Charleston Hospitality Group Owner Arrested for Assault and Battery [Updated]

Charleston police arrested restaurateur Sam Mustafa on Monday, May 7, on charges of assault and battery. Mustafa is the owner of the Charleston Hospitality Group, which runs all the area Toast! restaurants, Queology, Tabbuli, Cove Oyster Bar, HonkyTonk Saloon and Fill Restaurant & Piano Bar. Mustafa is also acting president of The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association.

According to the police report, Mustafa allegedly assaulted a woman who he had previously dated. The report states that Mustafa tracked the woman to Halls Chophouse and followed her out the back door, and then “The offender grabbed her by her hair causing her to bend over while forcing her face to the ground. As he continued to do this, she was yelling ‘please stop, please stop.’ The offender then let go of her hair and pushed her chest causing her to fall backward and hit the back of her head on the ground.” The incident allegedly happened in February.

After Post & Courier and Charleston City Paper reported the incident, Mustafa’s attorney Andy Savage, sent out the following statement:

“We have recently initiated an investigation of allegations of simple assault. Since the accuser did not appear yesterday for a collateral hearing that she initiated, we were unable to question her or obtain her statement under oath. The accuser’s recent conduct, which is inconsistent with the reported allegations, leads us to believe that Sam’s arrest was a malicious reaction to rejection. We look forward to the next court date in anticipation of uncovering the truth.”

Savage was also Mustafa’s lawyer in 2013, when the restaurateur was charged with rape — a charge that was dropped when prosecutors could not prove the charge in court.

Update 4.1.19: The assault charge against Mustafa was dropped in November 2018, and the matter was expunged from his record on March 13, 2019.

• Lawyer for Charleston Restaurateur Calls Assault Charge ‘a Malicious Reaction to Rejection’ [P&C]
• Sam Mustafa, Charleston Restaurateur, Allegedly Gave a Woman a Concussion and Broken Tooth During Encounter [CP]
• Mustafa Rape Charge Dropped [P&C]