|
Up
| |
Restaurant Review
Redbone Alley: Downhome Gourmet in an Upbeat Center
by Linda J. Field
Family, friends and food – that’s what the South is all
about. Redbone Alley grabs ‘hold of that thought like a hound dog on a bone’ and
treats its visitors to downhome cooking and old-fashioned hospitality. At the
concept’s original location in the Florence Mall in Florence, South Carolina, both
the restaurant and its surrounding retailers have formed a complementary union that has
breathed new life into an old mall.
It has been seven years since Redbone Alley moved into the now-thriving mixed-use center.
When Redbone Alley secured its lease, the center’s JCPenney anchor had moved out.
Redbone Alley leased the former Penney location from Piggly Wiggly and began a renovation
program, putting nearly a million dollars into the site before opening for business.
About the same time, Edens & Avant, the Columbia, South Carolina-based company that
manages the center, began serious renovations to “de-mall” the property. The
mall was completely redesigned as a open-air center, with about $1.5 million spent for
renovations and changes, including parking and lighting improvements.
Shortly after the improvements were completed, Steinmart moved into a 33,800-sq.ft. space,
followed by Talbots six months later. The old mall became a regional shopping center,
attracting customers from the greater Piedmont area along with more retailers, including
Rogers Brothers Fabrics (upscale fabric store), Movie Gallery and Peeble’s Department
Store.
Once improvements to Florence Mall were complete and Redbone Alley was an established
business, growth continued. Today, Florence Mall is between 98 percent to 99 percent
leased, with only a single 15,000-sq.ft. outparcel currently available. Edens & Avant
acquired the facility in 1997 and still manages it. The center’s location, at the
intersection of Routes 20 and 95, major north-south and east-west thoroughfares, has
become a major shopping district, and the area also pulls cultural, medical and tourist
traffic.
Redbone Alley’s approach to dining fit well with the overall growth in the area.
According to Will Green, marketing director, “Redbone Alley is outdoor dining brought
inside. It touts all that’s good about the South in a courtyard-like setting
reminiscent of Charleston or New Orleans.” He notes that although theme and
atmosphere are important, the menu is the main focus. “Even if we just had a tent set
up outside as our dining room, we feel our product would stand alone. Our main concern is
the food and the satisfaction of the diners.”
That attitude may be the reason that the restaurants serve up to 7,000 diners weekly. All
meals are prepared fresh daily by individual orders, instead of in bulk and then reheated
as needed. No corners are cut in food preparation. The Redbone Alley kitchens never have
been and never will be central commissaries. The kitchen staff is made aware of the
importance of staggering individual preparation instead of cooking in bulk. And the food
is a celebration of the area and its heritage. Produce, preferably hand-picked, is bought
from the local farmers’ market. Fresh seafood, including fish from Atlantic
suppliers, is brought in daily. Even local charcoal is used for grilling.
Southern cuisine isn’t only and never was just grits, ham hocks and fatback. Redbone
Alley takes traditional dishes and offers opportunities of rediscovery to the diner. The
menu is influenced by hundreds of years of French, Mediterranean, African, English and
West Indian cooking brought to the area by emigres from many parts of the globe, but
downhome dishes are given some added flair by the chefs at Redbone Alley. Grits are there,
but they are combined with shrimp, rice and spices.
Redbone Alley pays attention to all diners, including kids. The general menu is designed
for adults, but a special kids’ menu, which even includes pizza, is available. Mom
and dad are able to relax over their meals, which might include a good bottle of wine,
while kids can eat and then amuse themselves in a special play area that features an
ice-cream truck and a fort.
This is a restaurant with a heart, too, not just a diverse menu and ways to occupy the
whole family. Concerts have been held at Redbone Alley as fundraisers for local charities,
like the soup kitchen in Columbia, South Carolina. Entertainment is provided on weekends,
giving local talent a chance to shine. Company officials say such diversions enhance the
dining experience and provide atmosphere.
Redbone Alley is pursuing expansion at sites near its base in Florence. Another South
Carolina location is open in Columbia and a third is scheduled to open in Sumter this
summer. Plans call for another opening this year in Summerville, South Carolina and the
company is exploring options in the neighboring states of North Carolina and Georgia. The
restaurants require a minimum of 9,000 sq.ft. to 10,000 sq.ft., with freestanding or strip
center locations of interest, but Green says the company keeps its options open and there
are no rigid requirements.
“The key is finding good people, the right people to run the restaurants,” he
feels. “We are staying as close as we can to our base in South Carolina while
we’re getting started in the Southeast. We will avoid ‘cookie-cutter’
restaurants. Nothing is out of bounds but we won’t do more than what we can
logistically do.”
Just like its hound dog mascot with a bone, Redbone Alley has its teeth sunk into its
slogan: “I’d rather have an inch of dog than miles of pedigree.” Patrons
get good honest quality, no airs or snobbery, and a freshly prepared meal. That philosophy
has served the restaurants well and has proved beneficial to the retailers surrounding
them.
For more information, contact Will Green, Redbone Alley Restaurants, 1903 West Palmetto
Street, Florence, SC 29501, 843-673-0035, Fax 843-679-3101; Meredith Moore, Edens &
Avant, leasing for Florence Mall, 800-662-7212, ext. 659.
|