By Abby Beshada
Staff Writer

TUSCALOOSA – Druid City Social opened its doors in September and has since joined the list of local favorites for the perfect bite to eat. 

Its location, 301 Greensboro Ave., used to be home to the popular restaurant 301 Bistro; however, due to the strains with the COVID-19 pandemic the restaurant was forced to close. 

Brandon Hanks, owner of The Booth, decided to take a chance by introducing Druid City Social to the Tuscaloosa scene. 

“It gave us the opportunity to get something like this, when you wouldn’t have been able to get a property like this…it was definitely rolling the dice, but you know in the end game we hope that it pays off,” Hanks said. 

The location has a Beer Garden, Bar and three dining rooms – along with a massive lawn and stage area. It has been a popular venue for different organizations to host events such as honors societies and Greek organization’s date parties. Due to capacity rules and CDC guidelines, DCS was one of the only venues large enough to host these events, a factor employees say contributed to the location’s early success. 

“It’s nice having the huge outdoor space, plus we can social distance a lot easier even inside,” said Lila Payton, a server at DCS. “We have done a really good job keeping everything separated by six feet and every process we could possibly do by disinfectants.”

Hannah Hogans, a bartender at DCS, said the business has hosted parents’ weekends, UA organizations, and plenty of different bands.  

USA Band, Sundown Saddlers, Tuckahoe Travelers, Plato Jones and Yellow Jammers are a few of the music acts that DCS has put on for its customers. 

Druid City Social is open every day from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.