SUMMERVILLE — A South Carolina-born chef who previously worked at Charleston restaurants like Swig & Swine and The Ordinary has opened a new takeout-focused restaurant inside a BP gas station in Summerville.
Keoni’s Express is now open at 2703 Highway 17A South serving Gullah garlic wings, blackened salmon, fried shrimp, red rice, chicken perloo and more.
The new meat-and-three is an extension of a food truck owner Marcus Middleton has been operating in Moncks Corner.
A native of Alvin, Middleton is the brother of Quintin Middleton, who owns a custom knife company called Middleton Made Knives. The Berkeley County-based business has earned the firm stamp of approval over the last decade from chefs in Charleston and beyond. In July, Quintin Middleton launched a new series of Japanese knives created for both professional and home chefs.
One of four Middleton brothers, Marcus worked his way through Charleston kitchens for years before striking out on his own. Keoni’s Express, serving Summerville from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, is the next step in his career.
Marcus Middleton is the owner of Keoni’s Express.
“I knew how to be the worker,” Middleton said. “Now at this point I’m looking to be the businessman.”
The new restaurant’s name is an ode to his father, Johnny, who passed away in 2007. When Johnny Middleton was stationed in Hawaii while serving in the Army, he always said that if he opened a restaurant, he would call it Keoni’s, which is the Hawaiian way to say the name John. Now, his son is realizing that dream in Summerville.
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