James Stephens, Greenville Downtown Airport Director, and Trish Balentine, owner and chef of Hangar 28 Kitchen and Events Photo credit: Greenville Downtown Airport/ Robert Hoover.
The Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) officially welcomes Hangar 28 Kitchen & Events, as the newest addition to the airport’s Community Corridor. Located in the Community Corridor of the South Ramp, Hangar 28 occupies the former Runway Café location and will be open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays, serving lunch and dinner throughout the week with breakfast offered on weekends.
Leading the new venture is Chef and owner Trish Balentine, a well-known member of Greenville’s culinary community with more than three decades of restaurant and catering experience. Throughout her career, Balentine has developed multiple successful restaurant concepts while building one of the Upstate’s most respected catering businesses. Her commitment to quality, hospitality and community made her an ideal fit that is solely her own.
“Whether someone arrives by airplane, bicycle or family car, we want GMU to be a place where people connect with aviation, gather with friends, and create lasting memories,” said James Stephens, Airport Director. “The restaurant is a vital piece in that experience and we welcome Trish to the GMU family.”
Hangar 28 offers a menu centered on fresh, scratch-made food, including handcrafted sandwiches, shareable appetizers, fresh salads and rotating weekly specials inspired by Balentine’s signature recipes. Guests can also enjoy weekend breakfast, handcrafted cocktails, wines by the glass and bottle, bottled and draft beer, and prosecco on tap.
Beyond the restaurant, Hangar 28 expands the airport’s hospitality offerings through a fully renovated 3,500-square-foot climate-controlled event venue featuring a full-height glass hangar door overlooking the runway and a huge video screen to watch sporting events or support presentations. The venue provides a distinctive setting for parties, weddings, receptions, corporate meetings, nonprofit events and community celebrations.
Balentine also plans to expand aviation hospitality services by offering full-service catering for events and providing meal service for charter aircraft arriving and departing Greenville Downtown Airport. The additional service enhances the experience for passengers, flight crews and corporate operators while further strengthening GMU’s reputation for exceptional customer service.
Hangar 28 is located within GMU’s Community Corridor alongside Runway Park, Takeoff Mini Golf and the Military History Center of the Carolinas Museum, creating a destination where families can enjoy a meal, watch aircraft take off and land, explore aviation history and experience one of Greenville’s most unique public spaces.
“The opening is another milestone as Greenville Downtown Airport prepares to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2028, continuing a tradition of serving both aviation and the community for nearly a century,” said Stephens. “Hangar 28 represents another significant improvement in GMU’s long-term vision of creating one of the most unique destinations for aviation, recreation, dining, and community connection.”
