A new all-day breakfast and comfort food spot has landed on one of Greenville's busiest retail corridors. Metro Diner opened its doors at 1178 Woodruff Road inside the Woodruff Gallery shopping center, bringing omelets, pancakes, specialty burgers, sandwiches and barbecue ribs to a stretch of road already packed with dining options.
A Big New Footprint on Woodruff Road
The new restaurant spans 3,700 square feet and seats 135 guests inside with room for another 24 on an outdoor patio, according to a press release distributed via PR Newswire. The location is under the direction of Managing Partner Justin Sheffield, who also oversees Metro Diner's existing Anderson restaurant, per the same release. As reported by WYFF, the Greenville diner is currently open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plans in place to expand into dinner service down the line.
The shopping center itself has seen its own refresh in recent years. Commercial real estate records on LoopNet from September 2026 show the 27,012-square-foot Woodruff Gallery plaza underwent major renovations in 2024, including a repaved parking lot, updated landscaping and a new 20-year roof. The plaza sits at a lighted intersection carrying more than 40,000 vehicles daily, per listing data from LoopNet and Crexi, sharing space with established neighbors Saffron Indian Cuisine and Giovanni's Italian Restaurant.
The Meatloaf That Made It Famous
Metro Diner's menu centers on comfort food staples, but one dish in particular carries national bragging rights. The chain's Iron City Meatloaf was featured by Guy Fieri on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, per WYFF. Food Network coverage from August 2025 traces that recognition back to a 2010 episode during the show's tenth season, when Fieri highlighted the restaurant's technique of griddle-searing baked slices of meatloaf to build a thick crust. Another flagship offering, the Fried Chicken & Waffle, pairs half a fried chicken atop a Belgian waffle with strawberry butter and sweet-and-spicy syrup, according to the PR Newswire release.
Metro Diner also maintains a standing discount policy that may appeal to Upstate service members. A company release distributed via PR Newswire in June 2025 confirmed an ongoing corporate policy granting 10% off to all active or retired military members and uniformed first responders, a discount that applies across every company location.
From Jacksonville Roots to a 60-Location Chain
Metro Diner was established in 1992 as a family-owned eatery in Jacksonville, Florida, according to WYFF. Corporate history published on the company's official site adds more texture to that origin story: the Davoli family founded the brand in a Jacksonville building that was actually constructed in 1938, in the city's San Marco neighborhood. The chain's rapid multiplication beyond that single Florida storefront traces back to 2014, when former Outback Steakhouse executives Chris Sullivan and Hugh Connerty partnered with the Davoli family through ConSul Hospitality Group to scale the brand from nine original locations into a multi-state operation, per Wikipedia's corporate background. Today the chain counts more than 60 locations east of the Mississippi, per WYFF.
Greenville marks the latest stop in Metro Diner's steady push into Upstate South Carolina. The brand made its initial entry into the region in June 2025 by converting a former Denny's into a 4,025-square-foot diner seating 114 guests on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson, according to PR Newswire reporting at the time. Metro Diner's broader South Carolina footprint also includes locations in Aiken, Charleston's West Ashley neighborhood, Columbia and Indian Land, according to reporting from the Post and Courier and the company's own location records; the Charleston restaurant opened in 2020.
What's Next for the Woodruff Road Location
For now, Greenville diners can only catch Metro Diner during its daytime hours, but the planned dinner expansion signals a broader ambition for the Woodruff Road spot. Landing in a high-traffic plaza alongside long-running neighbors gives the new diner built-in visibility as it works to establish itself among Greenville's crowded comfort-food scene. Hoodline previously reported on Upstate dining fundraisers tied to the region's growing restaurant scene, a reminder that Greenville's food landscape keeps expanding alongside newcomers like Metro Diner.
