open for business and we are looking for ways to improve in every area of our city within the city of Greenville to bring in more development”.

Shoney’s demolition is one of many necessary steps which will eventually lead to building the Chick-fil-A on the lot.