WELCOME

“CONFUSION IS THE ENEMY OF HOSPITALITY”

- Kevin Joseph, Owner, Founder & Chef

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO DINE WITH US @ RAW LAB IN CHARLESTON! We cant wait to receive you! To do so elegantly, avoid any confusion and to make you feel well received we have put this page together for your review and for you to share with others in your group. Our unique model and space begs for this protocol which will certainly serve you to enjoy meeting others you’ll be dining with and

ARRIVE: 6:00pm - 6:30pm.

LOCATION: 99 S. Market Street @ Port of Call. On S. Market Street, across from the Old Market. We are in between the 5 & Dime and a Tee Shirt Shop. It’s on the S. Side of the street between Meeting St. & Church St. Look for a big courtyard. LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS

MINGLE: In the courtyard (if it’s nice weather) or in Port of Call Restaurant (if its very hot or cold or rainy). We have some couches reserved for you outside near the end of the bar and there will be bottles of Mountain Valley Spring Water there for you as well.

HYDRATE: The water station will have bottles of still and sparkling Mountain Valley Water for you.

WASH YOUR HANDS: As we’ll eat lots of things with our hands and fingers. The bathroom is located off of the courtyard and shares a door with the foyer for RAW LAB.

PLEASE DO NOT

Wait outside of the RAW LAB guest entry door. You wont enjoy it. Its the entry to the bathrooms too and you’ll be in the way of those using both the bathroom. It is also a tight and awkward space and as we are making final preparations we are in and out of that space a lot. You’ll likely find it very uncomfortable.

PLEASE DO NOT

Try to enter RAW LAB until you are escorted in by the host. We’ll bring everyone in together when we are 100% ready at 6:37pm. As you’ll see, there’s nowhere for you to stand in our dining room while we are finishing the set up. We don’t want you to feel “rejected” if you try to come in and we really need to focus in that last hour of set up so we are TOTALLY PREPARED for all to enter at 6:37. SEATING IS SET LONG BEFORE YOU ARRIVE so standing at the door wont get you better seats, it’ll slow the seating process down and you’ll be uncomfortable. There are certain formulas for how we assign seats but for the most part it is fairly random. If you have a seating request, please let us know via the chat in RESY. We look closely at each reservation for allergies or other special requests.

6:30 - 6:35: - We will do our best check in on everyone as we come and go in final preparations for service.

6:35: We’ll huddle up for a moment and go over some little things that will help everyone enjoy RAW LAB the most.

6:37: We will all enter together and be seated.

PARKING: Please do NOT drive, unless you are not drinking. Parking is available on the street, in parking structures and in a surface lot across from Emeline Hotel. Valet Parking is NOT available.

THANK YOU

FAQ

Basics, Details & Myths

…BASICS…

PLEASE DO NOT USE GOOGLE ASSISTANT TO TRY TO MAKE A RESERVATION. IT WILL NOT WORK. PLEASE USE RESY OR CALL 843 284 3957

OUR CONCIERGE IS AT YOUR SERVICE: Call Annabelle at 914 806 3627 or EMAIL HER HERE with any/all of your questions. She’s happy to help you find reservations at RAW LAB and answer any questions you might have. She’ll basically make it easy for RAW LAB’s guests to get seats and get the most out of it. For LOCALS she can help you plan a night on the town or a stay-cation. For VISITORS to Charleston Annabelle will help you plan a short or extended stay in Charleston including finding you an AirBnB, Hotel or Vacation Rental. And she can tap you into our network of Outfitters and Guides for fun outdoor activities or find you a tee time.

LOCATION: 99 S. Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Entrance door looks like the entry to the bathrooms off the Courtyard of PORT OF CALL. We are 1 block East of Meeting. One Block West of Church. Just to the left of the 5 & Dime when looking at it with your back to the Market. DIRECTIONS VIA GOOGLE MAPS

PRICES: The price for a seat at Raw Lab varies based on the day of the week. The base prices of $225, $250 or $275 are for Thurs, Fri and Sat. This covers food and beverage. It does not include, state & local taxes and credit card fees (15% total) or gratuity (20% on food & beverage only).

REFUNDS: New polices on this now that we’ve moved to a pre-paid, ticketed seat model can be found on our POLICIES page.

TIPPING POLICY: 20% is our minimum gratuity. We can certainly appreciate that there are folks out that would disagree with this.

DISCOUNTS: We do not discount for those who don’t consume wine but we do offer elegant NA options with advance notice. We’ll need notice to make arrangements for that. If we have empty seats (as we do from time to time) we may offer a Buy One Get One or BOGO. Keep an eye on our Instagram Stories for that.

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

RESERVATIONS: Can be made only on RESY. If you only see “Notify” for a date, there are no seats. Add yourself to the notify list for 1 or 2 dates you think would work for you.

LARGE GROUP RESERVATIONS: Can now be made on RESY for up to 13 guests per night (if seats are open). If you’d like to have more than 13 we can accommodate up to 18. Call us and we’ll help you find a day that works so you don’t have to search for that endlessly. 843 580 7729

OPERATIONS: Thurs - Sat, sometimes we add a Wed or a Sunday service (especially on holiday weekends).

TIME FRAME: Seating time is 6:37pm. Service runs 3.5 - 4 hours. Think of it as the same 4 hours you’d spend doing Dinner & A Show, without the hassle of getting from dinner to show.

MENU: There isn’t one that we stick to. We published a MENU at the very beginning and it’s still a very good representation of the species used, preparations and presentations, generally. Things do change from time to time but we keep to the core principles of MARINE CUISINE and WHOLE, LIVE, RAW & BIO-AVAILABLE. Expect 9-12 courses and a full meal featuring hot and cold dishes that is nutrient dense, colorful, delicious and interesting. Get excited for the finest raw oyster experience ever consistently delivered, anywhere. The same is true of our caviar service. Finally, our wine service features up to 15 different wines from all over the world to enjoy (small pours of each) as pairings with the various courses. Wines are always coming and going with a few exceptions of what we’ve found to be a perfect pairing.

SHELLFISH ALLERGY: A of June 2024 we no longer welcome those with allergies to more than one of the following species we typically feature in our service. Lobster. Salmon. Crab. Shrimp. Oysters. Caviar. f you are allergic to just oysters, well, that’s OK, as that is just one course. You can skip it. Skipping more than one course is not something we want to see happen anymore.

KIDS: We are 21+ only. At some point we may offer a “Take Your Kid to RAW LAB” service on a regular basis but when haven’t started this yet.

SUBSTITUTIONS: We are very limited in our ability here. The size of our space, storage, service style and other factors severely limit our ability to substitute dishes. We can offer double portions of some dishes, however. If you are allergic to shellfish (oysters, clams, scallops, caviar, crab, shrimp, lobster or salmon, its not a good spot for you. Dairy, nut or gluten sensitivities are easily managed, however.

REVIEWS: Speak for themselves. Focus on RESY which has been the result of 3 years of service and 500+ reviews from people WHO HAVE BEEN to RAW LAB. Be very, very wary of YELP and GOOGLE as many 1 star reviews posted by those who’ve never been or sabateurs have taken our average way below what the truth is. RESY is the truth!

CREATOR, FOUNDER, OPERATOR & OWNER: Kevin Joseph, Master Mermmelier

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

…A FEW DETAILS…

• RAW LAB is, essentially, a FUSION CONCEPT…a FUSION of…

  • An Ancient, Oriental (Japanese) SERVICE STYLE (OMAKASE) which means “To Entrust” in Japanese.

