Charleston Restaurant Report July 2017
ON THE MENU1. Green Scene – BREAKING BAD HABITS WITHOUT A STRAW2. Local Restaurant News – FAST & FRENCH CUTS THE TIP!3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon Lists!4. National Restaurant Trends – DRIVE-THRU TECHNOLOGY RAMPS UP SALESGreen SceneBREAKING BAD HABITS WITHOUT A STRAWWe've got to start somewhere in the battle against plastic pollution. We find plastics in our waterways, on the beach, even in birds and fish. So why not start our uphill climb with a baby step and stop using plastic drink straws? The Surfrider Foundation is signing up local restaurants (30+ so far) for their Strawless Summer Challenge to quit serving straws in drinks by default. Let the customers who must have a straw ask for one. Read more about it here.Local Restaurant NewsFAST & FRENCH CUTS THE TIPLong-standing Broad Street restaurant Gaulart & Maliclet Fast & French has dropped the tip in favor of a set wage for servers. This follows a slow-moving trend across the nation to abandon server tips in exchange for a more stabilized hourly wage. The "tipping" point has not yet come for established Charleston restaurants to nix the tip, but it may come some day sooner than you'd expect. Check out this article in Charleston City Paper.Restaurant Openings, Closings, & Coming Soon!The following Openings + Closings lists reflect 2nd Quarter 2017 market activity (April - June 2017):OPENINGS --1Kept (Downtown -- former Barony Tavern)Benny Ravello's (Downtown)Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit (Downtown – former Food for the Southern Soul)Caroline’s Lowcountry Kitchen (Summerville – former Triangle Char + Bar)Cinco (Mt. Pleasant – former Water Dog Grill)Edison (James Island – former Big Belly Kitchen)Ember Wood Fired Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant – former Finn’s Brick Oven)Famulari’s Pizzeria (James Island)FOOD (N. Charleston)Goulette (Downtown – former Lana)Harbinger Café & Bakery (Downtown)Ice Bing (Downtown)Jim N’ Nicks BBQ (Mt. Pleasant – former Applebee’s)Juliet (Downtown – former Butcher & Bee)Kairos Greek Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant)Kickin Chicken (Mt. Pleasant - relocated)Mainland Container Company (Mt. Pleasant – former Sawyer’s on the Boulevard)Martha Lou’s Kitchen #2 (N. Charleston)Palace Hotel (Downtown - reopened)SOL (Downtown)Taste of the Islands (W. Ashley)The 450 Pizza Joint (Sullivans Island – former Taco Mamacita)Wood & Grain (Mt. Pleasant)Workshop (Downtown)CLOSINGS --Artisan Meat Share (Downtown)Avila (Downtown)AYA Cookhouse (Mt. Pleasant)Bull Street Gourmet (Downtown)Cypress (Downtown)Nick’s Original BBQ (Downtown)Perfectly Frank’s (Summerville)P.I.E. Bake Shoppe (Downtown)Smith Street Pizza (Downtown)Triangle Char + Bar (Summerville)COMING SOON (expected to open in the next quarter) --Black Wood Smokehouse (W. Ashley – former The Med Eatery)Grace & Grit (Mt. Pleasant)Gypsy Eatery (Downtown – former Avila)Hibachi Grill + Sushi (James Island)Mill Street Tavern (Mt. Pleasant – former Infuzions)Normandy Farm (Downtown)Tropical Smoothie Café (N. Charleston)...Plus another 30 more "Opening in the Next 4-12 Months"...National Restaurant TrendsDRIVE-THRU TECHNOLOGY RAMPS UP SALESThe restaurant drive-thru lane has had a slow evolution as a sales tool. Not much has changed in the drive-thru in the last 30 years, with long waits and scratchy microphones the norm, but good things are happening now thanks to some smart technology. Ordering and pay apps are helping Chick-fil-a kick the fast food industry's butt. The average Chick-fil-a produces more than 3 times the average annual sales of a KFC, while working 6 days a week versus 7 for KFC.In the fast casual sector, Moe's is installing a touchscreen ordering system in the drive-thru to help push more burritos out the door. The self-service nature of the touchscreen takes the complexity out of the ordering process, so the staff can make the orders faster and make the customers happier. See the article in the Post & Courier.