About The Traveler

A cherished local institution, Traveler’s Restaurant has served the community with comfort food and Southern hospitality since 1959. Originally founded as Guy’s Restaurant by Guy and Blanche Rice - Blanche being the maternal great-aunt of one of the new owners - the restaurant was purchased in 1974 by the Cox family, who renamed it Traveler’s Restaurant. For the next 51 years, it was lovingly operated by Joyce Cox, until her recent passing at the age of 90. Alongside her, Donna Harbin played an integral role in continuing that legacy. Their decades of dedication made Traveler’s a gathering place for locals and visitors alike - one that felt like home.

Traveler's will soon be reintroduced as The Traveler, a name that honors its roots while embracing a new era. The restaurant will be operated by a new ownership group led by Still Water Capital, LLC, a partnership between Shane Birckbichler and Marshall Looper. Operations will be managed by Stax's Management Group, LLC, a partnership between Michael and Nicholas Stathakis. Michael and Shane have been close friends since early childhood, and their long-standing relationship adds another layer of connection and shared vision to this new chapter. Michael and Nick learned the restaurant business from their parents, who are the longtime operators of Stax's Original, a beloved Greenville institution. Their deep family roots in hospitality, paired with a commitment to excellence, make them the ideal partners for this next chapter.

We are incredibly grateful to Mrs. Joyce Cox and Donna Harbin for nurturing Traveler's into the institution it became. Their love and labor have shaped this place into something deeply special, and we are honored to carry that forward with reverence and care.

As we begin this journey, we do so with a commitment to the people of Travelers Rest—those who have made this restaurant what it is. Our hope is that The Traveler will continue to be a place where stories are shared, coffee is poured, and community is nourished.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.