Concerts, cocktails, and crowds: TGIF Season tests Morganton's Social District

With Morganton’s TGIF Summer Concert Series underway, downtown businesses are preparing for an influx of visitors and increased use of the city’s social district, now about eight months into operation.

The district, which allows customers to carry alcoholic beverages in designated cups throughout downtown, launched later in last year’s event season. Since then, city officials and business owners say participation has been strong, particularly during large events on the Courthouse Square.

This year marks the first time TGIF attendees will be able to take part as last year’s season was over before the district’s rollout in September.

Carlie Eckard, manager of Brown Mountain Bottleworks, said events like TGIF typically bring steady foot traffic, and she expects the social district to add to that momentum as the business only gets heavy volumes of social district users during events on the Courthouse Square, art crawls, or busy weekends.

“The events on the square always help,” Eckard said, adding that most of Brown Mountain Bottleworks’ customers have participated in the social district at some point.

Over on South King Street, Thomas Schmitt and Carmen Parisi said under 5% of their customers order social district drinks from Epic Speakeasy. Shows at the nearby City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium draw in a lot of foot traffic and the social district allows customers to bring their drinks to or from shows, Schmitt said.

Though Epic Speakeasy isn’t located in the main Courthouse Square area, the social district has brought more rapport among the downtown business community, specifically those participating in the program.

“It really has opened up a reason to dialogue with each other,” Parisi said, adding that they reciprocate and have good relationships with the owners of Craft’d, Toner’s Irish Pub, and The Madness Sushi, Burger & Bar, which are often where their customers come from.

While the district has performed well, there are additional costs for participating businesses that serve alcohol, Eckard said, noting that businesses are responsible for purchasing the required cups and stickers used to identify approved beverages.

A roll of 1,000 stickers costs about $350 and lasts roughly two months, adding several hundred dollars in recurring expenses, Eckard said. She added that Brown Mountain Bottleworks is among the top businesses — if not the top seller — of social district beverages.

With the busy summer season approaching, she expects the business to go through stickers and cups more quickly.

“With the start of TGIF, I’m going to be rolling through them,” Eckard said.

Downtown businesses were initially told that costs for stickers and cups would be covered for the first year of the social district’s rollout. However, that funding didn’t last.

Main Street Manager Makenzie McGinnis said the program’s popularity led to those funds being used much faster than anticipated. The initial supply was paid for through Main Street’s marketing budget, rather than a dedicated fund.

“The district performed far better than we ever anticipated,” McGinnis said. “We budgeted what we thought would be a sufficient supply for the year, but the sheer volume of participation means those supplies were exhausted much faster than expected.”

McGinnis said shifting the cost to businesses reflects the increased sales many have seen as a result of higher foot traffic. She added that businesses can reduce per-unit costs by ordering in bulk and can choose whether to factor those expenses into drink prices.

As the district continues to evolve, some downtown employees have suggested operational improvements. Eckard said she has heard from customers who would like to see trash cans placed near the “Pint of No Return” signs, where participants have to throw away their drinks before leaving the district.

She also raised concerns about the environmental impact of single-use plastic cups and said alternative options could be worth exploring. In the meantime, she noted that preparing drinks for the district adds extra steps for staff, including placing stickers and dating each cup, which can slow service during busy periods.

Overall, Eckard said the program has run smoothly and she expects it to be a strong addition to the summer event season. Both Parisi and Schmitt shared a similar sentiment.

Talah Buckner, manager and bartender at The Madness, said that the restaurant on West Union Street is a starting point for many social district participants. So far, about 15-20% of customers come to the restaurant to eat and grab social district beverages, but many are still learning about the district, and she expects this summer to heighten awareness.

“It’s great that we have such a progressive town that put this forward,” Schmitt said, adding that in a recent visit to Louisville’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail, there were rows of distilleries, but no ability to stroll from one to the next with a beverage in-hand.