Charleston Restaurant Report January 2019
ON THE MENU
1. Green Scene – CHARLESTON SAYS GOODBYE TO PLASTIC BAGS, STRAWS AND FOAM CONTAINERS
2. Local Restaurant News – RESTAURANT CLOSINGS SPIKE IN LATE 2018
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon Lists!
4. National Restaurant Trends – NPD GROUP ANALYSIS OFFERS WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR CUSTOMER COUNTS
GREEN SCENE
CHARLESTON SAYS GOODBYE TO PLASTIC BAGS, STRAWS AND FOAM CONTAINERS
The City of Charleston recently adopted an ordinance to rid the city of plastic bags, straws and foam containers. City restaurants and food vendors will need to shift their food service packaging away from plastics. The ordinance is scheduled to take effect Jan 1, 2020. Read about it here....
LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS
RESTAURANT CLOSINGS SPIKE IN LATE 2018
In the last ten years of tracking restaurant openings and closings in the Charleston area, the latest quarter marks the first time that I've seen the number of closings come anywhere close to matching the number of openings. I've counted 25 closings this quarter, including 10 in Mount Pleasant alone, and 27 openings. Looking at the broader restaurant market, the number of restaurants available for sale is also above average. In addition, restaurant lease rates are not dropping off due to continued strong demand for existing spaces with restaurant infrastructure in place. Despite the latest closings and peak lease rates, there are at least 50 restaurants that have announced their entrance to the market and are in development with plans to open in the next 4-12 months.
RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!
The following Openings + Closings lists reflect 4th Quarter 2018 market activity (October - December 2018):
OPENINGS --
Adam's Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant)
Azul Mexicano (North Charleston)
Babas on Cannon (Downtown)
Bourbon N’ Bubbles (Downtown)
Chatime Tea & Pastries (Downtown)
Checkers and Rally’s (Goose Creek)
Doar Bros. (Downtown -- former O'Hara & Flynn)
El Pincho Taco (Downtown – former Cortaditos)
Fractured Prune Donuts (Mt. Pleasant)
Kaminsky's (West Ashley)
Kid Cashew (Mt. Pleasant – former Triangle Char Bar)
Kwei Fei (James Island – former The Lot)
Masons Lobster Rolls (Downtown)
Maui Tacos (Downtown – former Dunkin Donuts)
Mex 1 (Mt. Pleasant – former Star Taco)
Paddock & Whisky (James Island)
Philly Pretzel Factory (Summerville)
Poke Bros. (Mt. Pleasant – former Great Harvest)
Primo Hoagies (Mt. Pleasant)
Swig & Swine (Downtown – former Lowcountry Bistro)
Thai East Fusion (North Charleston – former Butter Tapas)
The Royal Tern (Johns Island)
Toast (Mt. Pleasant – former Fill)
Tradd’s (Downtown – former Cypress)
Vicious Biscuit (Mt. Pleasant – former Boulevard Diner)
VIP Bistro (Downtown – former Spero)
Wiki Wiki Sandbar (Folly Beach)
CLOSINGS --
Atlanta Bread Company (Mt. Pleasant)
Banana Cabana (Isle of Palms)
Bearded Café (Downtown)
Charleston House of Pizza (North Charleston)
Closed For Business (Downtown)
Crooked Crown (Downtown)
Denny's (North Charleston)
Fatz Café (North Charleston)
Finz (Mt. Pleasant)
Hardee’s (North Charleston)
Kelly’s Barbecue (Summerville)
Lowcountry Bistro (Downtown)
MOD Pizza (Downtown)
Momma Goldberg's Deli (Mt. Pleasant)
Richard’s Bar & Grill (Mt. Pleasant)
Roadside Seafood (James Island)
Scarecrow (Downtown)
Smoke BBQ (Mt. Pleasant)
Sonic Drive-In (Mt. Pleasant)
Spanglish (Downtown)
Steak N Shake (North Charleston)
Subway (Mt. Pleasant)
The Granary (Mt. Pleasant)
Urban Cookhouse (Mt. Pleasant)
Wild Wing (Mt. Pleasant)
COMING SOON (expected to open in the 1st quarter '19) --
Baker & Brewer (Downtown – former DeSano’s Pizza)
Blaze Pizza (Mt. Pleasant)
Boxcar Betty's (Mt. Pleasant)
Dalila's (Downtown -- former Crooked Crown)
Estadio (Downtown)
Greens & Grounds (Downtown)
Herd Provisions (Downtown)
Rise Biscuits & Donuts (Mt. Pleasant)
RuRu’s Tacos & Tequila (Downtown – former Marion’s)
Starbucks (Mt. Pleasant)
Topsail Restaurant & Bar (Mt. Pleasant – former Finz)
Tropical Smoothie Café (West Ashley)
...AND 50+ more openings coming in the next 4-12 months...
NATIONAL RESTAURANT TRENDS
NPD GROUP ANALYSIS OFFERS WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR CUSTOMER COUNTS
A recent industry study by the NPD Group shows that 2019 traffic counts are expected to be flat in year-over-year comparison with 2018. The study offers operators some strategies to differentiate themselves from the competition in order to increase sales in a very competitive marketplace. Operators are encouraged to focus on enhancing the guest's in-house experience and adopt innovative approaches to digital and To Go menu offerings. Read more about the NPD Group's study here...