Alumna owner says connections are key for Wingate Social House

By Luanne Williams

Talk to alumna Dayna Irby '00 about the business she opened on Wingate's Main Street this past July and you'll hear a lot about connections - connections between students and local residents, between athletes and potential fans, and between small businesses and future investors in a burgeoning college town.

It was, in a large part, Irby's ongoing connection to her alma mater that inspired her to open Wingate Social House, a bar, yes, but with a broader agenda than alcohol sales.

"To me, the difference between a bar and a social house is connectivity," she says. "You don't have to drink alcohol to go to the social house. It's a place for the whole community to gather, to make those connections, to be social."

Located in what was once Wingate Volunteer Fire Department, Wingate Social House offers cocktails, bourbons and four signature beers, all brewed by Wingate Beer Company, another of Irby's ventures. But the business also serves mocktails and sodas and sports a free water station. Customers of all ages are welcome.

It's the mix that Irby likes to see. She's happiest when there's a crowd - drinking adults, non-drinking teens, families, faculty and students gathering 'round to play cornhole, foosball or bocce ball, teaming up for trivia, or cheering on the Bulldogs on the big screen.

"Covid really starved a generation for social activity," says Irby, who majored in English and works a day job as a mortgage loan officer. "It's nice to provide a place for people to talk to each other and not just through a phone, but actually sit next to someone and talk to them and learn from them. It's so much more fun."

A native of Conway, S.C., Irby got her entrepreneurial spirit from her Dad, who owned a business for more than 50 years and instilled in her a strong work ethic. She and her husband, William "Billy" Irby '99, originally from Charlotte, met while they were both students at Wingate, where he played lacrosse and majored in marketing. They've been married for 25 years.

While keeping her day job, Irby decided six years ago to venture into business ownership, buying Lake Norman Miniature Golf. When she decided to bring her business expertise to the town of Wingate, their alma mater was top of mind.

"We've stayed involved with the University over the years," Irby says. "And we had come to Homecoming one year and were walking around campus realizing that there was exactly the same amount of stuff to do around campus as there had been in 2000. There was no place to listen to music, dance or play games. There wasn't that avenue unless you drove to Monroe. For us, when I was here, you drove to Charlotte."

The lack of places to hang out within walking distance of campus got her thinking.

"As a Mom, I don't know that I would want my college kid getting in the car, driving to Charlotte or Monroe, having a few drinks and then driving back," Irby says. "The best part about our location is that students can walk."

Social House customers must scan their IDs upon entry, and those 21 or over receive a wristband. The bar's scanner flags management if the same ID is used more than once a night so that IDs can't be shared. The bar doesn't serve meals but regularly arranges for onsite food trucks and allows customers to bring their own food.

Before pursuing a Wingate location for the business, Irby ran the idea by Wingate President Rhett Brown and other University administrators. She said the college could not have been more supportive. Wingate Social House has returned the favor, showing Wingate games - whatever sport is streaming on FloSports - on their big screens, inviting a group of cheerleaders and band members to provide extra hype on football game days, and generally promoting all things Bulldogs.

Her business uses a bulldog in its branding, and the four beers provided by Wingate Beer Company are all Wingate themed: Lyceum Lager, Rescue Red (a nod to the volunteer firefighting days of Billy Irby and his former roommate Randall "Rescue Randy" Robinson), Doggone West and 74 & Hazy.

The bar recently hosted a fundraiser for the School of Sports Sciences Leadership Academy, and it is becoming the preferred location for Faculty & Staff Happy Hour. Wingate cheerleaders show up on Bike Night Thursdays to judge the motorcycle contest. And Irby says she looks for any opportunity to partner with students and to connect them with community members.

She's especially excited about the development plans for the town of Wingate, which include a much more pedestrian-friendly Main Street featuring a mix of residential and business offerings, a large park and other amenities that will transform the landscape from U.S. 74 all the way to the Monroe Expressway.

"I've seen the development plan at an alumni event, and all I can say is 'Wow!'" Irby says. "I'm excited for the changes to make Wingate a college town that competes with the best. If you go to other college towns, the stores and bars are walkable and are there to build up the college and support it. That is what our goal is."

Wingate Social House hosts Wine Night on Wednesdays and is adding a book club (Wine About Books) that will meet in the backyard around the firepit from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. prior to Wednesday night trivia, which runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The bar has a DJ on Saturday nights.

Wingate Social House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and is open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, 3 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Sept. 26, 2024

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