  • A Modern, Occidental (European/American) CUISINE (RAW BAR) which focuses on certain species, preparations and presentations

• We are a STAND ALONE RAW BAR, and NOT just an OYSTER BAR, NOT a SUSHI OFFERING and NOT A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. We are not a restaurant at all as we have no tables. We are a bar, a RAW BAR.

• We offer MUCH MORE than the standard American RAW BAR offering and, for most we can be a delightful alternative to even your favorite seafood restaurant.

• We have disrupted / changed the Seafood Restaurant / Raw Bar model in a way that offers some real advantages. We TOOK THE RAW BAR out of the SEAFOOD RESTAURANT THAT ALSO HAS A RAW BAR and ELIMINATED THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. This has allowed us to specialize in, expand the offering of and improve the value proposition for what a RAW BAR could be, on several metrics. While we do have to abandon some of the elements of style for the standard fine-dining restaurant model, we’ve found that our guest does not miss them. Instead, what we’ve done in this new paradigm seems to create a host of advantages that are more valuable to the modern Epicurean. The basic things to understand about this model are:

  • This is not an appetizer. Courses are not tiny. This is not a tasting menu, this is an EATING menu. You will leave feeling like you ate a full meal. But it’s not a Sushi Experience despite our Omakase-Style of service. More on that below.

  • You will learn, A LOT, about A LOT of things because your fellow diners are going to be asking great questions and your chef is going to to be answering them. You’ll see, touch and taste things you never have before. You’ll be EDU-tained and you’ll love it.

  • NOT EVERYTHING WE SERVE IS RAW OR SERVED CHILLED. About 1/2 our menu is Raw/Chilled/Cold. About 1/2 of our menu is NOT RAW, served cold/chilled and one item is served hot.

  • Our Oyster Service and our Caviar service are each worth the cost of admission because you’ll understand and appreciate and enjoy both oysters and caviar on an entirely new level, for the rest of your life. Our unique business/dining/experienc model delivers on this ever time. They serve not to make us look smart or superior but to deliver to our guests THE TRUTH and THE OPPORTUNITIES to enjoy both, much, much more, for the rest of their lives.

  • Doubt any of this? Here’s a way to dip your toe in the pool: Try LTLE FISH. Come enjoy some wine while you watch others dine on dishes, a la carte, that are, in fact, RAW LAB’s greatest hits. If it’s not your jam, you’ll have simply wasted some time over a glass of wine.

• OMAKASE-STYLE SERVICE

Often consumers confuse our adoption of an Omakase-Style of service to mean that we deliver an Omakase Sushi Experience. It’s understandable as Omakase was synonymous with Sushi (from a Master Sushi Chef) for 3000 years. So, an “Omakase” in America, means a Sushi Offering. We use the term “Omakase-Style” for a host of reasons. 1. It applies ONLY to our service style, not our food. 2. Our guest does not choose courses or pairings and “Entrusts” the chef which the meal. 3. The price is fixed. 4. Most of the food is seafood and most of it served raw or cooked/chilled. So, while some of the similarities with the ancient tradition of Omakase are embraced, others are adapted. We find opportunities to feature (and tweak) American Raw Bar standards as well. Therefore, in the end, RAW LAB is an “Omakase-Style Raw Bar”

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

…MYTHS & FABLES…

1. MYTH: We NEVER refund if you cant make it…”ALL SALES ARE FINAL”.FACT: There are ways to get a refund. And you can always sell your seats, give them as a gift or transfer them to anyone you like. LEARN MORE AT OUR POLICIES PAGE

2. LOCAL: Our focus is NOT on “Local” product, although we do feature it as much as it fits with our other culinary ethics: 1. MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS and 2. “Whole-Live-Raw-Bioavailable”. There are no local “Farm to Table” Lobster, Caviar or Salmon options in Charleston and, frankly, and these products are integral to our offering.

3. FARM TO TABLE: More often than not, this is really Farm To Fable! So much so that it’s HARD to find legitimacy in this ethic. Sure, there are some things that big restaurants buy direct from Farmers, but its commonly a fraction of what they serve. We buy oysters direct from Farmers, always. Shrimp directly from those who caught them. Caviar too. But that’s about it. It’s not our lane and, honestly, it’s just not possible. Almost everything moves through a chain of custody that is layered. The trick is to investigate that chain of custody and KNOW that the product you use isn’t being mis-managed along the way.

4. IT’S A TOURIST TRAP: Raw Lab was 100% locals for the first 6 months. Then it dropped to about 90% for about 18 months and now about 80% of our guests are locals. Many of whom are repeat customers returning with friends and family visiting from out of state. Anyway, we don’t get tourists at RAW LAB, we get travelers or visitors to Charleston. Very different demographic. So, in fact, we’ve NEVER seen a TOURIST. They’re over at Hyman’s. The tourist trap term has been used by the haters and those who don’t see how spending this much money could be worth it.

5. FRESH IS A LIE: The freshest fish is NOT the best fish! Ask any “REAL” Sushi Master. The BEST fish is the fish served at the right point in it’s decay. This is known as THE SWEET SPOT. Same is true of meat, wine, cheese…etc. And some fish is BETTER / SAFER if frozen properly. WATCH THIS short video of Anthony Bourdain explaining this principle. He get’s into it at 1:30. YOUR WELCOME!

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

NEW: 2025 POLICIES & PRICES

WE HAVE A UNIQUE BUSINESS MODEL, CONCEPT DESIGN, LOCATION & SPACE THAT does require some a-TYPICAL POLICIES AND OPERATIONS. LEARN MORE BELOW.

PRICING

THURSDAY: $225 +++ per seat, pre-paid on RESY

FRIDAY: $250 +++ per seat, pre-paid on RESY

SATURDAY: $275 +++ per seat, pre-paid on RESY

+++ Plus State and Local Taxes & Credit Card Processing Fees (14.75%) and MINIMUM GRATUITY (20%)

includes 9-12 courses & 12-15 wine PAIRINGS

SIMPLE MATH: RAW LAB is “Dinner & A Show” without the hassle of getting from Dinner to Show. It is also ABOUT HALF THE PRICE of an elite culinary experience AND great seats at a broadway show.

We take reservations 30 days out. All seats at RAW LAB are pre-paid, like concert or theater tickets.

REFUNDS FOR CANCELLATIONS ARE POSSIBLE BUT NOT GUARANTEED. DETAILS BELOW.

POLICIES

RESERVATIONS ARE purchased as PRE-PAID SEATS

SEMI-PRIVATE DINING ACCOMMODATES UP TO 14 GUESTS.

DO NOT COME DRUNK, BUZZED OR HIGH. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DENY YOU A SEAT IF YOU DO. DETAILS HERE

PRIVATE DINING ACCOMMODATES UP TO 20 GUESTS

REFUNDS ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME CASES - THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED BUT NOT aLL SALES ARE FINAL

ONE SEATING PER NIGHT

EVERYONE ENTERS THE ROOM TOGETHER @ 6:37 PM - PLEASE BE ON TIME

PLAN TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 6PM & 6:15PM

GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE

HOW TO ARRIVE

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE - SCHEDULE AN UBER FOR pICK UP @ 11pm FOR PICK UP IN ADVANCE

21+ ONLY

NOTE REFUND POLICIES, GUIDELINES & GOLDEN RULES BELOW

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

REFUNDS

As of Jan 2025 we’ve changed our pricing and how bookings are done. Therefore, we’ve changed some of our policies too. Details below. We hope that you agree that these policies are EXTREMELY CLEAR, FAIR and HONEST.

NOTE: When we refund, we refund 90% (not 100%) of what you paid as we assume about 10% cost in the processing of payments and refunds.

