August is historically slow for the food and beverage industry in Charleston, and several establishments have announced their closures. Restaurants include a Lowcountry icon, a West Ashley bistro, and a Daniel Island staple.
It’s last call for crabcakes on Saturday, August 23, as fine dining hotel restaurant Charleston Grill shuts its doors to make way for a new restaurant. The Post and Courier broke the news yesterday that the restaurant will shutter after 36 years in service. Closing Charleston Grill is part of the overhaul of the Charleston Place after the Beemok Hospitality Collection (BHC) acquired it in 2021. “A fresh new dining concept is planned for the future,” says BHC president Casey Lavin, “And in the meantime, guests can expect a unique pop-up culinary concept to debut in the coming months.”
Charleston Grill has been through several changes since opening in 1989 with chef Louis Osteen at the helm. Chef Bob Waggoner took over in 1997 with sous chef Michelle Weaver, who would later lead the kitchen in 2009. Longtime general manager Mickey Bakst set the tone for the front of the house for 17 years, before retiring in 2020. Throughout the changes however, remained a upstanding fine dining establishment exhalting Lowcountry fare in a refined manner. It will be interesting to see what’s next for the space…