The lobster roll has made its way to Boundary Street in Beaufort

“Authentic, fresh and sustainable ...We are upscale but unpretentious.”

That’s how Tony Herndon describes the business model of his restaurants, Joe Loves Lobster Rolls.

“The model is based off of serious freshness and clean eating, really more than anything,” he said.

Joe Loves Lobster Rolls started in the Lowcountry in 2013 with what was essentially a hotdog cart. Now, after opening restaurants in Ridgeland and Savannah, Herndon will add Joe Loves Lobster Rolls and Wild Game to his lineup on July 23, when he opens in the old Burlap Cafe at 2001 Boundary St. in Beaufort.

The shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Mondays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Herndon said all his restaurants differ from each other, including this one. This new venture has a larger kitchen to offer a more diverse menu, such as bison steaks and dishes with camel, kangaroo and ostrich. The retro furniture and local art set in the main dining area have a 1960s/1970s feel to it. There’s also an outdoor patio.

Eventually Herndon said he wants to roll out “phase two.” “Phase two” is a larger, unfinished part of the restaurant in the back where Herndon wants to offer space for parties, receptions, a boxed lunch checkout for workers in the area, live music and extra space for the overflow of customers.

Herndon said Joe Loves fans have been asking him about his next location for a while now. He had expected to open in December 2015, but was delayed because of construction issues.

“The hurricane proof windows took a month and a half,” he said.

With his new location, Herndon wants to focus on a healthier menu. He said his business is opting out of selling soft drinks and will offer a signature water with cucumber, lemon, mint with seasonal berry. He’s partnered with Jack Frost Ice Cream in Okatie to offer ice cream without artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners.

“Everything is clean,” he said of the food. “No antibiotics, hormones, steroids ... pesticides.”

Herndon said the waitstaff will be using iPads with a portable Clover checkout to improve the shop’s efficiency and that he always tells his servers and cooks “service first, food later.”

“The thing that really made me popular was the fact that no matter how busy I was, wherever I was, everyone was No. 1 at the time,” he said. “They were the only person on Earth.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 8:17 PM with the headline "The lobster roll has made its way to Boundary Street in Beaufort."