GUARANTEED REFUNDS

• You book and then cancel within 5 minutes of booking

  • In these cases we will refund 100%, immediately

    • Unless: The Reservation was made within 24 hours of the service

* EFFECTIVE 1.30.25: Refunds will be made minus an 8% fee. This 8% is held to cover credit card processing and fees charged by RESY and Stripe. Stripe is the processor RESY uses to process payments. Credit card processing fees are 3.75%. Stripe & RESY charge 3.75% as well.

POSSIBLE & LIKELY

• You cancel with more than 25 days notice (from the reservation).

  • Refunds are provided on the day after the booking date, not prior to that. We’ll help you fill those seats and we ask that you help us too by offering them up to friends, family and associates via social media. See SOLUTIONS below.

  • If we cannot fill the seats, we’ll issue you a $75 per seat credit towards reservations for a future service.

POSSIBLE & LESS LIKELY

• You cancel with less than 25 days notice (from the reservation).

  • Refunds are provided on the day after the booking date, not prior to that. We’ll help you. See SOLUTIONS below.

  • If we cannot fill the seats, we’ll issue you a $75 per seat credit towards reservations for a future service.

* EFFECTIVE 1.30.25: Refunds will me made minus an 8% fee. This 8% is held to cover credit card processing and fees charged by RESY and Stripe. Stripe is the processor RESY uses to process payments. Credit card processing fees are 3.75%. Stripe & RESY charge 3.75% as w

NO CHANCE FOR REFUNDS

• No-Show

  • No exceptions for any reason.

• Last Minute Bookings / Reservations made within 72 hours of service

  • In this case, all sales are final.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

SOLUTIONS

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN /SHOULD DO TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A FULL REFUND

1. Cancel the seats with as much advance notice as possible. This way, working together, we have more time and a better chance to fill them. If the seats are not available on RESY they cannot be filled by someone else. Cancel as soon as you know you cannot make it.

2. Call us and work with us to explore the options. Please first understand our model and why we must have our policies. Calling and yelling at us will insure that no refunds will be issued.

3. Transfer your seats to friend, clients or family. Happens all the time. Great gift.

4. Sell the seats to whomever you like. Maybe at a discount. Perhaps at a premium. Both have been done.

5. Post the open seats to your social media to offer them to whomever may be interested. This works often.

HERE’S WHAT WE ALWAYS DO TO HELP FILL ABANDONED SEATS

1. Email / Text our network of High-End Hotel Concierges in Charleston who have guests looking for last minute reservations. We do this once weekly on Tues or Wed. It’s effective.

2. Post to our social media when we have open seats. We generally do this more than once weekly. This too has been effective.

3. Ping our Notify List on RESY. We have people looking for seats on RESY who sign up to be notified if seats open. They get a ping from RESY. Often those notifications are missed so we also ping those folks to let them know some seats have opened up on a date they expressed interest in. We do this daily via the RESY app. Its fairly effective.

4. What marketing we do is now geared towards visitors to CHS who need a last minute reservation. Working hard on this with time, energy and money. If we could have more last minute bookings, that would be great, but this does tend to be something that people plan farther out for.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

OTHER POLICIES

1. We do not welcome anyone under 21 for a host of reasons, first among them is the legal drinking age. Also, this is a room for adults who want to behave like adults (and sometimes like children) and we want to maintain that vibe because we love it.

2. Tipping in many elite fine-dining restaurants is included at 20% these days. We do not do that. But when you book seats at RAW LAB, RESY will ask you what % you would like to add for a tip, including No Tip. Anyone who purchases a seat and chooses the NO TIP option will likely have their money immediately refunded seats canceled. We will not accept reservations, paid or not, without a 20% tip. Anyone who chooses may have their reservation cancelled so we can open up those seats for those for whom this policy is acceptable. Your purchase will not be refunded until we fill all of the seats you reserved if you booked within 60 days of the service. If we do not fill your seats, you will not be refunded. Bottom Line: DO NOT skip the tip when booking on RESY. We will catch it. We will reject your reservation and we will hold your money until we fill your seats.

3. Sober / Non-Drinking Guests are always welcome. We do not offer discounts for this, however. And we can provide NA Wine options with some heads up. Also, if you do not drink or are not drinking, be sure you will feel comfortable in a room full of people who are. We like to have fun and it can be a bit of party atmosphere in fits and starts but being drunk and crazy isn’t the goal and is not encouraged or tolerated if it goes beyond what we feel is the experience we are trying to deliver. We want our guests to enjoy a host of great wines and pairings, but to do so with maturity.

4. Allergies can be accommodated in some cases, but not all. We are extremely limited in both space and time to substitute. The meal is generally pescatarian (one course includes prosciutto, but this can be omitted). “Shellfish Allergic” folks SHOULD NOT come to RAW LAB. But if you have just an oyster OR a shrimp allergy, you’d only have to skip one course, and therefore, it’s still a good call to come. If you are allergic or adverse to lobster or salmon you’ll miss too much of the food, and if you are drinking, its not a good mix. So, best to skip coming if you have allergies to these two species. Allergies to Gluten, Dairy, Nuts and Avocado are easily avoidable and/or not a part of our offering.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

NEW: 2025 GUIDELINES FOR RAW LAB

THESE ARE NOT RULES or mandates. THEY ARE GUIDELINES or guidance intended to be delivered in the spirit of gracious hospitality such that all of our guests CAN GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS EXPERIENCE.

SEAFOOD ALLERGIES

Those with allergies to shellfish should NOT dine at RAW LAB. This is a fin fish, crustacean & shellfish driven menu.

YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM LIMITING ALCOHOL BEFORE

There’s a lot of great wines to experience and you’ll want to pace yourself. Come sober and hydrated and you’ll enjoy it all more.

DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF

Eat as you normally would throughout the day.

FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS

Generally NOT possible due to space and time constraints but we can can generally accommodate for Pescatarians.

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.

INTROVERTS BEWARE

Guests SHARE the room, attention for the Chef and engage with other guests.

WINES ARE MOSTLY WHITE, ROSE & ORANGE

A red sometimes 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 all 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.

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 as the space does not allow for it.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

GOLDEN RULES

Correct us if we are wrong, but these are defined (like the 10 Commandments )as a code of conduct for ANYWHERE.

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.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANYONE ALCOHOL, FOR ANY REASON

We will always want to be sure that each guest gets to taste each wine, but if it appears to us that we may be over serving you in the process of doing so we may ask you to abstain for a bit. Or we may just do that. Feel free to ask us questions as we are not trying to single anyone out or punish anyone, rather, we want you to maintain your appetite and stay with us til the end. Its simply not responsible to knowingly over-serve guests and we take that seriously.

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. Take advantage of that.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND IF YOU DO…

Listen for the answer when it comes (it does not always come immediately) as there are moments where the chef must focus on plating dishes. EVERYTHING is explained, in the end, of course.

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.

RAW LAB VS. LTLE FISH

SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RAW LAB & LTLE FISH

Both RAW LAB & LTLE FISH operate in the same space, at the same location (Port of Call @ 99 S. Market Street, CHS, SC) at the same u-shaped bar, with the same 12 seats. Both operate in the same exact room. However, RAW LAB operates Thurs - Sat and LTLE FISH operates (Mon - Wed). LTLE FISH offers a similar, but different overall experience and service style than RAW LAB.

HOME LTLE FISH VS RAW LAB POLICIES RESERVE MENU LOCATION ATMOSPHERE TEAM CSF MISSION

SIMILARITIES

Location: Exactly The Same. 99. S Market Street @ Port of Call (Between Meeting & Church)

Room: LTLE FISH is the same room as RAW LAB but it will be sat, set and served differently.

