Charleston just lost another two staple restaurants as Neighborhood Dining Group (NDG) announced that fine dining spot McCrady’s and Mexican restaurant Minero will not reopen on East Bay Street.
NDG president David Howard sent out the following statement:
The past couple of months have presented unparalleled challenges to our beloved restaurant community. As we look towards the future of our restaurant operations post-crisis, we’ve been proactively evaluating each of our restaurants to determine how they will fit into the new reality we anticipate for the F&B industry. Through many tough conversations as the crisis has unfolded, we’ve come to the difficult decision that McCrady’s, a tasting-menu-only restaurant with few seats in an intimate setting, will no longer be viable in this changed business environment with restrictions on seating capacity. We are sad to announce that McCrady’s will not be reopening. This has also led us to the decision to discontinue service at our downtown location of Minero (located above McCrady’s) and instead focus efforts on our forthcoming location on Johns Island with expanded menu offerings, a large bar, curbside pickup, and outdoor seating. Our valued staff at these locations were laid off at the start of the virus crisis and are already receiving unemployment benefits.
We’re so grateful for the many wonderful years we’ve spent on East Bay Street and would like to extend the sincerest appreciation to our neighbors, Charleston community, and visitors who have dined with us over the years. It’s been a true honor.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Husk and Delaney Oyster House as soon as we’re able and are excited for our next chapter for Minero on Johns Island.
NDG was one of the first restaurant groups to lay off employees when the pandemic hit, to insure staff could apply for unemployment.
Famed chef Sean Brock helped raise the profile of NDG restaurants (McCrady’s, McCrady’s Tavern, Minero, and Husk), before his departure in 2018. Brock joined the group in 2006 before Charleston was seen as a food town. His use of molecular gastronomy in the McCrady’s kitchen, housed in an eighteenth-century tavern, caught a lot of attention from diners and media.
His fame really sky-rocketed when he opened the hyperlocal Husk under NDG in 2010. With so much press and awards for Brock and the restaurant, a Southern-food resurgence rippled through America — and Charleston became a destination spot for food tourism.
Brock went on to open Minero and McCrady’s Tavern, before expanding the Husk brand to Nashville, Greenville, and Savannah. The chef left NDG to pursue several restaurants in Nashville, which he is working on opening now.
• All McCrady’s Coverage [ECAR]
• All Minero Coverage [ECAR]
• Indigo Road, Neighborhood Dining Group Lay Off Nearly 1,500 Workers Amid COVID-19 Closures [P&C]
• Sean Brock Blogged Through McCrady’s Early Days [ECAR]
• Charleston Without Sean Brock [E]
• Celebrity Chef Sean Brock Is Taking Over This Shuttered Space in East Nashville [ENASH]