Charleston Restaurant Report JANUARY 2026
ON THE MENU
1. Local Restaurant Scene -- 2025 YEAR-END F&B ACTION SUMMARY
2. National Restaurant Scene – LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 RESTAURANT TRENDS
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings + Coming Soon!
4. Food For Thought -- AUTOMATED MAKELINES COMING TO CHARLESTON?
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LOCAL RESTAURANT SCENE
2025 YEAR-END F&B ACTION SUMMARY
Charleston City Paper writer Becky Lacey laid out a nice 2025 year-end action summary of the local food & beverage scene in a recent issue. According to my tally, the metro area experienced at least 109 restaurant openings and 46 closings in 2025. That ratio of roughly two openings for every closing has been consistent across the Charleston market over the last 15 years, with the exception of 2020 Covid year. Read the article here in the Charleston City Paper.
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NATIONAL RESTAURANT SCENE
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 RESTAURANT TRENDS
As we move into 2026, Nation's Restaurant News takes a look ahead to see what's coming down the trend line. Menu innovation and value plays will continue as concepts test new products and promote limited-time offers. Consumer bifurcation will continue as wealthier diners trade down to QSR and less-wealthy diners stay home in an uncertain inflationary environment. Expect to see more self-service kiosks and more concepts focusing on crafting a dining experience instead of simply a good meal. Read the NRN article and slideshow here....
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RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!
Openings + Closings list reflects 4th Quarter 2025 (Oct - Dec) market activity:
OPENINGS --
American Deli (Goose Creek)
Bellerose Hotel Bar (Downtown)
Cachita’s Kitchen (Downtown — former The Wreckfish)
Charlotte’s Wine Bar (Mount Pleasant — former Sheffield’s)
Chick-fil-a (West Ashley)
Cielo (Summerville)
Crab & Fin (Downtown — former Marina Variety Store)
Duck Donuts (Summerville)
El Molino (Ladson)
El Patron (Summerville)
First Watch (Summerville)
Global Pizza (Summerville)
Johnny’s Garage (Hanahan)
Kultura (Downtown — relocated to former Chasing Sage)
Masa (Goose Creek)
Mazal (West Ashley — former West Ashley Crab Shack)
Mochinut (Goose Creek)
My Acai, My Cafe (Downtown)
Nook Tiny Cafe (Downtown — former Guilded Horn)
OK Donna (Downtown)
Paris Baguette (Mount Pleasant)
Pho & Pad Thai (West Ashley — former Slice)
Platia Greek Goodness (Mount Pleasant)
Prophet Coffee (Downtown — former Bar Rollins)
Rise and Shine Breakfast Place (Summerville)
Ruby’s Bagels (Goose Creek)
Shokudo (Downtown — former Maya)
Smalls Sliders (North Charleston — former Denny’s)
Somm Wine Bar (Summerville)
Superchix (West Ashley)
Sushi | Bar Charleston (Downtown)
The Great Greek (Goose Creek)
The Wedge (West Ashley)
Trading Post (James Island — former Odyssey)
Underground Chuck’s (West Ashley — former O’Charley’s)
Washington Cafe (Mount Pleasant)
Weems Ramen (North Charleston — former The Barbecue Joint)
CLOSINGS --
Barnyard Chicken (North Charleston)
Fuel (Downtown)
Hardee’s (West Ashley)
Herd Provisions (Downtown)
Papi’s Taqueria (Isle of Palms)
Pick Thai (James Island)
Raw Lab (Downtown)
Ruby Tuesday (North Charleston)
Steel City Pizza (Mount Pleasant)
The Rarebit (Downtown)
The Select (Downtown)
Topsail (Mount Pleasant)
COMING SOON --
The number of publicly-announced restaurant projects on the Coming Soon list -- expected to open in the next 12 months -- is 45 at the end of the 4th Quarter.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
AUTOMATED MAKELINES COMING TO CHARLESTON?
Tech startup Hyphen builds automated makelines that national brands Cava and Chipotle are testing in their kitchens. The makelines are expensive on the front end at $50k-$100k, but their efficiency is incredible. They can crank out meals at a high rate of speed with ingredient accuracy down to the gram. This type of innovation speeds up the waiting line for customers and allows front of house staff to give better customer service. It also greatly improves labor and food cost efficiency, which leads straight to the bottom line. Read more about it at CNBC....