Menu: Each spot serves the same ultra-premium oysters, caviar, shrimp, ceviche, scallops, crudo, lobster, bisque, salads, salmon & so forth. LTLE FISH, basically, serves “RAW LAB’s Greatest Hits or MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS by Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph”. However, LTLE FISH will feature specials and be used to experiment with wines we haven’t added to the line up at RAW LAB yet. LTLE FISH is, therefore, kind of a TEST KITCHEN for RAW LAB. In the future we hope to develop an expansive Tinned Fish / Conservas / SeaCuterie offering atg LTLE FISH too.

So, the room, atmosphere, lighting, music and food are quite similar, it is the service style and beverage programs that differ. Everything at LTLE FISH is la carte, including wines by the half glass, glass & bottle. Guests tend to order more spirits and cocktails while dining at LTLE FISH too. With RAW LAB the wine pairings are included, very little in the way of spirits are ever ordered and spirits are only offered neat or on the rocks.

HOME LTLE FISH VS RAW LAB POLICIES RESERVE MENU LOCATION ATMOSPHERE TEAM CSF MISSION

DIFFERENCES

Price: RAW LAB is prix fixe @ $250 per seat + tax & tip. A couple can expect to spend $625, total. LTLE FISH is a la carte. The average couple spends about $200 to have a filling dining experience with some nice wines or spirits.

Service Style: RAW LAB is an OMAKASE style of service. LTLE FISH is an A LA CARTE style of service. At LTLE FISH you order from a menu. At RAW LAB, you entrust the chef and just enjoy the ride. The cadence and timing is entirely different. Groups come in at different times to LTLE FISH and receive what they order when its made. For RAW LAB, everyone enters at once and everyone enjoys each dish and wine at the same time.

Service Schedule: RAW LAB: Thurs - Sat from 6:37pm to about 10:30pm. LTLE FISH: Mon, Tues & Wed at 6pm & 8:15pm, so, two seatings.

Seats & Seatings: RAW LAB offers 12 seats and there is only one seating per night. LTLE FISH is currently offering just 8 seats but has two seatings at 6pm & 8:15pm

Time Frame: RAW LAB is Culinary Theater or Dinner & A Show. The time frame is 6:30 - 10:30ish. LTLE FISH can be enjoyed 1/2 of a glass of wine and one dish at a time. You could come in for one dish and a quick glass of Rose…come and go in 30 minutes, if that suits ya.

Price: RAW LAB is prix fixe @ $250 ++ per seat. LTLE FISH is a la carte, meaning, order what you like and pay the bill when you are ready for it.

Cancellation Policy: LTLE FISH has a small cancellation / no show fee. RAW LAB has a more a-typical cancellation / no - show policy which is rarely applied as people almost never no-show and even late cancellations are becoming easier and easier to fill, even in the last moment.

Participation: RAW LAB is highly participatory for the guests. LTLE FISH isnt as much though guests do tend to interact a lot because they are all sat around the same 12 seat bar. Guests at RAW LAB will have a hard time having their own private conversations or catching up without interruption. Its exactly the opposite at LTLE FISH.

Chef / Assistant: Kevin & Heather operate RAW LAB. Simon Zeb & Aengus operate LTLE FISH.

Menu: LTLE FISH offers a menu that is mostly RAW LAB’s Greatest Hits or MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS by Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph. However, LTLE FISH will feature specials and be used to experiment with wines we haven’t added to the line up at RAW LAB yet. LTLE FISH is, therefore, kind of a TEST KITCHEN for RAW LAB.

Wine: Many of the same wines are used in both LTLE FISH and RAW LAB but we are experimenting with new wines more at LTLE FISH.

Vibe: LTLE FISH features the same tunes as RAW LAB but there isn’t any specific playlists for courses. Our master playlist is on shuffle with LTLE FISH whereas with RAW LAB certain dishes, pairing and elements of style are linked to specific songs.

Culinary Theater: RAW LAB is A LOT more choreographed than LTLE FISH but there is still a lot to see and experience at LTLE FISH as all of the dishes are made no farther from any guest than 6’. LTLE FISH is more like watching a movie at home and RAW LAB is like going to the theater.

Education: You’ll learn quite a bit about MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS at both, if you ask questions.

We created LTLE FISH for three reasons:

1. Develop new chefs.

2. Create a “Test Kitchen” for RAW LAB.

3. Our many repeat customers and raving fans for RAW LAB wanted a different way to enjoy the room and MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS of RAW LAB.

LOCATION

99 South Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401

FACTS

RESY: 4.9 STARS Dec 2021 - Jan 2026

THE FIRST EVER, ANYWHERE…

RAW BAR, NOT AN OYSTER BAR, A RAW BAR

NOT A FOOD TRUCK OYSTER CART OR POP US, a BRICK & MORTAR RAW BAR

FUSION OF A CUISINE AND A SERVICE STYLE

WASNT THE BEST FOOD / DISHES EVER SERVED, but it was the best time many of our guests ever had

THIS IS A FIT FOR THOSE WHO…

• …seek the unprecedented, unique and original.

• …have been to all the great CHS restaurants 10 times each and seek something completely different.

• …value elite food & wine experiences and have 3-4 hours available to do enjoy our service.

• …are NOT allergic to shellfish, mollusks or crustaceans. Fin fish allergies can be worked around by skipping a course or two.

• …are comfortable with or seek a community table type of setting and a salon like atmosphere.

• …appreciate elite food, wine and service without any pretension.

RAW LAB PRICING 2024

MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY

$250 per seat + taxes & gratuity

includes 9-12 courses and 12 - 15 wines.

There are NO LONGER OFFERING ANY DISCOUNTS AT THIS TIME.

We knew from the start that $250 was A LOT of money. Even with all the value packed into an evening at RAW LAB it is still quite a pretty penny, especially in Charleston. Yet, we have been blessed to be very full most of the time and now we are seeing am incredible surge in interest and bookings through August 2024. In some cases we are seeing 50-100 guests on the notify/wait list. THANK YOU VERY MUCH to those who have supported us and PLEASE BARE WITH US to those who’ve yet to be able to make it in.

BOOK ON RESY (1 - 4 GUESTS)

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE (5-12 GUESTS)

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CANT FIND SEATS ON RESY

Groups of 1-4 - PLEASE SEARCH RESY. Please do not call or email us looking for seats for small groups. We can’t help you to book on RESY anyway as this is something our guests must do on their own.

Groups of 5-12 - Email us to inquire about dates. Full buy outs are looking to be about 90 days out unless you’d like to book a Sunday night. This would be at a premium of approximately $500 per seat but it would come with some very impressive wine / champagne upgrades.

BETA MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM: We are working out the logistics of this, a way to allow people to buy reservations from those holding them. You thoughts and feedback are appreciated. Getting seats this way will be VERY VERY expensive to do it for individuals but at least we’ll generate some money for a great cause, eliminate scams, properly look after guests and manage (to some degree) a runaway “black market”. www.empireoyster.com/blklab

MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY

LATE CANCEL & NO SHOW POLICIES

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2023

WHY WE MUST HAVE THESE POLICIES IN PLACE:

We only seat 12 people, 3-4 times a week. That’s 36-48 seats a week. If that does not make sense, nothing we can say to in support of it will make any difference. So, if this is something you cannot agree with, understand and accept, RAW LAB is NOT for you. And that’s cool. For the purposes of being clear, thorough and transparent the detailed reasons for this policy will be laid out and explained below.

