Charleston Restaurant Report JANUARY 2020
ON THE MENU
1. Green Scene – REUSABLE FOOD PACKAGING IS LIFTING OFF
2. Local Restaurant News – YEAR-END OPENINGS & CLOSINGS SUMMARY
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings + Coming Soon Lists!
4. National Restaurant Trends – DOES YOUR RESTAURANT'S WEBSITE MEET ADA-ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS?
GREEN SCENE
REUSABLE FOOD PACKAGING LIFTING OFF
Single-use plastics have been a point of conversation and contention over the last few years in the lowcountry, particularly the use of plastic bags, straws and other single-use disposables. As food delivery and to-go food options become more popular, so does the need for better, more sustainable food packaging. The conversation has grown from debating plastic bag use and eliminating straws to now include an examination of every piece of food packaging. In a recent issue of Nations Restaurant News, industry analysts predict that reusable and recyclable food packaging options will continue to expand as their use becomes much more widespread in the near future. Read more about it.
LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS
YEAR-END OPENINGS & CLOSINGS SUMMARY
My unofficial tally for 2019 shows at least 120 restaurants opened in the Charleston area and at least 65 restaurants closed. It’s a tough business. Despite the challenging environment, there are dozens of new restaurants planning to open in the coming year. On my current list, I count at least 60 restaurants that have announced plans to open and are in some phase of development. At least ten of these new restaurants will open in Summerville's Nexton Square. If you are interested in taking a look back at 2019, check out Hanna Raskin's assessment of the downtown restaurant scene here in the Post & Courier...
RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!
Openings + Closings list reflects 4th Quarter 2019 market activity (October - December):
OPENINGS --
Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar (Summerville)
Bangkok Lounge (Downtown – former King Street Bait & Tackle)
Binky’s Seaside Oyster & Liquor Bar (IOP – former Banana Cabana)
Black Magic Cafe (West Ashley)
Cabana Burger (Johns Island)
Community Table (Mount Pleasant – former Fratello’s)
Coquin (Downtown – former WildFlour)
Cuban Gypsy Pantry (North Charleston)
Estadio (Downtown)
Euro Foods Bakery & Cafe (West Ashley)
Fuji Sushi (Mount Pleasant)
Harken Café (Downtown)
Holy City Brewing (North Charleston)
House of Brews (West Ashley)
Jackrabbit Filly (North Charleston)
Jalisco Taqueria & Tequila (James Island – former James)
Jersey Mike’s (Cainhoy)
Kiss Café (Johns Island)
Mezzo (Mount Pleasant – former Pizza Prospero)
Micho (James Island)
Red Bowl Asian Bistro (Summerville)
Savi Cucina + Wine Bar (Mount Pleasant – former NAPA)
Ship’s Wheel Hard Cider (North Charleston)
Starbucks (Mount Pleasant)
Steel City Pizza (Summerville)
Sunshine Hummus (Downtown – former Sunrise Bistro)
Sweetwater 123 (Summerville -- former Continental Cafe)
The Basement (Mount Pleasant – former On Forty-One)
The Juice Joint (Mount Pleasant)
The Juice Joint (James Island)
True Q BBQ (North Charleston – former Noisy Oyster)
Vegans on Rivers (North Charleston – former Tav on the Ave)
Vibez (North Charleston – former Kobe)
CLOSINGS --
Bishopp’s Chicken Biscuits (Downtown)
Black Magic Cafe (Folly Beach)
Burger King x 6 (North Charleston x 3, Charleston, Johns Island, Summerville)
Five Guys Burgers & Fries (West Ashley)
Groucho’s Deli (West Ashley)
Ice & Pan (Downtown)
Morgan Creek Grill (Isle of Palms)
Sol Southwest Kitchen (Downtown)
Starbucks (West Ashley)
Subway x 9 (throughout region)
Sunrise Bistro (Downtown)
Tav on the Ave (North Charleston)
Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe (Downtown)
Uneeda Sicilian (Downtown)
COMING SOON (expected to open in 1st quarter '20) --
Biggby Coffee (West Ashley)
Choice Deli (North Charleston)
Famulari’s Pizzeria (Cainhoy)
First Watch (Mount Pleasant)
Galpao Gaucho (Downtown – former Tradd’s)
Krispy Kreme (North Charleston)
Little Miss Ha (Mount Pleasant – former Betty’s Eatery)
...PLUS at least 60 more restaurants scheduled to open in the next 4-12 months...
NATIONAL RESTAURANT TRENDS
DOES YOUR RESTAURANT'S WEBSITE MEET ADA-ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS?
Did you know that your restaurant website should be ADA-accessible? That’s been the federal rule since 1996. Lax enforcement has let this issue slide until recent years when thousands of ADA-lawsuits involving vision-impaired people have been filed to force restaurant operators into compliance. Mobile apps could be held to the same standard. Restaurant gift cards that are not written in braille are also under scrutiny. Read about the website accessibility issue at CNBC.com.