ROAR, a tequila and tacos eatery, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 26, featuring a headline performance from Chantel Jefferies and an opening set from Clemson student DJ Zen. 

The bar is owned and operated by the Webber family. Hector Webber is the founder and CEO, his daughter and Clemson senior Samantha is the executive director and her brother, Alex Webber, is the bar’s vice president. 

The atmosphere 

ROAR plans to bring a “Vegas atmosphere to downtown Clemson,” Alex told The Tiger in an interview.

“The lighting that we have is nothing compared to any other lighting in downtown Clemson or even upstate South Carolina,” Alex said. Samantha also spoke very highly of ROAR’s intended atmosphere.

ROAR hopes to set itself apart from the other “antique” establishments in Clemson by providing a more modern and “club-like” experience to the downtown bar scene, Samantha told The Tiger.  

The bar will offer a dual environment, as it is equipped with indoor and outdoor spaces.

The outdoor aspect will include an oversized television screen, a feature the Webbers are hoping will draw in a significant crowd on game days. 

One aspect of the bar which is unique to ROAR is the vault. 

The vault serves as a VIP section of the bar. The private area of ROAR is available to rent out on the weekends to groups as large as 20 people. Renting the vault will cost $400 on regular weekends, but that price is expected to increase to $1,000 on home game weekends. 

The vault will also include additional perks, such as a margarita tower or a shot tower. The Webbers are hoping that the vault adds to ROAR’s “club aspect.” 

Family story 

Samantha is the Webber’s sole connection to the Clemson area. However, after visiting his daughter during her time at Clemson, her father, Hector Webber, developed a deep love and appreciation for Clemson and wanted to keep returning to the college town following his daughter’s graduation in 2024, Samantha explained to The Tiger. 

With prime-time real estate becoming available earlier this year, Hector took advantage of the opportunity to open shop in downtown Clemson, giving him good reason to return.

Food and drink 

ROAR plans to be open Tuesday through Saturday. 

The Webbers have a proud Mexican heritage and are originally from San Antonio, Texas; they plan to incorporate that heritage into ROAR’s cuisine.  

The kitchen will be open from noon-8 p.m. and the menu features minimalistic Mexican dishes such as nachos, quesadillas and classic chips with salsa. The restaurant also offers a “build your own tacos” option where customers assemble their own taco creations, with the bar’s favorite option being the pulled pork taco. 

As far as the drinks menu, customers can expect variations of margaritas as well as customer-crafted favorites collected from the bar’s social media platforms. 

Consumer insight 

ROAR has been gathering consumer feedback via Instagram for the past few months. The Webbers said they enjoy hearing from future ROAR customers and want to bring their ideas and opinions to life to create the ultimate consumer experience. 

Besides the drink menu, another aspect of the bar ROAR’s social media followers played a role in was the mural painted on the side of the building. The mural features a tiger chomping down on a taco, along with other Clemson-inspired images. 

Allison Dunavant and ​​Riivo Kruuk are the artists behind the mural, and most of Dunavant’s artwork is seen inside the bar. She described the ROAR mural as “unique and playful” and that it is the only one of its kind in downtown Clemson. 

Future plans 

Although ROAR is celebrating its grand opening just this weekend, the Webbers already have big plans for the bar’s future. 

Alex hopes to create a rooftop bar above ROAR to add to the already-existing outdoor space. The bar’s property also includes the parking lot in the rear of the building, where Alex foresees a late-night taco truck setting up shop. 

Samantha also told The Tiger that ROAR is looking to expand and open bars in other college towns that are represented by a tiger mascot; her initial thoughts were schools such as Louisiana State University and Auburn University in Alabama. 

ROAR will celebrate its grand opening on Aug. 26. Tickets to the event are currently sold out, but day-of sales will likely take place online Saturday morning. Day-of tickets will be limited and cost $65.