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RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

BUSINESS OF LIFE

This is a sampling of stories from the Business Journal’s weekly Restaurant Roundup email. Subscribe at wilmingtonbiz.com.

LM Restaurants adapts to changes in dining

LM Restaurants, the Raleigh-based restaurant group that operates five restaurants locally, is taking steps to address post-pandemic issues facing the industry, including labor and supply shortages.

The company enlisted the help of Top Chef alum Katsuji Tanabe earlier this year, bringing him on board as the lead for culinary innovation.

Katherine Goldfaden, director of brands for LM Restaurants, said Tanabe spends several days a week in the Wilmington restaurants, particularly at Oceanic, Bluewater Waterfront Grill, Henry’s and Hop’s Supply Co., working side by side with chefs. The company also operates Carolina Ale House.

With a fresh set of eyes, Tanabe is looking at each menu and assessing how to make things more efficient. Since restaurants across the board are dealing with labor shortages as well as supply shortages and rising costs of ingredients, Tanabe is looking at ways to keep costs down while still wowing the customer.

In addition to enlisting the help of Tanabe, LM recently moved longtime Bluewater executive chef Jeffrey Scott to the lead culinary position at Henry’s. With Scott’s departure from Bluewater, LM recently promoted Evan Parker to the restaurant’s executive chef position, just a few months after he was hired as executive sous chef.

Couple plans restaurant at former Booty’s Soul Food

Corey and Phallin Scott, owners of On Thyme Catering and food truck, recently bought the property previously occupied by Booty’s Soul Food at 918 Castle St.

Booty’s, named for owner Linwood “Booty” Davis, has been a fixture on Castle Street since the early ’70s. Davis closed the restaurant, known for late-night eats, in March 2020 and decided to retire last October, according to Corey Scott.

The Scotts have gained a loyal following since starting their catering company and truck in 2019. They felt the time was right to move to a brickand-mortar location where they can serve guests as well as prepare food for the truck.

On Thyme Restaurant will not cater to the late-night crowd but rather serve lunch and dinner.

In addition to the building, the Scotts also purchased surrounding lots. According to a New Hanover County deed, On Thyme Catering & Fruit Creations LLC purchased four parcels, 912, 914, 918 and 920 Castle St., from the Davis family for $400,000 on June 17.

While the Scotts said they don’t yet have any long-term plans for the lots, they hope to host a weekly food truck rodeo on Sundays once the restaurant opens.

A renovation of the 1,500-squarefoot restaurant will begin shortly, and the Scotts are hoping for a late-fall to early-winter opening.

Burgaw Brewing gets green light for downtown site

A brewpub that has been in the works since 2019 is now coming to fruition in downtown Burgaw, with the town’s approval of a special use permit for Burgaw Brewing at 103 S. Wright Street.

The project, initiated by Burgaw Now, an organization dedicated to the promotion, restoration and development of Burgaw, will be owned and operated by Kevin Kozak, a professional brewer who has been in the industry since 2004.

Kozak moved to Wilmington in 2006 and held the position of head brewer, among other positions, at Front Street Brewery for 13 years. The building where the brewpub will be housed is owned by Burgaw Now founder Richard Johnson.

Another project launched by Burgaw Now is Fat Daddy’s Pizza. Owner Jay Kranchalk opened the pizzeria located at 103 W. Fremont St. in January 2020.

The brewery will house a 10-barrel brewing system created by Canada-based Specific Mechanical Systems. Kozak said the system is now in production and will allow the brewery to have six to eight beers on tap once it’s fully operational.

The roughly 4,000-square-foot building will also hold a full commercial kitchen, a full bar and taproom seating for around 150 guests. An outdoor beer garden and seating along the front of the building have also been approved.

Kozak is hoping to open later this year. -Jessica Maurer

| BUSINESS OF LIFE |

Luxury travel options widen

BY NEIL COTIAUX

On July 2, Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas was scheduled to leave Miami, one of the first departures from an American port since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s pandemic-related No-Sail Order was imposed on the cruise industry 16 months ago.

Freedom of the Seas’ cruise to the Bahamas marks the return of commercial vacation travel on the high seas.

