Conway, SC  |  June 22, 2026  |  By Thomas Beach Vacations Staff

Wingstop Coming to Conway’s Coastal Centre as Shopping Center Rebounds

The Texas-based wing chain will become the third Horry County location for the brand as developer Rise Partners presses forward with a $60 million transformation of the long-struggling mall on Church Street.

Conway is about to get another dose of flavor. Wingstop — the Dallas-born chain with more than 2,500 locations worldwide — is set to open a new restaurant at Coastal Centre, the 230,000-square-foot shopping complex at 1610 Church Street that has been undergoing a dramatic makeover since real estate firm Rise Partners acquired it in October 2024. Hiring signs have already appeared at the site, though an exact opening date has not been announced.

The Conway outpost will mark Wingstop’s third location in Horry County, joining existing restaurants in Myrtle Beach’s Carolina Forest area and along U.S. Highway 17 North in North Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Drive corridor. The chain serves both boneless and bone-in wings across a wide flavor spectrum — from milder lemon pepper and garlic parmesan to high-heat options like Cajun and mango habanero — alongside chicken tenders, sandwiches, loaded fries, and Cajun fried corn.

A Mall Reborn: The Coastal Centre Story

For years, Coastal Centre sat largely hollow — a sprawling footprint anchored at one corner by Belk while the rest of its storefronts gathered dust. That chapter appears to be closing. Rise Partners, a Chattanooga-based commercial real estate firm, purchased the property for $14 million in October 2024 and launched a $60 million redevelopment effort the following July with a ceremonial sledgehammer swing through a wall slated for demolition.

The scope of the rebuild is substantial. Rise Partners delivered approximately 112,000 square feet of new national retail tenant space in the early months of 2026, and the revamped center has already welcomed Five Below, HomeGoods, and Ulta Beauty. Additional tenants confirmed for later phases include a Walmart Neighborhood Market, Chipotle, and J Peters Grill & Bar — the latter expected to occupy the former Kmart garden center space, which will be converted into a corner restaurant with a patio.

The vision extends beyond retail square footage. Plans on file with the City of Conway call for pedestrian walkability improvements, a central turf area with seating and cornhole, an ice cream shop, and roll-up windows connecting diners to the surrounding restaurant cluster. Three new outparcels have been created along Highway 501, with leases executed and tenant permitting underway.

What It Means for Grand Strand Visitors and Residents

Coastal Centre sits along the Highway 501 corridor that links Conway directly to Myrtle Beach — a stretch traveled daily by hundreds of thousands of residents, commuters, and visitors making their way toward the coast. The redevelopment is designed in part to capture that traffic and give inland residents more dining and retail options without the drive to the beachside strip.

For vacationers staying in the Grand Strand’s beach communities — including the quieter neighborhoods of Cherry Grove Beach, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill in North Myrtle Beach — the expanding Conway retail corridor adds a practical day-trip option for families who want to pick up supplies, grab a casual meal, or stretch their legs away from the sand. The addition of familiar national brands makes that errand run considerably more appealing than it was a year ago.

Conway city officials have been vocal in their optimism about what the transformation signals for the city’s broader trajectory. The Coastal Centre redevelopment is proceeding alongside other commercial proposals near the city’s eastern and western edges, and city leadership has cited it as evidence that national retailers are paying attention to Conway’s growth numbers.

Sources: The Sun News / Myrtle Beach Online; Rise Partners (risepartners.net); Post and Courier / Myrtle Beach; WPDE News; My Horry News; WBTW News 13. Reporting reflects information available as of June 22, 2026. An exact Wingstop opening date had not been announced at time of publication.