2024 POLICY DETAILS
WE HAVE A UNIQUE BUSINESS MODEL, LOCATION & SPACE THAT REQUIRES RATHER A-TYPICAL POLICIES. IT WORKS FOR MOST, BUT NOT ALL. HOPEFULLY THEY’LL MAKE SENSE & WORK FOR YOU. PLEASE READ & SHARE WITH YOUR GROUP. .
MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER WITH REGARD TO OUR POLICIES
THE REASONS FOR OUR A-TYPICAL LATE CANCEL AND NO-SHOW POLICIES ARE SIMPLE are also what allows us to operate and deliver an exceptional experience
THERE IS ZERO OPPORTUNITY FOR WALK-IN BUSINESS
WE ARE A 12 SEAT RAW BAR HIDDEN OFF A COURTYARD IN AN ENTRY TO A BATHROOM. WE are a speakeasy, ESSENTIALLY, and THEREFORE, WE CANNOT BE “FOUND” OR “DISCOVERED” by those waLKING BY.
THE PRICE OF OUR EXPERIENCE IS AT THE TOP OF THE MARKET IN CHARLESTON
THE QUALITY OF OUR PRODUCT & PRESENTATION MEANS IT IS VERY COSTLY. WE CAN KEEP COSTS DOWN WITH A TINY SPACE and STAFF. PEOPLE PLAN AND BUDGET FOR THIS WEEKS OR MONTHS OUT.
it takes about about four hours
TO FEED 12 people 10-12 courses with 10-12 (sometimes More) wine pairings, it TAKES MONEY AND AN EXTRA EFFORT. This entire experience is driven by a single chef (not a team of chefs/cooks) in a 30 sf “kitchen”. the joy of that time spent in such an intimate space is the amount of fun and learning that can be experienced, if you have 4 hours. Not everyone does, all the time, so this is a dining experience that people must budget time for.
LOCALS HAVE BEEN OUR MAIN CUSTOMERS
About 85% of it, actually. which we LOVE! THANK YOU! HOWEVER, This leaves very few seats for impulse purchase by travelers / visitors to Charleston. when locals cancel late we have very little chance of filling seats with other locals and by the time we reach the visitor to charleston, it’s often too late as they were not able to get seats with us 2 weeks ago and made other reservations.
THE UPSIDES
Some of these things may seem limiting. And they are, but what we give up by NOT BEING A RESTAURANT, we gain by being a semi-private or private Omakase-style Raw Bar. Yer experiencing something that has never been done before, anywhere. That might be for you or it might not, on any given night. It also might work for one night or gathering type, and not another.
THE TRUTH OF OUR EXPERIENCE
4.9 Stars on RESY after 3.5 years. That’s the bottom line and THE TRUTH. For a few, our policies are a problem. For a very very few, they offend. PERFECT! After 3.5 years of operations we’ve come to know that while our policies can be a deterrent they do not deter all. We’ve been quite full thus far. And in surveying our guests they have told us “I makes total sense, especially once yer in the space and see how it all works!”.
After 3.5 years the rumors and myths about our intentions here have been metabolized. Now, our policies are understood by our guests to be reasonable and even necessary. Truth is, we’ve only experienced about 10 no-shows in 700+ services. It never happens, basically. And yes, we have charged them all.
People who don’t respect this are not our people and they are not only not welcome, we encourage them to go and tell others so that those people who agree with them also do not book seats. This keeps those people out of our space and away from our guests. Our policies here help them to spread the word to other who would also feel entitled to do the same. NONE of us want to dine with those people. We don't want to serve them.
It has been very uncommon for people to cancel late and when they do, we have had good success in filling those seats if we have 7 or more days to do so. We go WAY out of our way to help as the last thing we want to do is charge your for seats you cant use. But, as it is with theater or concert tickets, you know, once you have those seats, you have those seats. If something comes up, you have options like selling them, gifting them, transferring them to others…etc. Call us and be gracious and we’ll work with you. It almost always works. We almost NEVER wind up charging anyone for late-cancels, even if seats go unfilled
BOOKING SEATS
RAW LAB IS RESERVATIONS ONLY. BOOK ON RESY ONLY, FOR SMALL GROUPS ( 4 OR LESS )
SMALL GROUPS (4 or less)
MAKE RESERVATIONS HERE ON RESY
LARGE GROUPS (5 or more)
Large Groups are defined as groups of 5 or more.
EMAIL US HERE FOR HELP IN LOOKING AT DATES & SETTING SOMETHING SPECIAL UP
OR CALL OUR CONCIERGE @ 843 284 3597
DO NOT TRY TO USE GOOGLE ASSISTANT!
