Runway Cafe, located at the downtown Greenville airport, has officially closed.
The restaurant owners thanked their customers on social media, saying, “That’s why we do it and that’s what we will miss most.”
The social post referenced challenges the Runway Cafe faced, but “the loyalty and happiness that our customers have shown over the years is irreplaceable. Letting us know how much we will be missed, how much their kids will miss us, and how they’ll miss what we are is bittersweet to say the least.
“We just want to say Thank You! from the bottom of our hearts and that we will dearly miss you all…..well, most of y’all.”
Runway Cafe announces closing
After 15 years of business, Runway Cafe at the downtown Greenville airport announced its closing in mid-March through a heartfelt social media message post.
The mom-and-pop shop at 21 Airport Road Ext. did not receive a lease renewal agreement from the Greenville Airport Commission, ending the longtime relationship between the airfield and diner, which ended in May.
A space known for tasty and affordable burgers, sandwiches, and weekly special meal options, owner Lem Winesett was vocally disappointed and concerned for his staff members about the decision that would end his restaurant’s run:
This is Runway Cafe at the Greenville Downtown Airport on Mar. 11, 2025.
“We tried hard to renew our lease, but obviously, the airport has a different idea in mind,” said the social media post from Winesett. “We weren’t always perfect, but we have learned and improved with every obstacle and event we experienced.
“We’ve put our blood, sweat, and tears into Runway Cafe, and we certainly were a good team member and did what we could to satisfy what the airport needed,” Winesett said to The Greenville News. “We heard it may be a more upscale restaurant to come, so we put in our bid, added in a few improvements we could make, but they wanted to go another direction.
“Their decision was a real gut punch.”
Why did the Downtown Airport decide to close down Runway Cafe
A request for proposals was submitted for new restaurant ideas to the airport in September of 2024, according to Robert Hoover, public relations director at the Downtown Airport.
“Runway Cafe was notified in June of 2022 that their lease would not be renewed,” Hoover added, noting that the longtime restaurant had faced challenges after COVID, had failed to make major improvements after appearing on the Food Network show “Restaurant Impossible,” and only being open for three hours per day.
“It was a tough decision by the commission to not renew their lease, because Cafe Runway has been like family since 2010,” Hoover told The Greenville News. “We want to maximize that space for the public, and the other bids for that space were superior, had the best interest of the community in mind and came with promising growth for the area.”
While no decision has been made on what type of food and beverage establishment will come to the downtown airport, Hoover hinted that the restaurant classification would be an Americana style of dining choice.
Here’s what Runway Cafe has done for the community
In October of 2024 and during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, Runway Cafe partnered alongside Happy Helicopter Tours and hundreds of volunteers to feed the community for free while also hosting a drive that sent non-perishable foods, hygiene items, and more to Western North Carolina for post-storm support.
Even after losing power since September 27, Winesett plugged in generators to grill burgers for those in need, even though his restaurant had lost nearly 60% of its food supply.
The Runway Cafe, in-conjuction with Happy Helicopter Rides, organized a tropical storm, relief supply drive to take non-perishable foods, hygiene items and ore to Western North Carolina for post-Helene support near Asheville. The drive to collect the supplies took place at the Greenville Downtown Airport on October. 3, 2024.
More: Upstate restaurants, without power after Helene, feed community while facing uphill battle
The storm occurred just ahead of the Warbirds Aviation Show, one of Runway Cafe’s biggest weekends of the year. This put Runway Cafe in an unbearable deficit, but Winesett continued to help those around him.
“Just because I’ve closed my restaurant for a week and am losing money, there’s people whose lives have been washed away,” Winslett said during the community event.
He was also concerned about his workers’ financial stability due to shifts missed due to Helene and shared that same sentiment after learning that his restaurant’s lease would expire.
“What saddens me the most is my employees,” Winesett said. “Many of them told me they will be there until the end, and that’s what hurts the most.
“I’ll move on, but the handful of employees I have, it feels like the rug is being pulled out from them. “
This is Runway Cafe at the Greenville Downtown Airport on Mar. 11, 2025.
– A.J. Jackson covers business, the food & dining scene and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville airport restaurant favorite closes: ‘Will dearly miss you’
