Charleston Restaurant Report October 2018
ON THE MENU
1. Green Scene – CUSTOMERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
2. Local Restaurant News – HURRICANE FLORENCE LEAVES A LASTING IMPRINT
3. Restaurant Openings, Closings and Coming Soon Lists!
4. National Restaurant Trends – RESTAURANT LABOR CRISIS COULD WORSEN WITH GENERATION Z
GREEN SCENE
CUSTOMERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
When it comes to restaurant sustainability practices, your customers are watching you. According to National Restaurant Association (NRA) research, half of consumers say they consider sustainability issues when choosing a restaurant. For those operators not yet on board with green practices, it doesn't need to be all-or-nothing. The NRA encourages operators to start small with one item (ex. ditching polystyrene) and work their way up to include more sustainable initiatives, such as sourcing local foods, donating leftovers, composting waste, and buying energy-efficient equipment. Read more...
LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS
HURRICANE FLORENCE LEAVES A LASTING IMPRINT
Hurricane Florence took a big bite out of the restaurant business in Charleston, without even coming through town. The governor's evacuation order essentially shut down much of the business + tourism activity in the metro area, leading to widespread business interruption and lost sales for bars, restaurants and their vendors. The dollar losses probably won't be fully calculated, but one can assume that they are in the tens of millions. I would not be surprised to see more restaurants that were hanging on by a thread close this fall as a result.
RESTAURANT OPENINGS, CLOSINGS + COMING SOON!
The following Openings + Closings lists reflect 3rd Quarter 2018 market activity (July - September 2018):
OPENINGS --
Bootleg Tavern (Downtown – former The Getaway)
Boxcar Betty’s (North Charleston)
Cantina 76 (Mt. Pleasant – former Americano)
Carpenter’s Coffee (North Charleston)
Clean Juice (West Ashley)
Coast (Downtown – reopened after roof collapse)
Community Perk (Downtown)
Container Bar (Downtown)
Duck Donuts (West Ashley)
Dunkin’ Donuts (Ladson)
Fuji Sushi (Downtown)
Josephine Wine Bar (Downtown – former Ernie’s)
Juiceria Smoothie Bar & Café (Goose Creek)
Kairos (West Ashley – former Your Pie)
Kickin’ Chicken (Summerville – former Caroline’s Lowcountry Kitchen)
King Street Bait & Tackle (Downtown – former Upper Deck Tavern)
Locals (North Charleston – former Mixson Grille)
Lowlife (Folly Beach)
Maple Street Biscuit Co. (James Island)
Marco’s Pizza (Summerville)
Mario’s Peruvian Chicken (Mt. Pleasant)
Melfi’s (Downtown)
Mill Street Tavern (Mt. Pleasant – former Infuzions)
MOMO Kitchen & Market (Goose Creek)
Papi’s Taqueria (Isle of Palms)
Pier 22 (Sullivans Island – former Gogogreens)
Pizza Prospero (Mt. Pleasant – former Slice)
Playa Bowls (Downtown – former Black Bean Co.)
Poke Tea House (Mt. Pleasant – former Sprout)
Roadside Seafood (Johns Island – former Chez Fish)
Rudi’s Café (Summerville)
Seafood Pot (North Charleston)
Semilla (Downtown – former Lee Lee’s Hot Kitchen)
Slice Co. (West Ashley – former Stoner’s Pizza)
Smallcakes (Summerville)
Sweet Belgium (Downtown)
The Grill at Windmill Station (Summerville)
Toni’s Pizza (Mt. Pleasant – former Uncle Maddio’s Pizza)
Zoe’s Kitchen (West Ashley)
CLOSINGS --
492 (Downtown)
Andolini’s Pizza (Mt. Pleasant)
Annie’s Bistro (Mt. Pleasant)
Bar Normandy (Downtown)
Bootleg Tavern (Downtown)
Cortaditos Cuban Café (Downtown)
Cory’s Grilled Cheese (James Island)
Fill (Mt. Pleasant)
Juan Luis (Downtown)
Kabob House (Goose Creek)
Mixson Grille (North Charleston)
Pancito & Lefty (Downtown)
Playa Taco (Mt. Pleasant)
Sermet’s Southernterranean (James Island)
Spero (Downtown)
The Getaway (Downtown)
The Lot (James Island)
Triangle Char Bar (Mt. Pleasant)
COMING SOON (expected to open in the 4th quarter '18) --
Adam's Kitchen (Mt. Pleasant)
Babas on Cannon (Downtown)
Bourbon N’ Bubbles (Downtown)
Butcher & The Boar (Mt Pleasant – former The Southerly)
Chatime Tea & Pastries (Downtown)
Checkers and Rally’s (Goose Creek)
El Pincho Taco (Downtown – former Cortaditos)
Fractured Prune Donuts (Mt. Pleasant)
House of Brews (West Ashley)
Jon Smith Subs (Mt. Pleasant)
Kid Cashew (Mt. Pleasant – former Triangle Char Bar)
Malagon (Downtown – former Artisan Meat Share)
Marco’s Pizza (West Ashley)
Maui Tacos (Downtown – former Dunkin Donuts)
Metro Diner (West Ashley)
Mex 1 (Mt. Pleasant – former Star Taco)
Primo Hoagies (Mt. Pleasant)
The Royal Tern (Johns Island)
Toast (Mt. Pleasant – former Fill)
Tradd’s (Downtown – former Cypress)
...AND 50+ more openings coming in the next 4-12 months...
NATIONAL RESTAURANT TRENDS
RESTAURANT LABOR CRISIS COULD WORSEN WITH GENERATION Z
While the restaurant industry continues to create jobs, the pool of potential workers that typically fill those jobs is shrinking. According to a new NRAEF survey, the most important workplace attribute Gen Z'ers are looking for is "positive workplace culture". With a smaller pool of workers to hire from, it will be vitally important for competing restaurants to create a workplace that can attract and retain top talent. Read the article in Nations Restaurant News.