LATE-CANCELLATION: Cancellations within 9 days of reservation. Sounds outrageous, we know! But with this semi-private dining business model is how this business model must be managed because it has been very difficult to fill seats abandoned within 9 days. We are working on ways to make this

LATE CANCELLATION FEE: Up to $250 per seat (but only IF, IF, IF we CANNOT fill the seats). Please see options below for how we can work together to fills seats that were cancelled late. And other options to avoid any charges. There are many.

ABANDONED SEAT / NO SHOW FEE: $250 per seat, absolutely no exceptions. Except for members. Abandoned seat is any seat canceled within 24 hours of the reservation or that guests simply do not show up for.

HOW TO AVOID LATE CANCEL FEELS

We aim to NEVER charge late-cancel fees and we’ve only done it a few times in 2 years. Many consumers have misunderstood our policies here as (we always charge for late-cancellations) and others have misrepresented our policies or discussions with them. Here are the facts: Our goal is to have 10 -12 people in the room for each service. This is where RAW LAB is most fun and fulfilling for all. When people cancel within 9 days we have (at the moment) a hard time filling those seats and while they were held, others could not book them in the 2 - 6 week time frame prior, when they were looking. As we aim to attract more customers from out of town (visitors to CHS) we know they’ll book more last minute. As we become more effective with this, we will relax our late-cancel time frame somewhat.

WHAT YOU CAN DO….

1. Call us and work with us. Understand our model and why we must have our policies. Calling and yelling at us will insure that we do everything we can to charge you. In the booking and confirmation process there are 10-13 prompts to read and understand the late-cancel and no-show policy.

2. Transfer your seats to friend, clients or family. Happens all the time.

3. Sell the seats to whomever you like. Maybe at a discount. Perhaps at a premium. Both have been done.

4. Rebook it for a later date. This new date will be set in stone, however, and cannot be re-booked. Commonly done now that this is a new policy.

5. Post the open seats to your social media to offer them to whomever may be interested.

6. Post a positive review about us on Google speaking to how we did / tried to help.

BOTTOM LINE: Be cool about it and make an effort to work with us and all is groovy. Calling to yell and scream will get you charged and then banned from RAW LAB forever. We are NOT getting rich here, not trying to charge for empty seats and making massive efforts to help you to NOT be charged.

WHAT WE DO / ARE DOING TO NEVER HAVE TO CHARGE LATE-CANCEL FEELS (OR EVEN DISCUSS IT).

1. Allow people to re-book for a date within the next 30 days with no charge. This new reservation is set in stone, however. If the new reservation is not honored, there will be some kind of a charge. May not be $250 per seat, however.

2. Email / Text our network of High-End Hotel Concierges in Charleston who have guests looking for last minute reservations. We do this once weekly on Tues or Wed.

3. Post to our social media when we have open seats. We generally do this more than once weekly.

4. Ping our Notify List. We have people looking for seats on RESY. We let them know some have opened up. We do this daily via the RESY app.

5. Our marketing is now geared towards visitors to CHS who need a last minute reservation. Working hard on this with time, energy and money.

MISSION WHAT IS IS / ISNT IS IT FOR YOU A-TYPICAL POLICIES VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING DISCOVERY

EXPLAINING OUR POLICIES

We only seat 12 people, 4 times a week. That’s $12,000 a week in revenue. We have to fill those seats to maintain operations, period. So, we have a-typical cancellation and large group reservation policies:

1. Our LATE CANCELLATION window is 9 days. Seats generally DO NOT get filled within 9 days because this very high ticket item is something most people plan on many weeks or months out. There are very few people booking seats at RAW LAB last minute. Sometimes they do, however, especially on the weekends. Usually these are visitors who find open seats last minute on RESY. So, we need what seems like an outrageously long window for a late-cancellation policy. This would be outrageous if we were had a standard restaurant business model. WE DO NOT HAVE THAT MODEL. We go to great lengths (every possible tool there is with RESY and our web site) to inform guests of this policy but we are not obligate to fill your abandoned seats. Having operated this way for 18 months as of August 2023, and surveying our guests on the subject, the consensus is that it is understandable, clear, transparent and reasonable given our unique business model.

2. Large groups are defined as 5 or more guests and must pre-pay to confirm the reservation. We cannot have 5, 7 or 9 people no-show or cancel 1 or 2 weeks out. We would charge the card on file (you cannot make a reservation without a card on file with RESY) and they would likely contest or dispute those charges (if the card on file even went through). Our business model cannot be exposed to this kind of risk so, we have this policy in place. Call to give a credit card to our Chef/Owner and he will run the card to secure your reservation.

3. This is SEMI-PRIVATE dining. We do not and cannot take walk ups. Therefore, we cannot fill you abandoned seats day of.

4. We do not welcome anyone under 21 for a host of reasons, first among them is the legal drinking age. Also, this is a room for adults who want to behave like adults (and sometimes like children) and we want to maintain that vibe because we love it.

5. Tipping in many elite fine-dining restaurants is included at 20% these days. We do not do that. We take a hybrid approach. We have a 20% minimum tipping policy however, guests are given the opportunity to tip whatever they like. Guests generally tip between 20 and 30%. The average after 19 months of service is 23.45%. We do this because we price this experience well below what it is worth and we count on the gratuities to make the business model work. If this is not something you agree with, that is more than fine but please do not book a reservation.

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! DO NOT ARRIVE INTOXICATED.

DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF BEFORE RAW LAB. Eat as you normally would throughout the day.

FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS are generally NOT possible due to space and time constraints.

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.

~ 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

If you go to the bathroom or go to take a call and you miss the explanation of a dish, well, you may have 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

It ruins other peoples photos and videos. By design, the lighting is PERFECT for photos and videos.

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.

GUIDELINES

get the most out of the experience BY UNDERSTANDING HOW BEST TO ENGAGE WITH IT

THESE ARE NOT RULES, THEY ARE GUIDELINES

PLEASE DO NOT DRINK BEFORE RAW LAB

PLEASE! And most certainly, DO NOT ARRIVE INTOXICATED.

This is important to everyone, us, the other guests and you! Our duty to look after ALL GUESTS such that they all get the most out of the experience. Though EXTREMELY RARE, when guests have come drunk or too high to function it has infringed upon EVERYONE ELSE’S ability to enjoy. We have zero tolerance for those who chose to ignore this guideline. We reserve the right to deny anyone a seat AND charge you full price for abandoning it in the 11th hour.

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 generally accommodate for gluten or dairy.

SEAFOOD ALLERGIES

Those with allergies to shellfish should NOT dine at RAW LAB. This is a fin fish, crustacean & shellfish driven menu.

HEADS UP FOR INTROVERTS

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. Nothing CRAZY happens. We dont serve, bugs, brains or testicles but we do wanna push some limits. Again, you can always defer on anything but wet blankes and Larry David’s will NOT enjoy the experience.

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, 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 micro-biome this way as we feed your eyes with colorful presentations.

GOLDEN RULES

THESE RULES, APPLICABLE EVERYWHERE, THUS THEY ARE “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. Please give them the space to do so. DO NOT HOG THE OXYGEN IN THE ROOM or all of the chefs attention. Please SHARE IT!

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

For RAW LAB, which is culinary theater, the same rules apply to cell phone use as would apply to any theater setting. 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. Those abusing this policy will be asked to pay the bill and depart if asked more than twice. Nobody comes to RAW LAB to watch you respond to work emails on your phone.

BE ENGAGED & BE PRESENT

If you’d like to stare at social media or respond to work emails while dining, please seek reservations at a restaurant that has table service. We are neither so EVERYONE must be present and engaged with the group. That what this IS, in fact. Again, if you don’t want to be a part of it all, there is a table at a restaurant somewhere nearby that you and yours are going to enjoy more than Raw Lab.

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.

