Maurice's Gourmet Barbeque, a chain embroiled in controversy in the past over the racial views of its founder, will open in North Augusta on Monday.

The new restaurant will be in the old Friedman's Jewelers in the Shoppes at North Augusta, near Wal-Mart on Knox Avenue.

It will be the 18th Maurice's to open in South Carolina, said Chris Bennett, the vice president of the restaurant chain.

"We've always had people asking from the Aiken and North Augusta area for a Maurice's down this way, and we finally had the means to do so," Mr. Bennett said.

Maurice's will be open Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant features dine-in and carry-out service.

In 2000, Wal-Mart pulled Maurice Bessinger's mustard-based barbecue sauce from its shelves after he took the U.S. flag down outside his Columbia-area restaurants and began flying the Confederate and South Carolina flags.

The retailer also said that Mr. Bessinger sold tracts at his restaurants justifying slavery. Several other grocery chains, including Kroger, Publix, Food Lion, Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie, followed suit.