Established in 1953. Refreshed in 2023. Smashed in 2024.
That’s the new motto at Fair Deal Grocery, the 47 Cooper St., Charleston restaurant resurrected by Jarrett Hodson, the owner of Jack’s Cosmic Dogs, with support from the original owners in 2023.
After opening with a menu of sandwiches and Southern favorites, the East Side establishment now specializes in burgers after signing Smash City Burgers to a long-term residency.
The pop-up-turned-restaurant brainchild of Jeremy Reynolds opened July 5. Hours of operation are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.
Reynolds, a former executive at Coca-Cola, launched Smash City around the time cult-favorite pop-up Pubfare announced it had served its last customers in Charleston.
Smash City started as a tented pop-up itself before Reynolds upgraded to a food truck that still roams the streets today.
His smash-burger features a thin patty, onions, pickles, cheese and sauce and is served inside a Martin’s bun. It’s a signature item Reynolds said he can more consistently create in a full-time brick-and-mortar location.
“I can produce a burger that looks the exact same every single time,” he said. “It’s an excitement for me everyday I get there. I can present what I’m proud of.”
One of the oldest continuously operating Black-owned businesses in Charleston, Fair Deal Grocery opened 71 years ago. In 2023, Deborah Powell Anderson, whose parents made the business a hub in the East Side community, teamed up with Hodson to renovate and reopen the space, which had been operating under the name The Spot 47 before it temporarily closed amid the pandemic.
Earlier this year, Hodson invited Reynolds to host a few pop-ups at Fair Deal Grocery. Sold by the burger, the business relationship developed from there.
Smash City’s lease agreement lasts through the end of the year, but Hodson said they’ll likely extend it. For more information, smashcityburgers.com.
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