Charleston Restaurant Report July 2019
ON THE MENU
1. Green Scene – COLLEGE FOODSERVICES USE FORWARD THINKING TO ELIMINATE PLASTICS + FOOD WASTE
2. Local Restaurant News – IS CHARLESTON'S RESTAURANT SCENE AT A CROSSROADS?
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon Lists!
4. National Restaurant Trends – RESTAURANTS ARE TESTING AUTOMATION TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
GREEN SCENE
COLLEGE FOODSERVICES USE FORWARD THINKING TO ELIMINATE PLASTICS + FOOD WASTE
As you may imagine, college foodservice operators create a massive amount of plastic waste and food waste in their daily operations. Many operators in this arena are making moves to greatly reduce plastic and food waste by employing some innovative new and not-so-new strategies such as bulk oil packaging + recycling, eliminating single-use plastics, and repurposing food waste away from the landfill. It has the potential to make a big impact across a wide user spectrum. Food delivery and off-site eating trends are on the rise, and food packaging is changing to more sustainably meet that demand. Read the statistics in Restaurant Business.
LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS
IS CHARLESTON'S RESTAURANT SCENE AT A CROSSROADS?
A recent New York Times article takes a look at our local restaurant scene and ponders many questions, such as Where have we come from; Where are we now; and Where are we headed? Is our booming tourism economy damaging the city’s historic food culture? Is Charleston experiencing typical growing pains or is there something deeper going on here? Several local industry insiders weigh in on the subject and opinions are mixed. Read the article here….
RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!
Openings + Closings lists reflect 2nd Quarter 2019 market activity (April - June):
OPENINGS --
A.W. Shucks Seafood Shack (Downtown – former Kitchen 208)
Blade & Bull (North Charleston)
Blaze Pizza (Mt. Pleasant)
Bojangles (Summerville)
Boxcar Betty’s (Mt. Pleasant)
Church’s Chicken (North Charleston)
Classic on King (Downtown – former Bootleg Tavern)
Delaney Oyster House (Downtown)
Dunkin Donuts (Summerville)
Ha Long Café (Downtown)
Handcraft Kitchen & Cocktails (Mt. Pleasant – former Playa Taco)
Herd Provisions (Downtown)
Hokkaido Sushi (Downtown)
Indigo Reef Brewing (Wando)
James (James Island – former Screen Door)
Jon Smith Subs (Mt. Pleasant)
Keko’s Asian Fusion (Summerville)
KinFolk (Johns Island – former Crave)
King Claw Juicy Seafood & Bar (West Ashley – former Yokoso)
Louisiana Cajun Express (North Charleston — former Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries)
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (James Island – former Sermet’s)
Metro Diner (West Ashley)
Mpishi (Daniel Island – former Honeycomb Café)
Pho King (Mt. Pleasant)
Red Crab (North Charleston – former Cove)
Taco Boy (Summerville)
The Flying Biscuit Café (Mt. Pleasant – former Kudzu Bakery)
The Salty Dog Café (Seabrook – former Red’s Icehouse)
Zavarella’s Pizza (Cainhoy – former TailGators)
CLOSINGS --
Betty’s Eatery (Mt. Pleasant)
Brown Dog Deli (Downtown)
Burger King x 6 (Mt. Pleasant, Moncks Corner, North Charleston, Summerville)
Craft Conundrum (West Ashley)
Hominy Grill (Downtown)
James (James Island)
Juliet (Downtown)
La Tabella (James Island)
Liberty Tap Room & Grill (Mt. Pleasant)
Luke’s Craft Pizza (Downtown)
Napa (Mt. Pleasant)
Revelator (Downtown)
Semilla (Downtown)
COMING SOON (expected to open in 3rd quarter '19) --
Bishopp’s Chicken Biscuits (Downtown)
East Bay Deli (Summerville)
Food Fight (James Island – former Roadside Seafood)
Kahuna Poke Bar (Mt. Pleasant)
MESU (Downtown)
Micho (James Island)
Ship’s Wheel Hard Cider (North Charleston)
Sweet Bowl Poke & Tea (Downtown)
Tropical Smoothie Café (Mt. Pleasant – former Subway)
...AND 55+ more openings coming in the next 4-12 months...
NATIONAL RESTAURANT TRENDS
RESTAURANTS ARE TESTING AUTOMATION TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
National chain restaurants may have a bad rap with Charleston locavores, but when it comes to operational trends, the chains are the trendsetters. Several national restaurant brands are now testing voice-activated ordering systems, automated kitchen equipment and self-service ordering kiosks. The thinking is simple: if you can get a computer or a robot to handle mundane quick-service tasks like taking an order and dropping fries, this could increase production flow and free up staffers for more person-to-person contact and a better overall customer experience. Read the article in Nations Restaurant News…..