But as the industry returns to normal, it finds itself in growing competition with other forms of higher-end travel, much of it feeding off pent-up demand for recreation that is crowdfree, customized and a perceived step up in luxury.

In late May, the 191-foot superyacht Skyfall docked at Wrightsville Beach Marina. While not nearly as large as one of Royal Caribbean’s vessels, it represents a more exclusive model in waterborne travel for those who can afford it.

The yacht, with its James Bond-inspired name, is owned by Roy Carroll, president and CEO of The Carroll Companies, the real estate firm developing The Avenue, a more than $200 million mixed-use project planned for Military Cutoff Road.

“There’s more and more people from North Carolina who own these boats,” said Sam Clary, the marina’s dockmaster. “There’s probably 10 or 12 with local ties over 100 feet that frequently come to visit.”

When Skyfall is not being used by Carroll it is available for charter by other families, groups of friends and businesses. Carroll, who owns the Caymans-flagged vessel and uses a charter broker to book sailings, requires background checks on all his guests.

The superyacht remains shipshape thanks to an international crew of 14 who serve up to 12 guests per sailing. It features a master suite and cabins, a grand salon that includes a dining area, temperature-controlled cabinets for 1,000 wine bottles, WiFi, an office for remote work, an entertainment system, an elevator, a second salon, a large open area on the bridge deck and a sun deck with two hot tubs. Other amenities include a powerboat, jet skis, seabobs and diving equipment.

Skyfall plies the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter for about $500,000 and $350,000 per week, respectively, inclusive of fuel, food and gratuities.

Unlike river cruising, which is growing in popularity, Carroll says chartering a superyacht enables guests to change their travel plans on a whim.

“You and the captain set your itinerary. You’re not on schedule,” he said. “You get to decide what you want to do, where you want to go and exactly what you want to eat.”

Prior to boarding, a preference list is submitted to guests asking questions like “What time do you want your coffee?” or “How do you like your salmon cooked?” Carroll added.

“It is expensive vacationing, but it is the ultimate luxury in vacations,” the Greensboro-based real estate developer said.

In June, Skyfall was headed to Croatia, Albania and Montenegro, a departure from the superyacht’s usual schedule.

“Typically, the West Med is the hot place to be … but those areas have not opened up all the way,” Carroll said.

PHOTO C/O ROY CARROLL Water wonder: Skyfall, a 191-foot superyacht owned by Greensboro-based real estate developer Roy Carroll, docked in Wrightsville Beach in May.

OCEAN AND RIVER CRUISES

In contrast to Skyfall, “A lot of cruise lines aren’t ready to sail yet,” observed Jeff Roberts, owner of Wilmingtontravelandcruise.com, based in Leland.

With the CDC greenlighting Royal Caribbean’s July 2 cruise, the industry giant recommended that passengers get vaccinated. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols,” a June 4 statement said.

“I think there’s going to be a slight reluctance ‘til the cruises get going for, I’d say a month, ‘til people see feedback,” Roberts said.

Such hesitation may prompt couples or groups stepping away from the megaships – but who also find superyachts overly expensive – to embrace river cruising. But they may still be denied entry at certain ports as authorities continue to monitor local health conditions.

Most people who take river cruises experience a number of mass-market cruises and “then they’re ready for something different,” Roberts said. While the entertainment may not be as memorable and the menu somewhat limited, river cruises carry far fewer passengers than big-box vessels and provide a front-row seat on the scenery, he said.

As river cruises and, to some extent, superyacht charters make inroads in the cruise lines business, the Royal Caribbean and Princess lines of the world are pushing back.

Royal Princess, for one, added private cabanas and secluded dining options pre-pandemic. “They’re creating niches for the more luxury-minded traveler,” Roberts explained.

But in the end, escaping a yearlong lockdown may still come down to cost.

According to River Cruise Advisor, in October 2018 a 7-day ocean cruise cost as little as $900 per person while a 7-day river cruise rang up at $2,500, but with companies offering inclusive pricing, add-ons or specials in both market segments that determined a vacation’s final price.

“That still stands as a fair assessment” of pricing during the ongoing pandemic, said Ralph Grizzle, Asheville-based River Cruise Advisor’s founder.