A new restaurant is coming to the former Boca Bay location near Wrightsville Beach

Allison Ballard, Wilmington StarNews
·1 min read
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When Kristian Bawcom and his wife strike up conversations with neighbors around their vacation home in the Wrightsville Beach area, the restaurant inevitably comes up. They’ve been the owners of the Chapel Hill-based mainstay Four Corners for 15 years.

"People would say, 'Oh, you need to open one here,'" Bawcom said. "'That's just what this area needs.'"

Now, that wish is coming true. It started falling into place as soon as Bawcom saw that the space at 2025 Eastwood Road in Wilmington was for sale. It’s the former Boca Bay restaurant that eventually became Soundside Seafood & Raw Bar, which closed in November 2022.

Bawcom had a career in restaurants, working in Texas and Florida, before taking over Four Corners. He was immediately drawn to the restaurant's long history. Named for fabled basketball coach Dean Smith's famous "four corners" offense strategy, the restaurant has been a part of Franklin Street and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill community for 45 years.

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The Four Corners sports restaurant, and their grilled parmesan wings, can be found at 175 E Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Four Corners sports restaurant, and their grilled parmesan wings, can be found at 175 E Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, N.C.

“It was one of the first places to have a liquor license,” Bawcom said.

He describes it as a "sports restaurant" because food is as much of a focus as the game. Ribs are slow cooked overnight, and the menu also features wings, a variety of burgers, sandwiches and steaks. The Wilmington Four Corners will have a similar vibe, maybe with the addition of some fresh seafood. Right now, workers are creating a new look for the space, which will include more TVs, an expanded outdoor patio, and the installation of a draft beer system.

Bawcom said he's hoping for an April opening.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Four Corners restaurant in the works for former Boca Bay location