Edgefield Pool Room Food truck brings food to CSRA

Mims, a lifelong Edgefield resident, said the brick-and-mortar location has been a staple in the community for more than 50 years. The restaurant was founded in 1961.

Mims said every Saturday, he and his wife, Stephanie Mims, would eat there and he would joke with current employee Jessica Nash about owning the restaurant one day.

Mims said when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the restaurant closed for several months after the previous owner became ill. Around that time, the business was sold, with Mims, his wife and Nash becoming the new owners.

“We started nine days later, and we were in the restaurant business,” Mims said.

Mims said Nash was the one who came up with the idea to start a food truck, and with the Meta plant being built nearby, it presented an opportunity to expand.

It took about nine months to get the food truck, and since then it has expanded its reach across the community. 

“It’s not all burgers and fries – we can do any food that you want,” Mims said. “We are set up for catering.”

He said the focus now is continuing to grow the food truck through private parties and business events.

Mims said the hamburgers are freshly made and the meat is grounded twice a day. Also, the meat is not pre-packaged, with a special blend done at the Edgefield Butcher Shop, Mims said.

“We always said that we got the best burgers in the South,” Mims said.

The patties are made by hand, and customers at the restaurant can often watch staff prepare food, including cutting vegetables for the day.

Tomatoes and lettuce are cut fresh daily, while chili and coleslaw are made in-house.

“We try not to buy anything from a can,” Mims said.

Mims said the success of both businesses wouldn’t be possible without community support. He said the frequent customers have become like family.

”I can’t make it without all my customers and the feedback,” he said.

In addition to running the business, Mims serves as director of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture and said the food truck is not his full-time job.