DO NOT DRINK BEFORE

we reserve the right to deny you a seat if you do.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It means that if we see you drinking before raw laB…

We reserve the right to (and likely will) deny you any wine until such time as we deem appropriate. We are NOT focused on getting our guests drunk, we are focused on pairing great food and wine with an atmosphere that, while fun, maintains certain standards of decorum. We are also intent upon protecting our privilege of having a liquor licence and maintaining insurance that allows us to serve alcohol. We will not put this at risk, nor will we risk the experience of those guests who do respect our policies to be compromised by other guests who choose not to.

We have observed that the vast majority of people who come intoxicated, buzzed, high or walk in with a drink tend to not be on the program we are intent upon presenting to our guests. Drama ensues, generally. Our duty to all guests is to insulate them from drama, inappropriate behavior, disrespectful conduct or anything that the Chef deems unacceptable for any reason. To be clear, this has only occurred, perhaps, a dozen times. When it does, Chef finds that it becomes distracting and interferes with the service, experience and the overall value proposition to those who are there to experience the service as it was intended. It is our duty to meet the expectations of those guests. There is zero compromise in our mission to do so. Therefore, if you cannot

If you don't like this policy we urge you to dine elsewhere. If you show disregard for these policies we reserve the right to the following actions:

1. Deny you alcohol for the first hour or two or until such a time as we deem you to be able to be served, responsibly.

2. Deny you a seat, entirely, prior to entry, without a refund

3. Eject you from the room, without a refund.

4. If you choose to leave at any time, for any reason, you will not receive a refund.

5. If you cannot curb an argument between you and your dining partner(s) we offer one reminder / warning. If this is not composed with, you will be ejected. will not be refunded.

Engaging with the room is of paramount importance. Constantly engaging in private conversations, drunk or disorderly conduct or rude behaviour are simply not what RAW LAB was designed for as it is distracting to the Chef and others. Show up sober or don't show up. Maintain decorum, respect for others and engage with Chef and others or you will no longer be welcome and you will be ejected.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

REFUNDS

As of Jan 2025 we’ve changed our pricing and how bookings are done. Therefore, we’ve changed some of our policies too. Details below. We hope that you agree that these policies are EXTREMELY CLEAR, FAIR and HONEST.

NOTE: When we refund, we refund 90% (not 100%) of what you paid as we assume about 10% cost in the processing of payments and refunds.

GUARANTEED REFUNDS

• You book and then cancel within 5 minutes of booking

  • In these cases we will refund 100%, immediately

    • Unless: The Reservation was made within 24 hours of the service

* EFFECTIVE 1.30.25: Refunds will be made minus an 8% fee. This 8% is held to cover credit card processing and fees charged by RESY and Stripe. Stripe is the processor RESY uses to process payments. Credit card processing fees are 3.75%. Stripe & RESY charge 3.75% as well.

POSSIBLE & LIKELY

• You cancel with more than 25 days notice (from the reservation).

  • Refunds are provided on the day after the booking date, not prior to that. We’ll help you fill those seats and we ask that you help us too by offering them up to friends, family and associates via social media. See SOLUTIONS below.

  • If we cannot fill the seats, we’ll issue you a $75 per seat credit towards reservations for a future service.

POSSIBLE & LESS LIKELY

• You cancel with less than 25 days notice (from the reservation).

  • Refunds are provided on the day after the booking date, not prior to that. We’ll help you. See SOLUTIONS below.

  • If we cannot fill the seats, we’ll issue you a $75 per seat credit towards reservations for a future service.

* EFFECTIVE 1.30.25: Refunds will me made minus an 8% fee. This 8% is held to cover credit card processing and fees charged by RESY and Stripe. Stripe is the processor RESY uses to process payments. Credit card processing fees are 3.75%. Stripe & RESY charge 3.75% as w

NO CHANCE FOR REFUNDS

• No-Show

  • No exceptions for any reason.

• Last Minute Bookings / Reservations made within 72 hours of service

  • In this case, all sales are final.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

SOLUTIONS

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN /SHOULD DO TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A FULL REFUND

1. Cancel the seats with as much advance notice as possible. This way, working together, we have more time and a better chance to fill them. If the seats are not available on RESY they cannot be filled by someone else. Cancel as soon as you know you cannot make it.

2. Call us and work with us to explore the options. Please first understand our model and why we must have our policies. Calling and yelling at us will insure that no refunds will be issued.

3. Transfer your seats to friend, clients or family. Happens all the time. Great gift.

4. Sell the seats to whomever you like. Maybe at a discount. Perhaps at a premium. Both have been done.

5. Post the open seats to your social media to offer them to whomever may be interested. This works often.

HERE’S WHAT WE ALWAYS DO TO HELP FILL ABANDONED SEATS

1. Email / Text our network of High-End Hotel Concierges in Charleston who have guests looking for last minute reservations. We do this once weekly on Tues or Wed. It’s effective.

2. Post to our social media when we have open seats. We generally do this more than once weekly. This too has been effective.

3. Ping our Notify List on RESY. We have people looking for seats on RESY who sign up to be notified if seats open. They get a ping from RESY. Often those notifications are missed so we also ping those folks to let them know some seats have opened up on a date they expressed interest in. We do this daily via the RESY app. Its fairly effective.

4. What marketing we do is now geared towards visitors to CHS who need a last minute reservation. Working hard on this with time, energy and money. If we could have more last minute bookings, that would be great, but this does tend to be something that people plan farther out for.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

OTHER POLICIES

1. We do not welcome anyone under 21 for a host of reasons, first among them is the legal drinking age. Also, this is a room for adults who want to behave like adults (and sometimes like children) and we want to maintain that vibe because we love it.

2. Tipping in many elite fine-dining restaurants is included at 20% these days. We do not do that. But when you book seats at RAW LAB, RESY will ask you what % you would like to add for a tip, including No Tip. Anyone who purchases a seat and chooses the NO TIP option will likely have their money immediately refunded seats canceled. We will not accept reservations, paid or not, without a 20% tip. Anyone who chooses may have their reservation cancelled so we can open up those seats for those for whom this policy is acceptable. Your purchase will not be refunded until we fill all of the seats you reserved if you booked within 60 days of the service. If we do not fill your seats, you will not be refunded. Bottom Line: DO NOT skip the tip when booking on RESY. We will catch it. We will reject your reservation and we will hold your money until we fill your seats.

3. Sober / Non-Drinking Guests are always welcome. We do not offer discounts for this, however. And we can provide NA Wine options with some heads up. Also, if you do not drink or are not drinking, be sure you will feel comfortable in a room full of people who are. We like to have fun and it can be a bit of party atmosphere in fits and starts but being drunk and crazy isn’t the goal and is not encouraged or tolerated if it goes beyond what we feel is the experience we are trying to deliver. We want our guests to enjoy a host of great wines and pairings, but to do so with maturity.

4. Allergies can be accommodated in some cases, but not all. We are extremely limited in both space and time to substitute. The meal is generally pescatarian (one course includes prosciutto, but this can be omitted). “Shellfish Allergic” folks SHOULD NOT come to RAW LAB. But if you have just an oyster OR a shrimp allergy, you’d only have to skip one course, and therefore, it’s still a good call to come. If you are allergic or adverse to lobster or salmon you’ll miss too much of the food, and if you are drinking, its not a good mix. So, best to skip coming if you have allergies to these two species. Allergies to Gluten, Dairy, Nuts and Avocado are easily avoidable and/or not a part of our offering.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

NEW: 2025 GUIDELINES FOR RAW LAB

THESE ARE NOT RULES or mandates. THEY ARE GUIDELINES or guidance intended to be delivered in the spirit of gracious hospitality such that all of our guests CAN GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS EXPERIENCE.

