Downtown Huntington welcomed its newest member Friday with the grand opening of a new restaurant, Charlie Graingers.

Charlie Graingers is known for their hot dogs, brisket and barbeque. Its flagship store is located in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they preach their slogan of fresh ingredients, quality service and a fun atmosphere.

Bryan Pyle has opened the Huntington location. Pyle grew up in Huntington, but moved away 30 years ago. After retiring, he decided he wanted to do more. He found out just what that would be after eating at the Charlie Graingers in Wilmington.

“I retired, but I wasn’t done,” Pyle said. “I actually had lunch at Charlie Graingers in Wilmington, North Carolina. The food was phenomenal, so I looked it up. While I was home visiting, I said Charlie Graingers needs to be in Huntington. We bought a franchise and here we are.”

The grand opening began at 11 a.m. with a visit from Mayor Steve Williams, followed by a ribbon cutting. Family, friends and community members surrounded Pyle as Mayor Williams held the ribbon for him to cut. The Huntington Chamber of Commerce also was present in support of the new local business.

“We appreciate all the support from the city of Huntington and are proud to now be a part of it,” Pyle said.

Charlie Graingers’ menu ranges from brisket, specialty hotdogs or even some gumbo.

“You can buy hotdogs, brisket and barbeque at a lot of different places,” Pyle said. “We hope to make things a little bit different. We want to try to raise the standards a little bit. We have nineteen different hotdogs on our menu with all different toppings and from there you can customize it.”

Pyle spoke on quality and how everything is made right there, fresh in their shop.

“All the products we sell here are made here in house. The pimento cheese, our coleslaw, our brisket, baked beans and white bean soup are all made right here on site,” Pyle said.

Charlie Graingers is located at 300A 8th Street in downtown Huntington. This is the near the corner next to the new Highway 55 restaurant. Business hours include Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Alexis Leach can be contacted at [email protected].