Southport Magazine

Owner Matt Thorne of the Saucy Southerner on Howe Street is excited about his dream becoming a reality. Just opening in January of this year, he’s already getting great feedback from customers about his restaurant.

“I’m excited, blown away by the support,” Thorne says. “I’ve been working toward this idea for awhile now; you always wonder how your plan’s going to work out. But the venue has gone over better than I expected – we have extremely happy customers.”  

The Saucy Southerner name reflects their approach – a combination of saucy flavors and a bit of Southern attitude. “We have a unique niche,” Thorne says. “When I was developing the menu, I was thinking about what my friends had said about other breakfast places – dishes that were missing or too standard. They told me you’re going to have to do something different; you’re not going to make it in Southport unless you set yourself apart. So we worked on a menu that offered a good combination of southern food and unique spiciness.”

Having grown up in restaurants, Thorne had a lot of experience to draw from. “Growing up, my parents had a Bed and Breakfast in Morehead City. I was up there in the summer and in the winter I was in Greensboro where we lived. After they sold the B&B, my parents owned an IHOP in Greensboro. That’s how I learned to cook.”

Taking a different path after both restaurants were sold, Thorne began coaching USA Swimming with the YMCA. He still worked at other restaurants while maintaining a challenging schedule. “I loved coaching, but I would get up to go to swim practice at 5 am, then go to work at restaurants, then coach until 9 pm. As much as I loved it, I realized it wouldn’t pay the bills.” 

So he moved to the coast in February 2017, working for a company on Bald Head as HR Director. After Hurricane Florence hit, he left that company and began considering other paths. He credits his family, friends at Generations church, and others with helping him figure out his next steps. “I bought a house on Oak Island and decided this is where I wanted to live,” says Thorne. “I worked at Old Bridge Diner and then on to Mr. P’s – both great experiences and people that I learned a lot from.

“All the restaurants I’ve worked at have helped develop what I wanted to do here. We’re doing a different style of breakfast – stone ground yellow grits, crepes – all made from scratch. Our stone-ground grits come from the Guilford Mill in Greensboro; the crepe recipes I’ve developed through the family. We make a special blintz mix – cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream – to stuff the crepes. It was a childhood favorite that I loved at IHOP. “

Although you can order the standard two eggs, bacon and toast, the Saucy Southerner approach tempts you with a unique offering that most who try find they love. “The Howe Street biscuit is an example,” says Thorne. “It’s a grilled biscuit with sausage, egg and pepper jack cheese topped with pepper jelly – a  unique combination of sweet and savory.”

Committed to using as many local and North Carolina-based ingredients as possible, Thorne is proud of his quality and selection. “We have Cheerwine and Neese’s sausage and bacon,” he explains. “The nuts are based out of Goldsboro, the pepper jelly out of Greensboro. All of our desserts are made by a local lady. Our coffee beans come from a small company in Wilmington – I call my order in on Wednesday, they roast the beans on Thursday and ship the beans to us on Friday. We can also ask for a little different flavor to the beans and they’ll accommodate us. I believe our coffee is above and beyond – no acid or dry flavor.”

Breakfast runs from 8-11 am, with your choice of crepe, wrap, omelette or scrambled eggs. The Bacon Bomb, with bacon, cheddar, tater tots and a green onion topping, is a popular choice. You can also build your own crepe, wrap, omelette or scrambled option with a choice of meat, cheese and topping ingredients.

Crepes can come basic with fruit, Nutella or marmalade, or with the traditional or chocolate cheese blintz stuffing along with fruit or other toppings. The grits ‘n biscuits options include the Crazy Savory Grits Bowl, with stone-ground grits cooked using an old family recipe, topped with overhard egg, pepper jack cheese, green onion and crumbled bacon.

From 11 am to 3 pm, lunch is served. Besides salads and build-your-own sandwiches, the Saucy offers some intriguing twists on the standard burger, chicken and BLT. The Saucy Goat Burger adds a fried green tomato, pepper jelly and lettuce on a grilled brioche bun. The Kickin’ Chick’n wraps chopped fried chicken with hot sauce, bacon crumbles, pepper jack cheese and a honey sriacha aioli. And Not Yo Mama’s BLT offers four slices of bacon and fried green tomato on a toasted multigrain bread, with options for goat cheese or eggs. Yum!

The Saucy seats 20 inside and maybe 30 outside. Thorne wanted to keep the menu simple so they could produce fresh, quality food quickly. Friend and IT consultant Paul Vincent explains. “Some have asked about providing breakfast all day long,” he says. “It’s hard to do – you can’t provide the right quality of food – the freshest, hottest dish. The kitchen is not large, and grill temperatures are different; for example you can’t do burgers next to crepes. Matt did a great job of developing the flavor profiles; if you start mixing things you can mess that up.  And he’s committed to the best quality and freshest, homemade dishes we can make.”

Currently open Monday through Saturday, Thorne expects to reconsider opening on Sunday once the spring season arrives. “Our decision about Sunday will be made with our staff’s input – I want them to be able to spend Sunday with their families,” he explains. “Also we’re not a big place and we can only move the food so fast. We’re doing order at the register because we’re so busy. I can’t imagine what happens when the tourist season starts. The local people have been so great; people really have supported my vision for the restaurant.”

Thorne also gives much credit to friends for helping him get started. Some painted and helped renovate the interior. Some from the swim community here pitched in.  The owners of the Old Bridge Diner pointed Thorne to a great salad recipe with poppy seed dressing. He was impressed and named it after them – The Jones.

Beyond the commitment to great quality food, Thorne has a genuine dedication to customer service. “I watched how my parents did their restaurants,” he says. “They ran the B&B like you were coming to stay with grandma and grandpa. At the IHOP my mom would be at every table talking to customers.”

Thorne and his staff are equally committed to doing what they can to preserve our beautiful coast. They don’t use styrofoam – only biodegradable takeout containers and utensils. You won’t find straws here either.

Thorne describes the vibe he wants his customers to feel. “You come in here in the morning and you smell the fresh ground coffee, you hear us cooking eggs on the grill – all those smells are going to help you relax like you’re at home. I get here before 6, we open at 8. It takes an hour to cook the grits – the chipped beef gravy is my mom’s old recipe. Everyone loves it!”

It all amounts to a considerably personal touch – the menu, the staff, the presentation. And just that special touch of Saucy-ness will keep us southerners coming back.

The Saucy Southerner

501 N. Howe Street

Southport, NC

910-477-6065

Open Monday – Saturday, 11 am – 3 pm