SEAFOOD ALLERGIES

Those with allergies to shellfish should NOT dine at RAW LAB. This is a fin fish, crustacean & shellfish driven menu.

YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM LIMITING ALCOHOL BEFORE

There’s a lot of great wines to experience and you’ll want to pace yourself. Come sober and hydrated and you’ll enjoy it all more.

DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF

Eat as you normally would throughout the day.

FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS

Generally NOT possible due to space and time constraints but we can can generally accommodate for Pescatarians.

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.

INTROVERTS BEWARE

Guests SHARE the room, attention for the Chef and engage with other guests.

WINES ARE MOSTLY WHITE, ROSE & ORANGE

A red sometimes 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 all 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.

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 as the space does not allow for it.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

GOLDEN RULES

Correct us if we are wrong, but these are defined (like the 10 Commandments )as a code of conduct for ANYWHERE.

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.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANYONE ALCOHOL, FOR ANY REASON

We will always want to be sure that each guest gets to taste each wine, but if it appears to us that we may be over serving you in the process of doing so we may ask you to abstain for a bit. Or we may just do that. Feel free to ask us questions as we are not trying to single anyone out or punish anyone, rather, we want you to maintain your appetite and stay with us til the end. Its simply not responsible to knowingly over-serve guests and we take that seriously.

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. Take advantage of that.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND IF YOU DO…

Listen for the answer when it comes (it does not always come immediately) as there are moments where the chef must focus on plating dishes. EVERYTHING is explained, in the end, of course.

After nearly 2 years of operations we have proven to be an elite dining experience as we’ve maintained a 4.9 Star Rating on RESY. Having proven ourselves, the concept and generated a small community of raving fans, we have decided to offer a Membership opportunity.

As the only SHUCKeasy in the world, this is an exclusive club and room. We dont expect those who’ve never been to understand but for those of you who have, we are SURE you do.

Many benefits beyond those listed above will be available such as wine upgrades, menu changes, musical requests and more. All “Members” will have first dibs on reservations which means you HAVE a reservation for every night of the year that is beyond 60 days out. you let it go and when that happens others may book those seats. Call for a better explanation on that. Also, you can call to book seats and you do not have to worry about late-cancellation fees or no-show fees. The savings are obvious on the price per seat too. So this is a great option for a host of groups like…

• A GROUP OF CLOSE FRIENDS

• HOTELS & RESORTS

• AIR B & B OWNERS

• CORPORATIONS

• DESTINATION MANAGERS & EVENT PLANNERS

• RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY PROGRAM DIRECTORS

• VACATION PROPERTY MANAGERS

• LUXURY TRAVEL AGENTS

• NON-PROFITS

• TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

• NETWORKING GROUPS

• SALES REPS

• LAW FIRMS

• HOSPITALS & MEDICAL OR DENTAL PRACTICES

• SOCIAL & CIVIC CLUBS

LOCATION

20+ POINTS OF DISCOVERY

“Discovery and Fun is the DELTA between eating and dining!”

- Kevin Joseph, Founder - Founder & CEO @ Empire Oyster & Owner, Operator & Chef @ RAW LAB

As the creation, appreciation and expression of ART & SYMBOLISM is what separates MAN from BEAST, it is DISCOVERY & LEARNING which distinguishes DINING from EATING. When we eat we don’t learn, we just eat…we fuel our bodies. This is what we do 97% of the time and its wonderful. When we dine we use all of our senses to see, taste, smell, touch and feel new things. We engage in a process of learning and discovery. We ask questions, become inspired and inform our palates. So, discovery is the DELTA between eating and dining.

You EAT at Chipotle. You DINE @ La Bernadin. The discovery that a dining experience provides created value beyond that of the ingredients. We have spent a lifetime figuring out how to add more value to the dining experience. RAW LAB is the fruition of that process.

At RAW LAB we estimate that savvy diners will experience, learn, feel, see, taste…etc at least 20 things that they never have before. Listed below is a list of some of the many “Points of Discovery that RAW LAB delivers. We’ve labeled “unusual or rare or singular” things one can experience at RAW LAB. Even the best-fed and well-traveled Gourmands and Epicureans will find a couple of dozen points of discovery in our product, process, people and presentations.

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

THE VALUE WE CREATE COMES FROM THE DISCOVERY WE DELIVER

Here are the specifics, most of which were discovered to be possible or the result of how we built out the space which allowed us to offer and entirely new kind of experiential dining that values fun and learning over fancy or pretentious. We’ve labeled each as Unique, Rare or Singular.

THE CORE DIFFERENTIATORS

1. ONE OF A KIND FUSION CONCEPT

A service style (Omakase) and a Cuisine (Raw Bar/Marine Cuisine) DEEP DIVE HERE

2. OUR USE OF SPACE

12 seats at a U-Shaped Bar. THIS. CHANGES. EVERYTHING. DEEP DIVE HERE

These two core differentiators are the foundation of our model. This then allows us to build a product, service and experience around the FIVE PILLARS.

THE FIVE PILLARS

1. OYSTER FLIGHT - Next Level for 10 reasons you’ll most certainly appreciate in person. - SINGULAR x 100

2. CAVIAR TRIP - An extraordinary experience / process which is a true master class on appreciating fine caviar - SINGULAR x 100

3. WINE TRAVEL - Enjoy 10-15 Wine Pairings from 10 - 15 countries and 6 CONTINENTS paired with 10 - 12 courses - SINGULAR / RARE

4. SEA SALT COMPLEX - One of the 5 Pillars of RAW LAB - SINGULAR x 100

5. MARINE CUISINE - Another pillar. Next level thinking and understanding when it comes to seafood - SINGULAR

   The Core Differentiators and Five Pillars are, in themselves, POINTS OF DISCOVERY. But it is the combination of these methods, tools and tactics that allow RAW LAB to deliver the following Elements of Style and/or Points of Discovery to be delivered consistently. Here is where RAW LAB is greater than the sum of it’s parts and how it all comes together to create an incredible sense of learning and discovery for our guests.

20 + POINTS OF DISCOVERY

1. WELCOME TOAST - A glass of champagne in your hand within 30 seconds of entering the room - RARE

2. ICE ICE BABY - An ice moat / bespoke ice sculpture created daily which is integral to how the wine service is conducted as well as the food preparation and presentation. - SINGULAR

3. ROOT - Fresh Grated Horseradish Root (a la minute) on an oyster - SINGULAR / RARE

4. RHIZOME - Fresh Grated Wasabi Rhizome (a la minute) on an oyster - SINGULAR

5. TOUCHING - Holding / Feeling a Wasabi Rhizome - SINGULAR / RARE

6. FEELING - Holding / Feeling a Wasabi Paddle (Stingray Skin on Wood) - SINGULAR / RARE

7. PERFECT PAIRING - Perfection in a French Mignonette (explained) which delivers the most famous pairing of all time (Salt & Pepper) in the most elegant, obvious and simple way but is generally impossible for any Raw Bar or Restaurant using table service / platter service style to deliver - SINGULAR

8. SMOKIN’ - Cold Smoked Oyster with its own sound and light show - SINGULAR

9. SEEING IT ALL - Watching every oyster served being shucked live, for each guest - SINGULAR

10. PORRON - Txocolina enjoyed the Basque Way with The Porron with coaching for extra style, grace and aplomb - RARE

11. SHRIMP CEVICHE - The chips we use - RARE AF, in America

12. LOBSTER BISQUE - Ultra-Chunky Style - RARE

13. BEYOND SUSHI GRADE SALMON - The finest salmon on Earth

14. LOBSTER CAESAR - You’llm dream about it. - UNIQUE

15. CHILLED SALAD FORK - RARE

16. SALMON TOWER - Salt + Fat + Acid + Heat - RARE

17. DOLCE - How to enjoy a HEALTHY, sweet end to a meal - RARE

18. COACHING & GUIDANCE - Where else can you dine WITH the Chef for the entire experience, ask questions, hear his answers to other peoples questions…etc - SINGULAR

