Happy Sunday! This is the 1st edition of the newly-rebranded CHS Happenings. There are 655 others like you. You can say you were a pioneer. 😀

BTW, that’s the 1st and last “Happy Sunday” greeting you’ll see. Every Friday at 9:00 AM is when this will hit your inbox. SO many re-launching items to take care of this week…

I want this to be your go-to place for the start of the weekend. Where you grab great ideas for restaurants, learn about new retailers coming to town, fill your calendar with fun events and be the first to know about commercial real estate projects in your ‘hood.

In today’s newsletter:

• Lewis Barbecue closes! Say it’s not so! Or is it? 😮‍💨

• The Alley’s last pins are knocked down. 🎳

• Malaysia in Charleston?! 🌶️

HOT STORY

Lewis Barbecue announces it’s closing?!

Here’s the great news right up front: Lewis Barbecue re-opened for business yesterday, after announcing its closing on social media on Tuesday.

But man, was it an opaque announcement. In social media posts on Instagram and Facebook, the decision was made for “unforeseen maintenance”.

To say this was received with alarm around town is putting it mildly. Particularly in our home.

Growing up in Maryland, the only barbecue I knew was Carolina ‘cue, which is hog-focused. When I first ate at Lewis Barbecue shortly after they opened in Charleston, my palate was immediately transformed.

I never order anything but brisket at Lewis. They used to offer the option of a hunk of “fatty or lean” at the ordering counter while you perused their menu.

Now they don’t even bother. Who would say “lean” when given the choice?!?!

What was that about?

The alarm was short-lived for me, though. Having been in the retail real estate business as a broker for so long, I know Lewis simply kills it downtown. This is pure and utter speculation, but I’d be shocked if they’re not doing close to $7-8 million in annual sales. Not including catering. 💰

The question remains, though: what was that about? Something that was being pondered by another Charleston barbecue kingpin who frequents my favorite Mount Pleasant coffee shop, and who I waited in line behind this morning. He was deep in conversation with a friend about it, and yes, I was listening!

So hallelujah, I can continue to be the creature of habit I am and get my half-pound of brisket, green chile corn pudding and collards re-starting today.

And you can, too.

RESTAURANTS

In case you missed it

🎳 The Alley closes downtown. After 12 years of serving as a community gathering place, The Alley closed on June 1 to make way for a new hotel development. The Post & Courier wrote an excellent piece about how much The Alley meant to its owners, employees and customers. If you thought “Why another hotel?!”, the answer lies not only in the droves of visitors who continue to descend on Charleston but the money they spend here! According to a study from the College of Charleston, the city saw over $13 billion from tourism in 2023, a $7 billion increase from 2019.

🥘 DC-based Makan opened on Rutledge. We now have Malaysian cuisine in Charleston. Makan opened on Friday in the Cannonborough neighborhood. I ate at Makan when I worked in DC, and I can tell you it’s damn tasty food. Chef James Wozniak said he plans on making our town’s version more seafood-heavy. I previously shared the menu released in early May.

🥩 Marbled & Fin opened on East Bay Street. The owners of Husk, Delaney Oyster House, Minero and The James opened their latest restaurant on June 12. Marbled & Fin is described as a 2024 version of a steakhouse. Owner David Howard says he wanted something “energetic and vibrant, even sassy”. I just want my ribeye medium-rare, please.

That’s it for this week. We have BIG plans for CHS Happenings. We’ll start to integrate the best events to attend around town next week, and we’ll also introduce local business profiles in the next few weeks.

Thank you for being along for the ride!

FEEDBACK

Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by replying to this email or voting in the poll below (you’ll be done faster than I put away Lewis Barbecue brisket). 👇