This show us you are not clear on what we offer and how it works. Therefore, the chances that guest will know what they are in for are slim. We don't answer those calls.
LATE CANCEL & NO SHOW POLICIES
NO LONGER VALID AS WE ARE NOW PRE-PAID
MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY
GUIDELINES
best practices for all of our guests to get the most out of the experience.
PLEASE DO NOT DRINK BEFORE RAW LAB.
PLEASE! And most certainly, DO NOT ARRIVE INTOXICATED. We reserve the right to deny anyone a seat AND charge you full price for abandoning it in the 11th hour. This is important to us, the other guests and you! Tough EXTREMELY RARE, when guests come drunk or too high to function it infringes on EVERYONE ELSE’S good time. We have a very low tolerance for this and it is our duty to look after ALL GUESTS such that they all get the most out of the experience.
DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF BEFORE RAW LAB
Eat as you normally would throughout the day.
FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS
Generally NOT possible due to space and time constraints but we can try to accommodate.
SEAFOOD ALLERGIES
Those with allergies to shellfish should NOT dine at RAW LAB. This is a fin fish, crustacean & shellfish driven menu.
INTROVERTS BEWARE
Guests SHARE the room, attention for the Chef and engage with other guests.
WINES ARE MOSTLY WHITE, ROSE & ORANGE
A red usually accompanies the final course (Dolce). Reds (and all other wines) are available a la carte.
BE PRESENT & ENGAGED WITH THE CHEF AND WITH OTHERS IN THE ROOM
Our model and style sometimes requires us to ask you to do things other fine-dining options do not. Guest participation is important at times.
BE PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE
You may be asked to grab a plate from the chef, for example. This is NOT the standard fine-dining service style. Please be willing to roll with that.
COME WILLING TO BE TAKEN OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
You will be encouraged to do things at RAW LAB that you’ve not been asked to do elsewhere. You can pass if you like, however.
CERTAIN FINE-DINING SERVICE ELEMENTS ARE NOT POSSIBLE IN THIS MODEL
Do not expect Le Bernardin or Per Se service style. We love a beautiful “white linen” kind of service, but this is more casual than that.
EXPECT DISCOVERY & FUN
We say The Delta between eating and fine dining is fun and discovery. RAW LAB is jam packed with both. Its more FUN dining than FINE dining, really but the menu is driven by ultra-premium quality, freshness, local sourcing (where possible) and a culinary ethic that is fun and engaging to explore: Marine Cuisine & DelicaSEAS means to use products that are that the highest order of quality, safe, healthy, sustainable & responsible. We believe this to be “SMART SEAFOOD”. As part of this, we stay in a lane where all dishes are served “Whole, Live, Raw and/or Bio-available”. We feed your microbiome this way as we feed your eyes with colorful presentations.
MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY
GOLDEN RULES
RESPECT OTHERS
Some people came to ask 100 questions and learn all about MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS such that it might inform their ordering in other fine-dining establishments or how they buy seafood for consumption at home. Give them the space to do so. DO NOT HOG THE OXYGEN IN THE ROOM or all of the chefs attention. Please SHARE IT!
BE ENGAGED. BE PRESENT
If you’d like to stare at social media or respond to work emails while dining, please dine elsewhere.
YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE
PART ONE: Anyone who dozes off in their seat during the service will be asked to step outside for some fresh air and the show will go on. If they can return and engage without dozing off again, they are welcome to stay, of course. If they cannot, they will be excluded from the remainder of the service. If this means a check must be presented and paid, so be it. We are NEVER going to allow ANYONE to doze off or sleep in RAW LAB, for any reason. Its a TOTAL BUZZ KILL for everyone else.
PART TWO: If you go to the bathroom or go to take a call and you miss the explanation of a dish, well, you missed it. Due to time constraints the chef cannot explain every element of every dish more than once or twice.
NO FLASH PHOTOS OR VIDEOS
Light is perfectly balanced for modern smart phone photo and video. It ruins other peoples photos and videos. By design, the lighting is PERFECT for photos and videos, we promise.
CELL PHONE USAGE
No cell phone calls may be made or taken during service. Guests must step outside to make or take calls. And please do not be on your phone more than 10% of the time. We request that all phone be put on “silent” at all times.
USE IT OR LOSE IT
If something is passed to you (as some things are) use it, or pass it on.
LISTEN TWICE AS MUCH AS YOU SPEAK
You’ll learn more and enjoy it all more. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for this very reason. You have the chef in your lap for 4 hours. There is a lot you can learn.