Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2020

36 www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com At NICO on Shem Creek, chef and owner Nico Romo was one step ahead of the pandemic. “My brother in France, who also owns a restaurant, heard on the news that they were heading into a full lockdown the Friday before the governor here in South Carolina decided to shut down the state,” said Romo. “I could see what was happening in Europe and wanted to adapt to what was coming.” He jumped into action, creating an online ordering system that would allow the restaurant to seamlessly offer to-go service to their customers, something they had never done before. Romo’s ability to anticipate the shutdown put the restaurant in a unique position — they transitioned to a takeout-only platform without ever having to close. “We offered pickup and delivery services from the moment the city shut down. On top of curbside delivery, we personally delivered to different neighborhoods throughout Charleston every day of the week. I became an excellent Uber driver throughout the whole experience,” he said. Kevin Johnson, chef and owner of The Grocery, had to take a different approach as he prepared for his restaurant to offer their menu to-go. “We wanted to offer dishes that felt like they were coming from The Grocery but would travel well and hold up to being reheated,” he explained Delicate fish preparations fell by the wayside and were replaced with heartier stews and curries, roasted vegetables and cold items. Missing out on Charleston’s soft shell crab season wasn’t an option, however — they’ve always held a place at The Grocery — so Johnson instructed his staff to hold off on frying softies until guests arrived to pick them up, in order to maintain their integrity. Along with upholding the quality and freshness they’re known for, Johnson wanted to offer comfort to guests, incorporating warm, satisfying dishes starring the heritage grains our region is famous for on The Grocery’s new to-go menu. As a restaurant with a robust take-out and catering program in place, Lewis Barbecue had an advantage when dining rooms were forced to close. Having both employees trained to take phone orders and processes in place to fulfill those orders meant that owner and pitmaster John Lewis could focus his efforts on implementing contactless pickup from the get-go, an effort that began with developing the new online ordering platform. “We now have a designated pickup area on the opposite side of the restaurant. People picking up their to-go orders simply run in and pick up their order — they pay for it online, and it is really easy and efficient,” said Lewis. They also began offering daily specials, giving patrons the chance to try something outside the realm of their normal offerings. “We found that people were excited to try something new, especially since they were primarily eating at home,” he said. Lewis was very aware of the impact of the virus on industry employees, and made giving back a priority, NICO on Shem Creek. The Grocery. feature