Fahey: P.F. Chang's, Cheesecake Factory high on want list

Elizabeth Kenny of Sun City Hilton Head loves her local spot, the Okatie Ale House, which is right outside Sun City's gates.

In addition to the ale house and the Cracker Barrel across the street, though, she'd like to have more options nearby.

"Restaurants don't just provide food, but a place for companionship," she said. "There's a large group of us that go out to eat just about every night."

And because she eats out so frequently, Kenny said she would benefit from the deals some chain restaurants offer.

On the other hand, Claire Fusco of Bluffton, who was a private caterer in New York, would much rather eat at local establishments.

"Why would anyone go to a chain restaurant?" she wondered.

It's a question that came up often in the more than 500 responses we received after asking readers what they would like to see added to our retail landscape in Beaufort County. Most responses centered around big-box stores and major grocery chains. Of the restaurants requested, P.F. Chang's and The Cheesecake Factory received the most support.

The closest P.F. Chang's to Beaufort County is in Mount Pleasant, about 117 miles from Beaufort County. The nearest Cheesecake Factory is even farther -- in Jacksonville, Fla., about 184 miles away. P.F. Chang's is scheduled to open two locations soon, in Newport News, Va., and Winston-Salem, N.C., and The Cheesecake Factory is set to open three -- two in California and one in Ohio.

P.F. Chang's spokeswoman Abra Williams said the company is not allowed to disclose real-estate investment plans or strategy. Attempts to reach The Cheesecake Factory were unsuccessful.

'LOCAL CIRCLE'

Tourists want their time in the Lowcountry to be special and memorable. Restaurants play a big role in this: Local restaurants thrive in a tourism-driven economy because out-of-towners often want to experience something they can't get at home, whether it's fresh shrimp and grits or sweet-tea fried chicken.

But even in a locally-focused area such as Beaufort County, chains have successfully co-existed for decades -- although local eateries usually find the most success.

A good example is Truffles Cafe, which started in 1983 as a hole-in-the-wall bakery in Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island.

"We were franchised bakers who wanted to do a freshly-baked concept," said co-owner Price Beall. Because of the prime location, a lot of out-of-towners stumbled across the restaurant.

"We were the hidden spot that people liked," Beall recalled.

Thirty-two years later, Truffles, which now offers a full lunch and dinner menu at two locations, has established itself as a staple eatery among Beaufort County residents and tourists.

Beall believes local businesses such as his are of paramount importance in Beaufort County because they keep money in the local economy.

"Local businesses have a local circle," he said. "We buy our insurance locally, we bank locally, we do all of our business locally. Chains have national distribution centers."

He added sometimes local businesses can be the losers when it comes to offering competitive prices.

"Chains use buying power, which puts pressure on local businesses," he said. "(Chain restaurants) can charge less because they buy food at a much lower price."

But having started his career at chain restaurant Ruby Tuesday, of which his brother Sandy is the founder, Beall said he learned the "systems and controls" of the industry.

"I started as a dishwasher and worked my way up," he said. "I got to work under so many managers and saw (different) management styles."

He applied this experience in operating Truffles and Chow Daddy's, another restaurant he co-owns with two locations, one on Hilton Head Island and one in Bluffton.

Plus, he added, having a variety of restaurants, both chain and local, in the area is a positive thing -- for consumers and entrepreneurs alike.

"Competition makes you a sharper operator," Beall said.

Starting this summer, dining-out options at the Hilton Head Tanger Outlet Centers in Bluffton have become more competitive, too.

Tanger Outlets, known for its plethora of national brands, is one of the biggest commercial developments in Beaufort County. Instead of adding chain restaurants such as Chipotle and Olive Garden in Tanger 2, general manager Ashley Doepp decided to try something new.

This summer, she started a food truck court, which initially had a trial run through Labor Day. The program, which started out with three trucks, was recently extended to the end of the year. Doepp said six local food trucks are signed on to serve Tanger shoppers in rotation from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

"Tourists are looking for local flair," Doepp said. "They also like national brands."

And the food truck owners?

"They're thrilled," she added.

Doepp said the high pedestrian traffic at the outlets gives the food trucks exposure they didn't have previously. And those who come to the center for the trucks might be incentivized to stop in a store after eating at Ragin Cajun, Downtown Curbside Kitchen or Colonel Cobb.

Now that the tourist season is over, Doepp is interested to see how frequently locals visit the trucks.

"When tourists are here, they can come anytime," Doepp said. "We're now relying more heavily on local traffic."

Resident and tourist traffic is also key to the success of locally-owned Beaufort restaurants.

For Norberto Lopez, owner of Berto's Tex-Mex Grill in Habersham Marketplace, dining out locally provides a unique experience. Ambiance is paramount: His restaurant is furnished with hand-crafted Equipale chairs and tables from Mexico.

Lopez opened his original location in 2002 on Boundary Street and moved to his new neighborhood in 2010.

"Habersham is becoming a destination place," he said, adding that tourists as well as Beaufort residents are coming to his restaurant, one of several local eateries in the neighborhood.

Lopez's story parallels Beall's in many ways. Originally from Mexico, he got his start in 1989 as a line cook at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in New Jersey, rising to the position of head chef 14 years later.

His experience at the chain restaurant prepared him for his role as a restaurateur.

"I got different ideas from different places," he said, adding the idea of making guacamole tableside was inspired by New York restaurants.

Habersham has a similar vibe as Old Town Bluffton, which is free of chains and known for its strong local-business vibe. Calhoun Street has become even more of a draw for Hilton Head tourists who traditionally never left the island. With art galleries, boutique shops, wine bars and more than a dozen restaurants, Old Town is busy with tourists and locals.

Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, and developer of the Promenade shopping center, said national retailers have expressed interest in moving into the development.

But he's adamant about keeping all shops and restaurants local.

"The pulse of the community is local businesses," he said. "Here, you see a lot of local people supporting the community."

He said the eclectic vibe of Old Town is what's driving traffic from locals and tourists -- and what's filling up tenant space quickly in the Promenade.

"By the time we get the framing done on a building, it's leased," Herbkersman said.

There's a sense of community in Old Town, he added, even among fellow business owners.

"If you run out of cups, you go next door to your neighbor," he said.

Herbkersman agreed, though, there is a place outside of Old Town Bluffton for chains and national retailers.

After all, he said, "it's the commerce of America."

Follow reporter Ashley Fahey at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.

Related content:

• Food truck court coming to Tanger Outlet Center 2, July 16, 2015

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Fahey: P.F. Chang's, Cheesecake Factory high on want list."