New brewery and bar open at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach. Try these beers
Broadway at the Beach is adding to its line-up of eateries at its location.
Voodoo Brewing Company, a national chain of restaurants with a Murrells Inlet location at 3453 US Highway 17 Business, is adding a site to one of the state’s most visited attractions. The brewery announced the opening via Facebook and opened May 11, 2024.
The restaurant has 94 seats in its 3,600-square-foot space, which includes indoor and outdoor seating. Voodoo Brewing Company offers 20 taps, which provides for rotational offerings. The walls are covered in portraits, evoking the vibe of the brewery. One portrait utilizes the logo of one of the brewery’s beers, and the restrooms feature wallpaper depicting skulls serving as vases for multi-colored vegetation.
Restaurant owner Todd Pinkler said staff painted the signs behind the bar, which featured the name of each beer and coordinating designs. Pinkler operates the restaurant as the franchise owner with business partner Chris Donnelly. Despite the name, the location doesn’t have brewing equipment.
For Pinkler, the service industry offers an opportunity to give orders instead of following them, although, unlike in his previous career, the stakes aren’t relatively as high. Pinkler served in the United States military for 22 years, working in reconnaissance in the Marine Corps, and retired in December 2023.
“I just wanted to do something else after taking orders from other higher-ranking individuals,” he added. “Let me be my own boss and become an entrepreneur.”
Pinkler loved his work, deploying as recently as 2022, but he knew retirement was on the horizon and wanted to do something different.
“It was getting to that point of another move, another promotion with that move, and just getting a little bit older, my wife and I determined it was about time for me to move on,” he said. “Most military members, when they retire, they kind of fall into the same job just as a contractor, law enforcement maybe,” Pinkler said. “I was trying to stay away from that.”
Operating a franchise location of the Pennsylvania-based brand seemed like a good fit for Pinkler. He also liked the beer, which was a helpful bonus.
Indeed, Pinkler’s command style differs from what he might have received at Marine Corps boot camp. Employees pick their work hours and set their own schedule. Pinkler added that he tries to instill a fun atmosphere, and the location is still hiring employees.
Voodoo Brewing Company is known for its signature concoctions featuring eclectically designed cans like its Oh Mama variety. A golden lager in a can with a skull and crossbones on it, the word “Renegade” carved into the skull’s forehead, is made in collaboration with the famous arena rock band Styx.
Pinkler said his favorite varieties are Goob Vibes, a West Coast IPA, and Lacto Kooler, a sour beer colored green.
“(Lacto Kooler) looks like an Ecto Cooler, like an icy juicebox drink back in the day,” He said. “It’s not very sour (which makes you) pucker your lips.”
While Voodoo Brewing Company specializes in beer and brews, the bar also serves food, including chicken fingers, pizzas, mussels, fish sandwiches, burgers, and beer-infused foods.
Pinkler added that the eatery’s bread and brioche buns are made by Surfside Beach’s Benjamin’s Bakery, and Voodoo Brewing Company will collaborate with fellow Broadway at the Beach tenant Baked Bear, an ice cream sandwich-themed eatery that opened in April 2024.
Pinkler added Voodoo Brewing Company will have live music and trivia nights, too. The eatery is open seven days a week— Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 11-11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
