By Becky Billingsley

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, Garden City – David and Lisa Parker are the new owners of Twelve restaurant in Garden City, and many changes are in the works.

The Parkers moved to the Grand Strand from Colorado a few weeks ago, but David Parker worked here from 1993-96. In a restaurant management role he helped open the now-closed Tripps restaurant at Broadway at the Beach, and he also worked at Gilley’s Texas Café, another closed restaurant that was located at Broadway at the Beach.

In 1996 he moved to Colorado, where he has continued working as a restaurant manager. This purchase of Twelve marks Parker’s first time as a restaurant owner.

“We have been looking for a place to buy for two years,” Parker said at the restaurant on Oct. 24. “We like this location because so many people spend the winter here, so it has an off-season business.”

As for the restaurant’s ambiance, Parker said he is aiming for, “…upscale food in a comfortable and relaxed setting where diners can have a good time. Not a country club, not a beach bar – somewhere between.”

Lisa Parker is an accountant and says she will continue working remotely for existing clients she established in Colorado. The couple has one toddler-age daughter, and they said finding a great place to raise her was a factor in choosing the Myrtle Beach area as their new home.

John Dabrowski and Cole Gervais are leading the kitchen staff and overseeing menu changes. Parker said all dishes will be made with fresh foods.

“We took the menu from four pages to one,” David Parker said, “and the menu will change weekly. The name of the restaurant is Twelve, so the menu will have 12 items.”

Early diners who are seated between 4 and 6 p.m. will also see different options each week. On Oct. 24, four early dining choices for $13 each were Chicken Parmesan, Linguine with Clam Sauce, Lump Crab Cakes with chili lime aioli and Petite Ravioli. The meals include salad and bread.

On Oct. 24 a few of the dozen choices on the regular menu were Twelve’s Signature Onion & Fennel Soup with gruyere cheese; Baked Brie in puff pastry; Calamari with sweet Thai chili dipping sauce; Veal Marsala Blackened Catfish; 8-ounce Filet Mignon; Sweet Potato Crusted Grouper with Frangelico cream sauce; and Maple Soy Salmon.

Appetizers were $6-$10, and entrees were $15-$28. Parker says on Wednesday nights the menu will feature Italian specialties, and happy hour bar specials are in development.

Parker said he is interviewing for wait staff positions.

Twelve is at 2520 U.S. 17 Business S. in Garden City, and the number is (843) 651-3222. It’s open from 4-10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.