From an editorial calling time on carriage tours to a James Island fisherman's restaurant getting its full profile, here's what Charleston's press was actually paying attention to.
This week's Briefing pulls from a month of genuine news: Peninsula Grill has a new executive chef with a homecoming story; Boone Hall Plantation is restructuring under nonprofit stewardship; Theatre 99's building just sold for nearly $7 million; and CudaCo. Seafood House got the feature it's been earning. Not every item is cause for celebration, but each one is worth knowing before you make a reservation or a plan.
Charleston City Paper's profile — headlined 'CudaCo. is much more than a seafood house' — traces owner Chris John's arc from James Island native to commercial fisherman to the market-and-restaurant operation on Folly Road that's built its menu around undervalued species most kitchens won't touch. The fried scallop po' boy and grouper cheek sandwich are the anchors; the sourcing philosophy is the point.
John Ondo — who once worked the line at Peninsula Grill earlier in his career — has returned as executive chef of the nearly 30-year-old Chalmers Street institution, per the Post & Courier. A homecoming hire at a Relais & Chateaux property is worth tracking; the next few months will reveal how Ondo's vision reshapes a room that's been running on velvet walls and coconut cake for decades.
Boone Hall Plantation is transitioning to nonprofit stewardship, the Post & Courier confirmed — a significant structural shift for a property that has operated as a private attraction for decades. The Briefing noted that nonprofit governance often signals a change in how a site interprets its own history; the Avenue of Oaks isn't going anywhere, but watch for programming adjustments as the foundation takes shape.
The building at 280 Meeting Street — home to Theatre 99 — sold for nearly $7 million, with plans for six condominiums on the site, per the Post & Courier. The improv community has been tracking this dispute for close to a year; the sale puts Theatre 99's future at this address squarely in the hands of a new owner.
The IAAM remains open despite a financial shortfall that triggered six months of staff and leadership furloughs starting in July — a situation the Briefing called one of the institution's most serious operational challenges since its 2023 launch on Gadsden's Wharf. The museum confirmed programming continues; foot traffic and gift shop dollars matter more than usual right now.
Charleston City Paper marked Home Team BBQ's 20th anniversary this month — a genuine milestone for a brand that now runs four Lowcountry locations and has outlasted scores of trendier successors since opening on Ashley River Road in 2006. The dry-rub wings remain the order.
The Park Circle sandwich-and-coffee shop that Andrew Hare and Jared Hellman opened in a converted church at 1082 East Montague in summer 2023 is expanding beyond North Charleston, per Charleston City Paper. The original location is already a neighborhood fixture; where the next outpost lands will tell you something about where the brand thinks the city's appetite is moving.
Charleston City Paper's editorial board published a direct call — 'Time for Charleston's carriages to go' — putting all four licensed operators, including Palmetto Carriage Works, at the center of a civic debate about animal welfare and street congestion. The editorial doesn't change anything yet, but it's the sharpest formal pressure the industry has faced in years.
A truck crashed into Bessinger's Savannah Highway drive-thru earlier this month, closing that lane while the building is assessed, per the Post & Courier. The dining room remains intact — the pulled pork and mustard sauce are still there — but call ahead before making the drive specifically for the drive-thru.