Charleston Restaurant Report January 2012
January 2012
Charleston Restaurant Report
On The Menu
1. Green Scene – $40 to use a Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb?
2. Local Restaurant News – 2012 Buzzwords & Trends
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon!
4. National Restaurant Trends– Focus Marketing on Fresh, Quality Ingredients
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Green Scene – $40 to use a Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb?
Every restaurant operator is concerned with return on investment. Not all green initiatives have a clear ROI. With this in mind, I was surprised to read recently that the payback on a compact fluorescent lightbulb can be up to $40 over the life of the bulb. A typical restaurant will easily have 40+ light fixtures. That’s a potential $1,600 savings over the life of 40 fixture bulbs. CFLs are making ROI sense.
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Local Restaurant News – 2012 Buzzwords & Trends
How many times have we heard or read about “local”, “seasonal”, “farm-to-table”, “hand-crafted” and “sustainable” food & bev initiatives in the last couple of years? It’s nice to see people paying attention to and taking advantage of the bountiful harvest that Charleston offers us. Charleston is full of creative food & bev artisans – food producers, chefs, brewers, mixologists, etc. Restaurant operators will be smart to focus on good food and good service first and foremost while being mindful of the desires of their customer base. You won’t always see a boost to the bottom line by following the latest menu trend.
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Restaurant Openings/Closings/Coming Soon in the Charleston area
The following list reflects market activity since October 1, 2011.
Openings --
24 North Market (Downtown Charleston)
Baguette Magic (James Island – former Jams Buffalo Café)
Bighorn’s Sports Grill (North Charleston – former Rendevous)
Butcher & Bee (Downtown Charleston)
Charleston Burger Company (West Ashley)
Charleston Pizza Co. (Downtown Charleston – former Porky’s BBQ)
DIG in the Park (North Charleston – former Zocalo)
Fly By Pizza (North Charleston)Flyin’ Hawaiian Grill (Summerville)
Glazed (Downtown Charleston)
Heart Woodfire Kitchen (James Island – former Daily Dose)
Heirloom Eats (Mount Pleasant – former Palmetto Pig Barbecue)
How Art Thou Café (James Island)
Kudzu Bakery (Mount Pleasant – former Page’s Okra Grill)
La Fontana (West Ashley – former Pizza Hut)
Lemon Grove Grill (James Island)
Lucky’s Southern Grill (James Island – former Applebee’s)
Mercury Bar (Downtown Charleston)
Moe’s Crosstown Tavern (Downtown Charleston – reopening)
Pace’s Pizza Balls (Downtown Charleston – former Pop’s New York Pizza)
P.I.E. Bake Shop (Downtown Charleston)
Raul’s Tacqueria and Mexican Grill (North Charleston)
Rice B (West Ashley)
Skarney’s (Mount Pleasant – former KFC)
Slices (North Charleston – former Hickory Hawg)
South Of Main (West Ashley – former Caliente)
The Grocery (Downtown Charleston)
The Royal American (Downtown Charleston)
Verde (Downtown Charleston – former Bruegger’s Bagels)
Yobe Yogurt (Mount Pleasant + North Charleston)
Closings --
Caliente (West Ashley)
Cappricio (Mount Pleasant)
Charleston Crab House (Mount Pleasant)
Funky Little Kitchen (Awendaw)
Gilligans (Downtown Charleston)
Island Town Café (Daniel Island)
Johnson’s Pub (Downtown Charleston)
Just Chill (Mount Pleasant)
KFC (Mount Pleasant)
Kim's Restaurant (West Ashley)
Pop’s New York Pizza (Downtown Charleston)
Palmetto Pig Barbecue (Mount Pleasant)
Pleasant City Deli (Mount Pleasant)
Porky’s BBQ (Downtown Charleston)
Quyen (James Island)
Remedy Market (Downtown Charleston)
Roadside Kitchen (James Island)
Ryan's (North Charleston)
Sin City (North Charleston)
Sunfire Grill & Bistro (West Ashley)
The Village Tavern (Mount Pleasant)
Zocalo (North Charleston)
Coming Soon --
Baroni’s New York Pizza (Mount Pleasant – former Do Re Mi)
Burton’s Grill (Mount Pleasant – former On The Border (not yet closed))
Cracker Barrel (Mount Pleasant)
Eggs Up Grill (Mount Pleasant)
Hello My Name Is BBQ (Downtown Charleston)
Horse and Cart Cafe (Mount Pleasant)
J Paulz (Mount Pleasant)
Jimmy John’s (North Charleston)
Kickers (Goose Creek)
Mama Kim’s (Downtown Charleston – former WOK)
Pawley’s Front Porch (Mount Pleasant – former Beef O’Bradys)
Rutledge Grill (Downtown Charleston)
Sesame (Mount Pleasant – former Yo Burrito)
Star Grill Room (Downtown Charleston)
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National Restaurant Trends – Focus Marketing on Fresh, Quality Ingredients
With forecasted food cost inflation of 3 to 5 percent in 2012, expect menu prices to rise across all industry segments. The national chains are expected to push the use of fresh, quality ingredients in their marketing instead of relying on an emphasis on value that has helped sustain business during the recession. Value still remains a key underlying component to consumers’ eating decisions. The trick for restaurateurs is finding the right balance between portion size, rising ingredient costs and menu pricing. Easier said than done.