THE LOCALE | Cleat Chasers Restaurant & Bar

THE LOWDOWN | Sports fans listen up - there’s a new spot to watch your favorite games. You can even do so while enjoying food that won’t add to your beer belly. (And that means you can drink more beers to wash it down.) So head over to Cleat Chasers Restaurant & Bar, which is where we went this week for happy hour.

You can find Cleat Chasers Restaurant & Bar in University Shops off U.S. 501 where Berni’s 501 used to be located. It’s a laid back sports restaurant where fans can eat, have a beer and watch a game. There’s an outdoor patio with seats, and inside there’s a small bar, tables, booths and a handful of big screen TVs. The walls are covered with sports memorabilia such as jerseys, baseball bats and photos of the greats. The clientele includes locals, sports fans, athletes and gym-goers (the owner also owns the nearby gym Myrtle Beach Body Fitness.) Who knows - you might also find a cleat chaser or two in there.

The term “Cleat Chasers” refers to women who dig men who play sports... athletic groupies, if you will. Urban Dictionary defines the term as “women who sleep with ball players simply because the guys are rich and famous.” However, the restaurant owner says that is not the definition they had in mind when naming the establishment.

Nonetheless, it is a place where ball players and anyone else can go to have a meal that won’t ruin that athletic physique. The menu features healthy “Myrtle Beach Body Fitness Approved” items such as BBQ Grilled Pork Chops, Blackened Salmon and Garden Burgers.

Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 p.m. daily. Drink deals include $2.25 domestic drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles and $3 import bottles. House liquors are $2.75 and wine is three bucks. You can also snag $5 appetizers such as hummus, Texas cheese fries and wings. Cleat Chasers also offers specials throughout the week such as $3 margaritas on Mondays, $2.50 Blue Moon pints on Tuesdays and $3 house liquors on Fridays.

TIPS | Check out Cleat Chasers Restaurant & Bar on Facebook for specials and events.

FIND IT | 2246 U.S. 501, Conway. Call 349-3030.

Mandy Rodgers, for Weekly Surge