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Olivia Gossett
Closed for Business: Friendly on the eyes, rough on the wallet
Opened for less than a week, Closed for Business is the newest installment among the upper King Street row of bars and restaurants and it already has its own reputation; a place with a great atmosphere, but at a high price.
With greasy burgers at $8 a pop and PBR's at $3.50, this is not the place for anyone who feels like getting a good deal. And if you're going to ask for a beer recommendation, make sure to check the price, as the wait staff has been known to suggest a beer called Kwak for $9.50. While the staff are pleasant and the nicely designed space is a great place to hang out, the prices will surely put a damper on your Closed for Business experience.
The drink menu is pretty extensive, with 30 draught beers, 50 bottled beers, a fine Scotch selection and premium liquors, but the food menu is limited to a few appetizers and entrees sticking to classic American fare. Some things you can find are beer mussels, a hot dog, hamburger, fried chicken sandwich and some unimpressive, dry french fries.
If you can get past the prices, Closed for Business does succeed in creating ,"A place to drink and call the neighborhood place." General Manager, Wendy Jernigan urges customers to "Leave your blackberry at the door." The owner's wanted to create a 21+ restaurant where people could come to relax and talk about anything but business, hence the name. This place is closed for business, but open for anything else.
They're at 453 King Street in downtown Charleston.
Timmons Pettigrew
18 Dec 2009 5:40 pm.
Nice review! Good to know the price points in advance especially. Seems like we have a LOT of places here focusing on better-than-average bar food/American fare, so they've got some stiff competition in that area. The burger especially has become the focal point of a lot of menus.
I would have expected better from REV really, but I guess it's still early in the game for this spot. City Paper comments aren't sounding too promising either.
P.S. - The glassware for Kwak is really something else:
http://www.truebeer.com/Pauwel-Kwak-Glass_p_62.html
19 Dec 2009 12:28 am.
Since when is $8.00 a burger a lot in a bar??? Sounds fair to me...$3.50 for pbr--and high end draft along with regular drafts....... Were on KING STRET..40 FT RENTS...
19 Dec 2009 1:03 am.
Since I had an entire meal last week, that included a burger (with cheese that, unlike at CFB, didn't charge me an extra dollar to add), fries and a hot cocoa for the same price. Not only did the food taste better, but it was at a RESTAURANT, not a BAR. Bar food is supposed to be inexpensive.
If I was eating a burger at CFB that was made with prime meat, and wasn't completely greasy and served with fries that weren't completely unwonderful, then I would maybe understand.
As stated above, CFB has a great atmosphere, and I would return for that, but the prices are simply not worth the return.
19 Dec 2009 2:49 am.
Is there a bar other than AC that is cheap on king street-----There prices sound like a steal!
19 Dec 2009 3:07 am.
Yea... If you want to get burgers that taste like jacks after 330pm. Word... Oh wait... Just go to mcdonalds
19 Dec 2009 3:22 am.
Hey Terrace, that's the wrong "there." I am forced to question both your grammar skills and taste in restaurants.
19 Dec 2009 11:01 pm.
Thanks for your concern Nick. Its not a restaurant its a bar with food. They are probably paying 40 to 50 dollars a foot for that space.
19 Dec 2009 3:13 am.
I wanted to like this place, but I have to say, 8 dollars for just ground meat and a bun is a bit outrageous.
19 Dec 2009 7:04 am.
Shame on the burger sticking point, but given their impressive beer list http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/2461213 and good job with the interior, I'm still giving it a go.
19 Dec 2009 11:49 am.
Agreed. As reviewed.
Timmons Pettigrew
19 Dec 2009 7:45 pm.
Terrace - I take offense to any spot charging $3.50 for a PBR. I work in pricing (different industry) so I'm extra sensitive to this stuff, but pricing image is a very real thing. This place seems to be sold as a beer-centric joint. But the message you're sending by charging that much for a low-end macro is that you're coming close to gouging @ all price points. Why not charge for the quality of your craft brews, but offer the macros at a reasonable price?
Just saying it's a turnoff, haven't actually visited yet.
19 Dec 2009 11:04 pm.
What is Chai's getting for a drink or Torch or Halls or Fish???? All the same price point.
Timmons Pettigrew
20 Dec 2009 2:20 am.
Only one with a beer menu I can access is Fish, who charges $3 for B/L, Miller Lite, and Yuengling. $3.50 for Sweetwater Blue & Amstel Light.
So you can go to Fish, which is a nice restaurant that is not beer-centric, and get either an import or one variety southeastern craft beer for 3.50. OR, you can go across the street to a spot that is supposed to be both casual and beer-centric, and pay 3.50 for PBR?
See what I mean? Again, it's just the pricing IMAGE that I'm talking about. $0.50 isn't gonna break anybody's bank, but it's a turnoff. The price signals to me that I should plan to overpay for everything.
21 Dec 2009 1:56 pm.
Who cares? If you want a cheap burger go to McDonalds...
21 Dec 2009 8:42 pm.
Good call Liv - 8 bucks for ground beef and fries is a lot, but you do pay for atmosphere and the location. What is more surprising is the $3.50 PBR. The place better have one hell of an atmosphere for me to pay $3.50 for a Pabst. I'm looking forward to giving the place a try - but I think I'm going to tackle the 30 tap beers and stay clear of the "cheap" beers.
22 Dec 2009 2:13 pm.
Call me the devil's advocate, but perhaps the aim of CFB charging $3.50 for a PBR is to encourage cutomers to try other selections of beer, that could be reasonably priced for their quality, rather than getting the same "cheap" beer all the time. Let's keep in mind the place has only been open a week, there are still many tweaks and changes that could be made in the near future.
Excellent review though!
22 Dec 2009 3:02 pm.
If it's truly beer-centric and attempting to bring a unique, high-quality beer experience to Charleston, why offer PBR at all? There are plenty of places to get cheap macrobrew swill, but there are not plenty of places to find great microbrews and european imports on draught, in proper glassware. The Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA, ranked as one of the best pubs in the country, offers nothing lighter than Victory Prima Pils, and no domestics macros. Some of you folks are looking at this through the wrong end of the telescope. Give your palate a chance to drink something special... or go to your favorite dive and get hammered drinking PBR. Your choice.
Timmons Pettigrew
22 Dec 2009 3:20 pm.
Guest -- my only point is that that's a conspicuously high price for PBR. I'm a craft beer drinker thru and thru and would most likely not order a PBR, but that doesn't make $3.50 a fair price for it.
Also, don't be so quick to dis Pabst, they rake in tons of awards @ GABF & WBC, maybe not in your favorite categories but still.
cgi-bin laden
28 Dec 2009 11:37 am.
Ahem. "Get [past] the prices"
A lot of my friends went there last week. The best comment I heard so far was: "I guess they're going for the 'Minnesota Applebees' theme."
29 Dec 2009 11:30 pm.
sounds like another attempt at a beer place. Charleston still lacks a decent one. Tap list was long but not deep!
04 Jan 2010 3:38 pm.
Wish they had HAZED & INFUSED and or MOJO from Boulder Brewing.
good line up...these are much better.
cgi-bin laden
05 Jan 2010 9:22 am.
Even with all my trash talking, I was back there last Saturday. I think what bothers me is that they're trying to create a bar that appears to have the quirky detritus of years of operation. The whole thing seems contrived.
Also, if they only have two wines available, you'd think they'd buy in bulk and charge less for them.
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