19. SALON - The experience is, in fact a “Salon de Marine Cuisine” where at host receives guests to experience a performance, together, allowing them to share their observations with each other, in real time. This is EXACTLY what a Salon is defined as in the 15th & 18th Century Italian & French traditions through the Renaissance & Age of Enlightenment. - SINGULAR

    LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE SALON HERE

20. BOTTOMLESS OLD BAY GOLD FISH - In both regular & hot styles. Silly and fun but if you are from the Chessapeake area, you know its not just that. Irreverent and silly but also fun. - UNIQUE

21. ATMOSPHERE - Dining beneath a canopy of living plants in a space that feels like an Octopus’ Garden. Guests are transported into a fantasy land. A sense of escape is inevitable. You’ll feel like a fish in an aquarium on another planet, in the year 3075 - SINGULAR

22. SOUNDTRACK - Highly curated playlists have been created and choreographed to dozens of moments, treatments and actions. Music is critical to the performance. Very little of it will be familiar to you. Lots of songs in languages other than English. - SINGULAR

23. LIGHTING - Changes, Evolves, Supports certain presentations…etc. - SINGULAR

24. DINNER & A SHOW - Without the hassle of getting from dinner to show. AND, yer among the players. The show features EVERYONE, not just the Chef who is also your DJ, Bartender, Sommelier, Mermmelier and Host. - SINGULAR

25. BELLS, GONGS & CHIMES - Used throughout the experience. Silly, but fun. - SINGULAR

26. JAM SESSION - How it all ends. Grab an instrument. Play a long. - SINGULAR

    PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

    FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

THE 5 PILLARS AND SUPPORTING FACTORS CREATE THE PLATFORM FOR DISCOVER & EXPERIENTIAL DINING

OYSTER FLIGHT + CAVIAR TRIP + WINE TRAVEL + SEA SALT COMPLEX + MARINE CUISINE

New Fusion Concept + Use Of Space + Choreography + Soundtrack + Salon

THIS IS A FIT FOR THOSE WHO…

• …seek the unprecedented, unique and original.

• …have been to all the great CHS restaurants 10 times each and seek something completely different.

• …value elite food & wine experiences and have 3-4 hours available to do enjoy our service.

• …are NOT allergic to shellfish, mollusks or crustaceans. Fin fish allergies can be worked around by skipping a course or two.

• …are comfortable with or seek a community table type of setting and a salon like atmosphere.

• …appreciate elite food, wine and service without any pretension.

LOCATION OF RAW LAB

99 South Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Between Chruch Street & Meeting Street

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

CONCIERGE

Here to help you find and book seats

…AT YOUR SERVICE…

MEET ANNABELLE & PRIVI CONCIERGE

Call Annabelle at 914 806 3627 or EMAIL HER HERE with any/all of your questions. She’s happy to help you find reservations at RAW LAB and answer any questions you might have. She’ll basically make it easy for RAW LAB’s guests to get seats and get the most out of it. For LOCALS she can help you plan a night on the town or a stay-cation. For VISITORS to Charleston Annabelle will help you plan a short or extended stay in Charleston including finding you an AirBnB, Hotel or Vacation Rental. And she can tap you into our network of Outfitters and Guides for fun outdoor activities or find you a tee time. Check out PRIVI CONCIERGE HERE

WHY WE OFFER CONCIERGE SERVICES

Like anyone else in our business, we need to use RESY for online bookings. However, our unique business model does NOT fit well with how the RESY platform works. It is designed for "Restaurants" which have "table service". This is not our model and so RESY only works ideally about 80% of the time. That other 20% of the time, we need to manage it for us and our guests. Bottom line, RESY IS GLITCHY, so we offer a more personal, traditional or analog

Savvy RESY users are often successful at using the NOTIFY tool on RESY to find seats. But this tool commonly misfires or fails for us for booking our last few seats. Often RESY will not allow guests to book that last few seats even though they are available. It's infuriating for us but we have no recourse. What we CAN do is help you get those seats when RESY glitches like this. So, that is our goal here. 

Also, not everyone is glued to their RESY app 24/7 or wants to deal with it. So we offer this traditional way of reserving seats too: You call us...we tell you when we have seats...we facilitate the booking that works for you...simple.   

We know how hard it seems to be to find seats at RAW LAB but we always have some seats open in the 2-6 week time frame. And, often, seats open up in the 11th hour. Still, searching for them is task you can avoid by calling us directly. 

To book via phone please call Raw Lab Concierge, Annabelle @ 914 806 3627.

Or you can also call Owner / Chef Kevin @ 917 656 4697

LOCATION: 99 S. Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Entrance door looks like the entry to the bathrooms off the Courtyard of PORT OF CALL. We are 1 block East of Meeting. One Block West of Church. Just to the left of the 5 & Dime when looking at it with your back to the Market. DIRECTIONS VIA GOOGLE MAPS

PRICES: The price for a seat at Raw Lab varies based on the day of the week. The base prices of $225, $250 or $275 are for Thurs, Fri and Sat. This covers food and beverage. It does not include, state & local taxes and credit card fees (15% total) or gratuity (20% on food & beverage only).

REFUNDS: New polices on this now that we’ve moved to a pre-paid, ticketed seat model can be found on our POLICIES page.

TIPPING POLICY: 20% is our minimum gratuity. We can certainly appreciate that there are folks out that would disagree with this.

DISCOUNTS: We do not discount for those who don’t consume wine but we do offer elegant NA options with advance notice. We’ll need notice to make arrangements for that. If we have empty seats (as we do from time to time) we may offer a Buy One Get One or BOGO. Keep an eye on our Instagram Stories for that.

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

RESERVATIONS: Can be made only on RESY. If you only see “Notify” for a date, there are no seats. Add yourself to the notify list for 1 or 2 dates you think would work for you.

LARGE GROUP RESERVATIONS: Can now be made on RESY for up to 13 guests per night (if seats are open). If you’d like to have more than 13 we can accommodate up to 18. Call us and we’ll help you find a day that works so you don’t have to search for that endlessly. 843 580 7729

OPERATIONS: Thurs - Sat, sometimes we add a Wed or a Sunday service (especially on holiday weekends).

TIME FRAME: Seating time is 6:37pm. Service runs 3.5 - 4 hours. Think of it as the same 4 hours you’d spend doing Dinner & A Show, without the hassle of getting from dinner to show.

MENU: There isn’t one that we stick to. We published a MENU at the very beginning and it’s still a very good representation of the species used, preparations and presentations, generally. Things do change from time to time but we keep to the core principles of MARINE CUISINE and WHOLE, LIVE, RAW & BIO-AVAILABLE. Expect 9-12 courses and a full meal featuring hot and cold dishes that is nutrient dense, colorful, delicious and interesting. Get excited for the finest raw oyster experience ever consistently delivered, anywhere. The same is true of our caviar service. Finally, our wine service features up to 15 different wines from all over the world to enjoy (small pours of each) as pairings with the various courses. Wines are always coming and going with a few exceptions of what we’ve found to be a perfect pairing.

SHELLFISH ALLERGY: A of June 2024 we no longer welcome those with allergies to more than one of the following species we typically feature in our service. Lobster. Salmon. Crab. Shrimp. Oysters. