This week Black Bean Co. opens its West Ashley location, which was formerly a Burger King on Savannah Hwy. The fact that a former greasy fast food space is now a spot for healthy, all-natural, organic, and vegan foods is not a coincidence. Owner and chef Ellis Grossman did the same thing not long ago on James Island when he converted an old Church’s Chicken into a Black Bean Co. Whether it’s the building, the menu, or operations, reinventing what fast food can be is at the root of Black Bean Co’s philosophy.
Grossman opened the original Black Bean Co. on Spring Street in Aug. 2010, but he’s been preparing for it his whole life. Since his teenage years, Grossman has held jobs from busboy to district operations manager (and everything in between). He’s worked everywhere from fast food franchises to high-end eateries. Grossman is an alumnus of Trident Technical College’s Culinary Institute and Clemson Extension’s New & Beginning Farmers program. He also credits local farmer Sean Thackeray of Thackeray Farms for providing Grossman with his starter half-acre, which allowed him to learn farming firsthand. Today, Grossman has 40 acres. Grossman notes that farmers average 50 years old these days and says its imperative that younger generations get involved. “No farms, no food’ is not just a catchphrase; our survival depends on it, and farming cannot be learned from a book.
Grossman also credits his father’s influence. The elder Grossman is a physician and researcher who always had a concern about the lack of emphasis on personal nutrition in his industry. Sometimes, things just didn’t make sense: like discussing a new cholesterol drug with a drug rep, then eating a hefty plate of fried chicken and mac and cheese — the conversation and the food couldn’t be at more odds with each other.
Fast forward to the late 2000s. Grossman pitched his idea for a quick service, fresh food restaurant to his family. “How would you like to be a part of the next McDonalds,” he asked his family, which responded with enthusiastic “yes!”.
Grossman’s business partner, Joseph Lawler, created the name. And since beans are nutritional powerhouses, chocked full of B vitamins (the energy vitamins), Grossman realized it made perfect sense with his energy food concept. Local yoga instructor and friend Chris Byokus designed the Black Bean Co. logo. Grossman describes it as “leaves that look like they’re on fire,” which gel nicely with the “energy food” idea.
Black Bean Co. seems to have a winning recipe for success. It has grown rapidly in the last three years: James Island opened June 2011; Mt. Pleasant opened July 2012; and Downtown moved to King Street this past February.
Grossman credits Black Bean Co.’s success to two things: product uniqueness and his staff. He says Black Bean Co. offers something no one else does: freshly prepared, locally grown food, reasonably priced, with great service. “It’s a ‘we’ business: I take care of my staff, they take care of the customers.”
Black Bean Co. has won “Best Vegetarian Restaurant” in the Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston contest for three straight years. But don’t let that fool you. Meat can be added to any dish, including chicken, shrimp, and turkey, as well as turkey sausage and bacon in the morning.. Everything is made fresh daily.
Black Bean Co. devotes a lot of energy to its community. It sponsors several events in town and each location has local artwork on the walls and locally made products for sale. You can always catch Grossman at the Charleston Farmers Market downtown on Saturday representing Thackeray Farms with a “World’s Best Cucumbers” sign.
As our temperatures will soon be climbing into the triple digits, high energy, rehydrating food is just what the doctor ordered. Black Bean Co.’s drive-thrus pride themselves on service in two minutes or less.
The newly-opened Black Bean Co. is located at 1529 Savannah Hwy. For more information visit blackbeanco.com.

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