Frogmore’s Steak & Steamer: A touch of the Lowcountry in downtown Hartsville
By JIM FAILE
Good food, good service, good atmosphere � and a touch of the Lowcountry in downtown Hartsville.
That�s what Chuck Lacy and Woody Wright hope to bring to Hartsville with their new restaurant, Frogmore�s Steak & Steamer.
The restaurant opened on July 6 at 128 E. College Ave. in the building previously occupied by Lee�s Caf�.
So far, Lacy and Wright say, business has been good.
It took people a couple of days to realize it was open, Wright said. By that Friday and Saturday night, they had a full house, he said.
And business has continued to go well, Lacy said.
Lacy, originally from North Carolina, is the restaurant�s executive chef. Wright, from Bishopville, is the dining room manager and staff training coordinator.
Lacy and Wright and Wright�s wife Candy and in-laws, Dan and Pat Howle of Darlington, did most of the renovation work themselves over about a two-month period, according to Wright. Other family members also helped with the project, Wright said, including his sister Melissa Griggs and her husband Randy Griggs.
The building�s owner, Hazel Sox, also helped with giving the building�s exterior a makeover, they said. �She rewired the building and did what it took to get the building right,� Wright said. �She has supported us through all of this.�
Wright and his wife secured financing for the project. Lacy designed the restaurant�s website.
Lacy most recently worked as manager of Longhorn Steakhouse in Florence and previously managed a Longhorn Steakhouse in Columbia. He�s been in the food and beverage industry for about 25 years.
Lacy recently moved from Florence to Hartsville.
Wright is new to the restaurant business. He worked for A.O. Smith for 13 years and ran his own satellite business. He also worked for Home Security Systems. All of that experience, he said, helped sharpen his customer service skills.
Lacy said owning a restaurant is something he has wanted to do for some time.
He said he began to sense an opportunity while working at the Florence steakhouse. �We kept having a surprising number of guests from Hartsville all talking about how much they�d like to see a steakhouse in Hartsville,� he said. �That showed me how much of a passion there was for it in Hartsville.�
Lacy said he and Wright considered different concepts for a restaurant before settling on the Lowcountry theme.
�People kept saying they wanted something with a Charleston feel to it,� he said.
The mission statement at Frogmore�s Steak & Steamer is a simple one: Families serving families.
Lacy said the restaurant staff strives to please customers with top quality service and good food.
The restaurant seeks to offer an atmosphere that is family-friendly, intimate and relaxed, Lacy said. �Sometimes, you just need a nice place you can go to forget about the day,� he said.
Menu items include grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp, chop house style pork chops, fresh grilled salmon, Delmonico steaks, premium ribeyes, filets, chopped steak and beef kabobs.
Shrimp and grits and Frogmore stew are also on the menu.
Sandwiches include a variety of burgers, grilled chicken, grilled bologna steak, shrimp po� boy, French dip and grilled tuna.
Soups and salads are available along with an assortment of appetizers.
Steaks are hand cut to order. �We hand cut and trim everything in house,� Lacy said.
One interesting feature about the restaurant is the artwork on the dining room walls. The pieces are from Feury Fine Art Gallery in Hartsville, and each is for sale. �It�s just a way for us to help out another local business,� Lacy said.
�We�re thankful that we�ve been as well received in Hartsville as we have,� Lacy said.
�We�ve set the bar high for service,� Lacy said. �But the biggest thing about our employees is heart. We�ve been blessed with an excellent staff from day one.�
The restaurant currently employs eight people, according to Lacy. Having staffers who know their jobs allows him to concentrate more on food preparation, he said.
Frogmore�s Steak & Steamer plans to hold a grand opening at some point, Lacy said.
So far, customers seem pleased, he said. And that, both men said, is gratifying.
�We�ve tried to give Hartsville what they asked for, and so far we�ve been well received,� Lacy said.
Frogmore�s Steak & Steamer is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.
Visit the website at http://www.frogmores.com.