Our Story

A Clover Legacy Built on Food, Family, and Five Generations

For the past 50 years, The Eagle’s Nest Restaurant has stood as a pillar of Clover, South Carolina - it's more than a place to eat, it's a piece of the town’s soul.
Owned and operated by Julie Preston and her husband John since 1994, the restaurant has spent decades feeding generations of families and creating lasting memories with every meal.
But before the first plate was ever served, this beloved spot was little more than a tin firecracker stand run by Julie’s father.
“We were the only ones selling fireworks back then,” Julie recalls. “My dad saved up enough from that to build the first part of the restaurant.”
Originally, the space was meant to be a game room for local kids, a weekend hangout spot complete with a basketball goal and horseshoes out back. But in 1975, the idea evolved into a full-blown restaurant. And from there, The Eagle’s Nest took flight.
After moving to Arizona as a young adult, Julie returned to Clover in 1994 when her father’s health declined, and the restaurant needed someone to keep it going.
“It wasn’t a hard decision. I’d grown up here in the kitchen, at the register, everywhere. Coming back was like coming home.”
Julie and John didn’t just take over operations; they revived the place. They cleaned up, refreshed the menu, and breathed new life into the business her father had started nearly two decades earlier.
Thirty years later, they’ve now run The Eagle’s Nest even longer than Julie’s dad did and they’ve never looked back.
Step into The Eagle’s Nest and you’ll feel it, the sense of tradition, of familiarity, of family.
“We’ve got fifth generations coming in now,” Julie says. “The kids who used to hang out here after prom? Their grandkids are having their birthdays here now.”
It’s not just the customers who come back. Many of the staff have been part of the team for over 20 years and now their children work here, too. Julie’s own mother, now 91, still bakes the cakes every morning.
“Everybody knows that coconut cake is Thursday, lemon pound is Tuesday, and pineapple is Saturday,” she laughs. “They call ahead to reserve their slices.”
The staff is a blend of longtime family employees and young college students who come home every summer to pick up shifts. The walls are covered with photos, memories, and memorabilia including tables decorated with old sports pictures, local champions, and even Julie’s late sister, who passed away from ALS.
The restaurant's name, The Eagle’s Nest, is a nod to the Clover High School Blue Eagles. Julie’s dad was a fixture at Friday night football games, even working as part of the chain crew. On game nights, the restaurant would shut down, head to the stadium, then open back up afterward to feed the team and the town.
“They’d come here before games to eat and watch film in the back room,” she says. “After the game, everybody came here. We were the place to be.”
That same sense of community is still at the heart of everything they do. If a regular customer misses a week, Julie and the staff check in. They know your name, your story, and your usual order.
“It’s like a kitchen away from home,” Julie says. “You probably see the people who come in here more than your own family.”
After 50 years, The Eagle’s Nest is more than a restaurant it’s a landmark of Clover, South Carolina. A place where history is served with every meal and where each bite is a reminder of what it means to belong.
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Julie says. “The people keep us here. The stories. The memories. This place is home.”

Serving up tradition for 50 years and still going strong.