The Restaurant Industry in South Carolina
Not too long ago, restaurants in South Carolina, with very few exceptions and most of those in Charleston or Hilton Head—were not exactly on the cutting edge of contemporary cuisine. As late as the 1970s restaurant fare in the Palmetto State was meant for the masses; fast food and home cooking—the proverbial meat and three vegetables. As South Carolina has grown more cosmopolitan with the influx of people who have moved here from every other state in the Union and a number of foreign countries, the face of dining has changed dramatically. Many types of ethnic fare are now offered in urban centers of the state and even in some of its more rustic areas. Take a look at the exciting culinary adventures that you can experience without ever leaving South Carolina. South Carolina's hospitality industry is categorized along with the state's largest private-sector employer: tourism. This includes restaurants, hotels, motels, resorts, bars, bed and breakfasts, nightclubs, and inns. In South Carolina, the industry is represented with its own trade group; the Hospitality Association of South Carolina. The Association is made up of the organizations two membership divisions, hotel and motels and restaurants. Both of these divisions were previously independent organizations; the South Carolina Hotel and Motel, and the South Carolina Restaurant Associations, that merged in 1993. The Hospitality Association counts among its members restaurants that represent everything from four-star dining and exclusive resorts to fast and inexpensive. The Hospitality Association of South Carolina works to ensure the proliferation of diverse dining experiences across the state, and a favorable business climate in which they can flourish. The Association counts among its member restaurants at least 15 different ethnic eateries, several American regional dining establishments and a whole host of different types of foods from pizza to steak to barbecue, vegetarian and seafood. The Association also promotes South Carolina restaurants in various culinary and dining publications, and websites throughout the U.S. South Carolina restaurant owners are also very active in their respective communities sponsoring blood drives, community youth sports associations, teams, and even statewide events such as the annual Buck-A-Cup program for the Easter Seals South Carolina chapter. The South Carolina Restaurant Association, now part of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina has teamed up with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers' Association for over 60 years to raise over $15 million during that time. The job of inspecting South Carolina restaurants for cleanliness and adherence to state health codes falls to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Division of Food Protection. The inspections take place not only in restaurants open to the general public, but also in school cafeterias, bakeries, retail meat and seafood markets, and grocery store food preparation areas. Over 16,664 retail food establishments in South Carolina are inspected annually to ensure strict compliance with health and sanitation standards. Each food establishment is required to display the food safety rating in a prominent place. Most restaurants will display this rating in the front door of the facility. The food safety ratings in South Carolina are based on a numerical score and identified as A, B or C. Grade A - An establishment having a rating score of 88-100 points. These facilities typically exhibit very good to acceptable levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection. Grade B - An establishment having a rating score of 78-87 points. These facilities typically exhibit acceptable to marginal levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection. Grade C - An establishment having a rating score of 77-70 points. These facilities typically exhibit poor to marginal levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection. Virtually every national or regional restaurant chain that has a facility in South Carolina has its own online search engines. However, if you are looking for a special or unique dining experience South Carolina restaurants can also be found in a number of city or Palmetto State regional guides such as www.restaurants.sc, where you can link up to many different South Carolina restaurants that serve different varieties of food. No matter what section of South Carolina you will be visiting, chances are you can find the kind of food you’re craving. Southern cuisine, like the offerings in many other regions of the United States, is a true mix of the foods brought to the area by settlers of different cultures. The classic Southern fare seen in every corner of South Carolina came from indigenous Native Americans; English, Irish, Scottish settlers, and even French and German influences can be seen. However, what is possibly considered the epitome of Southern cuisine, is what in some circles is known as "soul food." This is a direct influence from the West African slaves that were brought to South Carolina to work on large cotton and rice plantations in what is now the Low Country area of the state. This included such foodstuffs as eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes and black-eye peas, plus the perfection of that most Southern of cuisines: barbecue. It is soul food that inspired a host of small diners and restaurants across South Carolina that served the diner’s choice of three vegetables—usually chosen from a full menu of possible items—and one meat item, usually a special of the day. This has also spawned the popularity of pinto beans with cornbread, green beans cooked with bacon, ham or fatback and fried okra. For many, this is considered Southern "comfort food": the simple fare many South Carolinians experienced while growing up. A niche market for Southern food has proven profitable for several national chains, primarily Cracker Barrel, a Tennessee-based restaurant chain which has extended its market across the country. Other chains with Southern roots include virtually all the nationally known fried chicken restaurant chains, most notably Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chick-Fil-A. There are many individual family style restaurants in South Carolina based on the cuisine of the South. There has even been a new culinary movement over the last 20 years that has evolved the traditional Southern cuisine and made it more upscale. Such restaurants have sprung up in Columbia, Greenville and Charleston. Even though some ethnic food offerings have become a standard part of the culinary landscape in South Carolina (Chinese, Italian Restaurants, Mexican), there are many more restaurants that offer ethnic fare from cultures whose foods have not yet been as easily assimilated. One trend that began in the 1960s and has become another traditional food of the contemporary South Carolina restaurant scene has opened the door for another style of food from the same culture. The Japanese steakhouses, which feature a style of cooking called teppanyaki, became popular in the 1970s in South Carolina. The popularity of this Japanese form of cooking later made way for sushi (vinegar cooked rice combined with fish) and sashimi (thinly sliced raw seafood served with a dipping sauce) restaurants. Now both are considered foods enjoyed by many South Carolinians. The other ethnic offerings that can be found in larger urban areas include: Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, French, German, Brazilian, and Indian. South Carolina restaurants have also opened that feature other variations on these traditional cultural foods. Such restaurants have found loyal customer bases among native South Carolinians from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, from Columbia to Rock Hill and from Aiken to Greenville. Some immigrants who have settled in smaller areas of the Palmetto State have even opened ethnic restaurants that just a decade ago would have seemed exotic. According to South Carolina restaurant consulting experts, the next big trend in the Palmetto State restaurant landscape, is restaurant companies from other countries coming to the United States. Recently, Mexico's largest restaurant company, Grupo Anderson's, turned to an American restaurant consulting group that has built an international marketing niche to execute the restaurant company’s plans to expand its flagship brand, Señor Frog's, into the U.S. When Señor Frogs made its first foray into the American market during its South Carolina debut in June 2005 in Myrtle Beach, the overwhelming response left the restaurant flooded with excited patrons. The current restaurant market in South Carolina seems to be a natural area to expand such international offerings given the influx of new residents from foreign countries, particularly in the Greenville area. The I-85 corridor of the Upstate has been a draw for international visitors for the last 25 years since foreign companies began placing automotive and tire company subsidiaries there. It was the Greenville area that led the trend toward more international flavors that has since taken over several areas of the Palmetto State. Another reason for the anticipated success of other international restaurant expansions in South Carolina has to do with the annual numbers of tourists that frequent the I-95 corridor plus the soon to be constructed I-73 near the Grand Strand. The future of South Carolina restaurants that cater to a wide variety of tastes seems bright, indeed. Start your culinary journey today at www.restaurants.sc. South Carolina Restaurant Groups And Community Outreach
South Carolina Restaurant Regulation
South Carolina Restaurant Locater
Southern Cuisine Restaurants
Ethnic Restaurants
Imported Restaurants
Local
