Charleston Restaurant Report April 2017
ON THE MENU1. Green Scene – COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION TURNS GREEN2. Local Restaurant News – HAVE ANY RESTAURANT WORK EXPERIENCE? LOCAL RESTAURANTS NEED YOU!3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon!4. National Restaurant Trends – WOULD YOU PAY $2.99 TO MOVE UP IN LINE?GREEN SCENECOMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION TURNS GREENFollowing EPA guidelines, commercial refrigeration equipment makers are transitioning away from R404 and R134a refrigerants to R290 liquid propane refrigerant to keep food cold in your kitchen. This is good news for the health of our environment since R290 has very low GWP - Global Warming Potential and zero ODP - Ozone Depletion Potential. EPA regulations call for equipment makers to stop using R404 by 2019 and R134a by 2020 in self-contained refrigeration units. Read more from refrigerant supplier Linde-Gas..... LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWSHAVE ANY RESTAURANT WORK EXPERIENCE? LOCAL RESTAURANTS NEED YOU!As the restaurant economy in the Charleston area has surged over the last few years, I have heard the same message repeated time and again by local restaurant operators: "We cannot find qualified employees." It is the biggest issue threatening the continued growth of the local restaurant economy, and there doesn't seem to be a quick solution in sight.I have clients who want to expand their restaurant businesses to new locations but don't have the qualified manager team they need (aka the "bench strength") to help them grow. Other owners are being forced to delay scheduled openings because they cannot find employees. Kitchen employee turnover is an everyday concern as labor + training costs rise amidst the high demand for and low supply of qualified cooks. Finding servers who can explain the food dishes, ingredient sources and preparation methods as well as the basic differences in wines to diners is a problem for many restaurants. By adding another 100 new restaurants each year in the Charleston area, the employee shortage only worsens. These are first-world problems, no doubt, but when operations falter, it is clear that these lingering issues are certainly not helping the region's hospitality reputation.RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!The following list reflects 1st Quarter 2017 market activity (January - March 2017):OPENINGS --Black Magic Café (James Island)Clean Eatz (Mt. Pleasant – former Morgan’s Market)DB’s Cheesesteaks (W. Ashley – former Papa Murphy’s)Dig 17A (Moncks Corner – former Chasey’s)Fatty’s Beer Works (Downtown)Frothy Beard Brewing (W. Ashley)Gentry Bar & Room (Downtown – former Sermet’s)Green Garden Asian Cuisine (N. Charleston)Hen and the Goat (James Island – former Black Bean Co.)Krazy Owls (Johns Island – former Sweeney’s)Lo Fi Brewing (N. Charleston)McDonald’s (Mt Pleasant – re-opening)Nacha Mama’s Taqueria (Downtown – former Garcia’s)Pancito + Lefty (Downtown – former Zappo’s Pizza)Pier 101 (Folly Beach – former Locklear’s)Rappahannock Oyster Company (Downtown)Rudy’s Caffe e Vino (Downtown – former Boone’s Bar)Scott’s BBQ (Downtown – former Chick’s Fry House)Smith Street Pizza (Downtown – former Norm’s)Smoke BBQ (Mt. Pleasant – former Black Sheep)Sorghum & Salt (Downtown – former Two Boroughs Larder)Stella’s (Downtown – former The Westendorff)Tapio (Downtown – former Apartment A)The Brick (Downtown – relocated)The Granary (Mt. Pleasant – relocated)The Macon (N. Charleston)Zombie Bob’s Pizza (W. Ashley)CLOSINGS --Apartment A (Downtown)Barony Tavern (Downtown)Boone’s Bar (Downtown)D&D Restaurant (Downtown)Delish Bakery & Bistro (Downtown)Istanbul Shish Kabobs (Mt. Pleasant – fire)Kickin’ Chicken (Mt. Pleasant)La Hacienda (Downtown)Lana (Downtown)Norm’s Pizza & Subs (Downtown)Papa Murphy’s Pizza (W. Ashley)Sermet’s (Downtown)Star Taco (Mt. Pleasant)Sweeney's (Johns Island)Taco Spot (Downtown)The Barbecue Joint (N. Charleston)The Med Eatery & Bar (West Ashley)COMING SOON --450 Pizza Joint (Sullivans Island – former Taco Mamacita)Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit (Downtown – former Food for the Southern Soul)Cantina 76 (Kiawah)Chubby Fish (Downtown)Edison (James Island – former Big Belly Kitchen)FOOD (N. Charleston)Fuji Sushi (Kiawah)Goulette (Downtown – former Lana)IHOP (Downtown – former Tsunami)Juliet (Downtown – former Butcher & Bee)Kairos Greek Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant)Kickin Chicken (Mt. Pleasant - relocated)Martha Lou’s Kitchen #2 (N. Charleston)Midici The Neopolitan Pizza Company (Mt. Pleasant)Nico (Mt Pleasant – former Pane Vino)Renzo (Downtown)Wild Hare Smokehouse (W. Ashley – former The Med Eatery)Workshop (Downtown)NATIONAL RESTAURANT TRENDSWOULD YOU PAY $2.99 TO MOVE UP IN LINE?This question is currently being tested in several markets by Papa John's Pizza. A small number of customers are given the opportunity to pay a "priority fee" in order to jump other waiting customers in line and get their order made faster. Would busy Charleston restaurants benefit from such a fee, or would it potentially alienate waiting diners? Read the article in Nation's Restaurant News...