Brothers, Matt Powell (l) and Chad Powell (r), owners of The Kitchen, with restaurant manager, Dianne Bernstein. Photo by Natasha Whitling

The Country Kit-chen in Eastover, SC, was once a favorite hangout of many until it closed its doors about a year ago. Brothers Chad and Matt Powell were frequenters of the restaurant, especially on the way to and from hunting trips. “It was always a meeting place,” Chad said.

A few months ago, Chad and Matt learned there was a chance to bring the old place back to life – if they leased the building and re–opened it themselves. They had contemplated other business ventures in the past, but this seemed like the right one for them.

So they signed the lease and opened in December, this time under the name, The Kitchen. Next, they found an experienced restaurateur, Dianne Bernstein, to run the day–to–day operations.

“Even though we didn’t have any restaurant experience, we decided to give it a whirl,” Chad said. He added, “If we didn’t have someone who knew the ropes, we wouldn’t have done it. Dianne’s been a real asset to us.”

Both of the brothers are involved in more overarching aspects of the business, as they each have other occupations. Chad is a legal assistant in his dad Ken Powell’s law office and is applying to law school. Chad is also a baseball coach at Dreher High School. Matt, a former pitcher for the University of Tennessee, is an account manager at Stuart Title. Both brothers graduated from Dreher High School, Chad in 1997 and Matt in 2000.

To those who knew The Country Kitchen, The Kitchen is much the same except the Kitchen is smoke– free. Before, the restaurant was always filled with smoke. Matt said, “We’ve had positive and negative views on it being smoke–free, but we’re trying to get more families to come here.”

The Kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week and serves breakfast all day. It is also open on Friday and Saturday nights. The Kitchen has excellent food, personable service, great prices, and a delightfully country atmosphere. It’s definitely worth the drive.

The Kitchen is located at 11315 Garners Ferry Road, Eastover, SC.