The Shelter Kitchen + Bar co-owner Ryan Kaufmann has his sights on a new venture: Port of Call Food + Brew Hall. The new eatery will be located at 99 S. Market St., the space previously occupied by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., but Kaufmann said the entire property has been redesigned.
“People will have no inclination that the space used to be Bubba Gump’s,” he told the City Paper Thursday. “Even the whole front courtyard. We took it down to dirt and gave everything a facelift.”
The food hall will have space for four primary food vendors, each with access to their own kitchen, with potential to add a few cart vendors as well.
Kaufmann said the idea for the establishment came about in September 2020. By January, the lease was signed and construction began.
Port of Call is currently slated to open Sept. 1.
The 10,000-square-foot space will feature three bars — bars upstairs and downstairs inside, along with a courtyard bar surrounded by a beer garden. The food hall will sit at the back of the courtyard, while a small retail space selling local craft beer to-go will be featured towards the front, along Market Street.
The announcement of the food hall comes just weeks after Workshop, Charleston’s only other previous food hall, shut its doors for the last time.
Though Workshop was a popular spot, Kaufmann believes the consistency and stability of maintaining the same vendors will potentially help Port of Call find success where Workshop did not. Increased foot traffic in the area is as an added bonus as well.
“The food is definitely going to be a drastic mix between the four kitchens,” Kaufmann explained. “We want the four vendors to be extremely different while complementing each other at the same time.”
Kaufmann said seafood will certainly be on the menu, and he’s looking to find the right balance of healthy vegan/vegetarian offerings alongside heavier comfort food options.
Port of Call is currently accepting vendor applications. For anyone who is interested, you can apply at portofcallchs.com or email Kaufmann directly at ryan@portofcallchs.com.
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