When CO, a 12-year-old Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant, closed for renovations in February 2024, longtime customers had a bit of a scare.
“People said, ‘Oh, crap, that place closed! That was my favorite place for happy hour,’ ” said Josh Williams, operating partner of CO.
Fortunately for Charlestonians, CO did not close — it just went through an almost year-long refresh. It reopened earlier this month.
In addition to being an operating partner at CO, Williams is also the CEO of Collected Hospitality and Development, the group behind CO’s seven locations.
He said that while Collected was growing in other markets — including Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach and Columbia — for the past decade, the company let CO Charleston “do its own thing.” But a lot has changed in the Charleston culinary scene since CO first opened.
“We decided with all the competition and new restaurants opening every day, we’ve really got to up our game,” he said of CO’s renovation. “Thirteen years can do a lot of wear and tear on a restaurant. … it needed more than just some pressure washing.”
So, the team decided to take the place apart and put it back together. Part of the refresh includes an updated interior — the dark, industrial look that was popular in the early 2010s has evolved. “Now, everything’s brighter,” Williams said.
Taking notes from other CO locations, the King Street spot now includes art and hand-painting from regional artists. “It matches the evolution of the brand,” said Mary Pappas, director of marketing at Collected.
The exterior has gotten a refresh, too, with the addition of a blade sign that helps point passersby to CO.
“I still meet people [because of where CO] is located who had never even heard of it,” Williams said. “It’s so easy to pass right by.”
The more things change …
The restaurant’s main demographic, according to Williams, continues to be young professionals, especially folks taking advantage of the ever-popular happy hour.
Guests can order from the happy hour menu from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. The menu includes $4 bites, too, a staple of the restaurant’s original happy hour. Choose from dishes (that range from $4 to $8), such as pork belly buns, summer rolls, beef and kimchi dumplings and bang bang shrimp. Sip on $6 select beers and wine and half-off sake carafes.
“So many guests have said, ‘Thank you, you’re finally back,’ ” Williams said of CO’s recent reopening. “It’s up to us to hold up our end of the bargain.”
With seven CO locations, the team behind each restaurant has learned what does and doesn’t work in certain cities. For example, Charleston’s offerings have always appealed to locals as a fresh alternative to traditional Southern fare.
“We’ve always been unique for King Street,” Williams said. “Most of our guests are locals. People who come to Charleston want Southern cuisine, which is kind of the opposite of what we are.”
Williams did say, though, that some tourists come racing to CO after four straight days of fried seafood, looking for something a little lighter.
“CO in other cities can vary,” Pappas said. “In Myrtle Beach the market is sushi heavy. Menus morph based on needs.”
The CO name translates differently in other cities, too: Folks who live in Columbia and Charlotte often spend weekends in Charleston, so when CO opened in those cities, customers knew they were getting a Charleston-approved experience. According to Williams, it took a little longer for the CO concept to catch on in Raleigh and Durham.
Regardless of how CO fares elsewhere, Williams thinks there will always be a place for the restaurant in Charleston. While Upper King (the stretch of businesses and restaurants north of Calhoun Street) has gotten busier and buzzier over the past decade, Lower King still has plenty to offer, from longstanding spots — Husk, 82 Queen, SNOB — to uber popular new places like Lowland Tavern.
And then, of course, there’s CO, heading into its 13th year with a facelift and a dedication to the same quality food and service that got it here in the first place. “People have very fond memories here,” Williams said. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder [but it’s still up to us] to give them the experience they want.”
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