Taste the Love and Feel the Good Vibes
By Karen Hendricks | Photography by Casey Martin
Every restaurant has a vibe.
At one of downtown Hanover’s newest restaurants, GrillRilla, it begins with a friendly wave and welcome from Candice Lacks behind the counter. Big, bold Baltimore flavors waft from the kitchen, thanks to Damien Lacks on the grill.
Together, the couple’s warm hospitality and tasty menu make customers feel right at home.
“We wanted to do something different, create a unique flavor, bringing some of the Maryland-style food up here,” says Damien. “We always dreamt of having our own spot—simple, clean-cut and welcoming to everyone.”
That welcoming tone is set to music—a soul-filled soundtrack Damien describes as music you’d hear “at a Black cookout or a groovy skating rink.”
Soul is also cooked into the menu—in burgers, subs, bowls and boxes. Even though GrillRilla opened its doors in late December 2024, the menu has been fine-tuned and seasoned over the past six years. The couple previously operated GrillRilla in The Markets of Hanover, which is gradually closing down operations.
“It’s a big blessing that the community supported us from the 450-square-foot box we were cooking out of,” Candice says.
“It’s now a blessing to be here in downtown Hanover,” Damien adds. “We felt pulled toward the downtown. We liked The Markets, but this is our vibe.”
Welcome to the Jungle
Burgers and subs were the first items Damien put on the menu when he launched GrillRilla in 2019. Baltimore-style City Cheesesteaks—with caramelized onions and melted provolone cheese—have always been his best-selling item.
The Shrimp and City Sub takes it up a notch by adding Old Bay shrimp. And the Animal House Sub is a mouthful, combining chicken, steak and Old Bay shrimp with caramelized onions and melted cheese on a toasted steak roll.
Baltimore’s famous Old Bay Seasoning is sprinkled throughout the menu. There’s Old Bay Macaroni Salad and Old Bay Fries, and the B-more Chicken Box—on the specials menu—is filled with zesty Old Bay-seasoned fried chicken and fries. All that spice might make you reach for GrillRilla’s Half and Half—a Baltimore-inspired drink that’s half iced tea, half lemonade.
In addition to Charm City cuisine, there’s another theme at play on GrillRilla’s menu.
“I call myself a beast on the grill,” says Damien. “GrillRilla is a concept of coming from where I’m from, in the hood, what we call the concrete jungle. My persona, as the king of the grill, means the concrete or steel jungle is also my grill.”
“That’s why a lot of my menu names are culturally-influenced or jungle-influenced—like the Plain Jane named for Tarzan and Jane,” Damien explains. The Plain Jane is your choice of a burger, chicken breast or grilled portabello mushroom topped with melted cheese on a toasted brioche bun, along with your choice of lettuce, tomato, pickles and other fixings.
A few years into the business, Candice’s influence started appearing on the menu.
“My wife, the love of my life—she has different taste,” Damien says, recalling how she’d often order shrimp tacos when the couple went out to eat. “We would come home, and I’d try to recreate it—like going home to the lab,” he says with a laugh.
That’s how Jerk Chicken or Shrimp Tacos and the Jerk Island Bowl with Shrimp landed on the menu—and now they’re nearly as popular as the best-selling City Cheesesteaks.
There’s also a Lil Grilla’s Menu for kids, and the menu continues to evolve. On the day we visited, the specials board offered Fried Catfish with two sides, and Caesar Salad topped with your choice of grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon or steak.
Community Ties
The couple first met when they worked at The Pub & Restaurant on Gettysburg’s Lincoln Square. Candice was The Pub’s manager as Damien worked his way up from dishwasher to line cook to kitchen supervisor.
After working at The Pub, they began dating, and Damien continued to pursue a career in the restaurant industry. Over the past 15 years, he attended culinary school and worked in several area restaurants, such as Gettysburg’s Blue and Gray Bar & Grill and East Berlin’s Sidney Tavern.
While Damien’s roots are in Baltimore, Candice hails from Biglerville. Together, they’ve put roots down in Hanover with their four children. The couple recently celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary, and when they’re not at the restaurant, they lead a junior high youth program at their church, Candice maintains her real estate license and Damien has coached numerous youth sports at the YMCA, AAU teams and Southwestern School District, among others.
Coaching, he says, is a priority.
“I feel like I didn’t have a coach that cared enough to keep me playing past ninth grade,” he says. “I’m not blaming anybody—but nobody was rooting for me, using sports to help discipline and motivate me. So, I like being there to give guys a push, to keep them going, because the discipline and structure of sports is good.”
Tasting the Love
Just a few months after opening their new doors, GrillRilla is thriving.
“Sales in this space are 30 to 40% more than they were at the market,” says Candice, noting that many of their longtime customers followed them here, and they’re also seeing a steady stream of new diners.
“They can taste the soul, they can taste that Damien loves what he does,” Candice says.
“Cooking has always been a way to express myself and express my love for others—how it makes them feel when they eat it,” Damien explains.
“The other thing is that food transcends all boundaries. It doesn’t matter what color you are, where you’re from—we can all enjoy a meal together.”
And that’s his vision for GrillRilla’s new location—with plenty of space where customers can sit, mingle and enjoy conversation together, set to that soundtrack of soulful, feel-good music.
“Food brings people together, like a girl from Biglerville and a guy from Baltimore,” Damien says, smiling. “The other day, 30 chairs were filled in here, and it’s such a good feeling. From Hanover, Aspers, Dover, Spring Grove. Young and old, all eating—just food, fun, family—such a good vibe.”
GrillRilla
120 E. Chestnut St., Hanover
