Five Guys will soon grow to six outposts in the Charleston region.
A franchisee for the Alexandra, Va.-based burgers-and-fries concept is staffing up for a “coming soon” location in the Harris Teeter-anchored James Island Center at Folly Road and Maybank Highway.
Five Guys is taking over the former Charlotte’s on Maybank space (above) on James Island.
File/Staff
A more precise opening date wasn’t immediately available.
The franchisee is Mooresville, N.C.-based Life’s Food, which operates more than 30 Five Guys locations in the Carolinas and Tennessee. They include seven South Carolina restaurants — in Summerville, Florence, Sumter and the Myrtle Beach area.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
On James Island, Five Guys is taking over a vacant space most recently occupied by Charlotte’s on Maybank, which cited South Carolina’s “obscene” liquor-liability insurance costs as one of the key reasons it closed late last year.
White Castle slider kiosks (left) are coming to some Murphy USA gas stations.
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Filler ‘er up
White Castle hasn’t opened a restaurant anywhere near South Carolina, but its famous quick-serve beef sliders will likely be available in the Palmetto State soon beyond the frozen-food aisle.
Murphy USA last week announced a deal to install “Crave & Go” kiosks that the fast-food chain is rolling out at some of the gasoline retailer’s large-format filling stations.
The vending machines are designed to prepare and dispense “hot, branded food without the space, labor, infrastructure and complexity associated with a traditional restaurant or full commercial kitchen,” according to a written statement.
The touchscreen kiosks will offer a variety of handheld sliders, including beef and chicken options, USA Today reported this week. The estimated wait time is about 2 minutes.
White Castle unveiled its Crave & Go concept in April. The Columbus, Ohio-based based chain is looking to place 1,000 of the kiosks in other high-traffic locations, such as college campuses, hospitals and transportation hubs under a deal with Automated Retail Technologies.
“Crave & Go … deployment has already begun, with early installations generating strong consumer engagement and highly positive feedback,” according to White Castle.
Murphy USA, which is headquartered in Arkansas, operated 1,700 gas stations in 27 states, including more than 70 across South Carolina.
Muddy’s Dockside Bar is beneath Vickery’s restaurant on Shem Creek.
File/Anna Sharpe/Staff
On the ‘Banks’ wagon
The hype around the Netflix hit “Outer Banks,” filmed across the Charleston area, continues after its latest and final season premiere.
Experience Mount Pleasant is also jumping on the bandwagon. The group has created a guide to all the filming locations in the town, ranging from Heyward’s Seafood to The Wreck Of The Richard & Charlene restaurant on Shem Creek.
Some other local establishments are giving their own nod to the show.
Muddy’s Dockside Bar at Vickery’s on Shem Creek has concocted a special OBX-themed drink menu. The show has filmed at the bar, but the restaurant has had a front-row seat to other production work along the waterway. Specials include the “Pelican Punch,” “The Royal Merchant” and “Pouge Soda” mocktail.
On the peninsula, Big John’s Tavern, which was transformed for a New Orleans scene for this season, added a banner above the door on East Bay Street, saying “As seen in Outer Banks Season 5.”
Huntington National Bank opened it first Mount Pleasant branch (above) this week at the Highway 17 entrance to the Aldi store in the north end of town.
John McDermott/Staff
Branching out
A regional bank from the Buckeye State has planted it first flag in Mount Pleasant under a broader push into the Charleston market.
Huntington National this week opened the first of at least two full-serve branches it’s planning to establish in the East Cooper market, taking a spot in the north end of town. The newly constructed office is at 3149 Highway 17, in front of an Aldi supermarket.
It is the bank’s fifth retail location in South Carolina. And work on No. 6 is wrapping up just down the road from the new location in a former TGI Friday restaurant near the entrance to Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.
Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington is aiming to open about 55 branches and hire 350 workers across the Carolinas. Key markets include Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem.
Huntington dipped its toe into the Carolinas several years ago. It cut the ribbon for its first full-service Charleston office at 677 King St. on the peninsula last year and set up shop in Summerville in July.
Huntington also is wrapping up work on a West Ashley branch on Savannah Highway next to the Coburg cow sign.
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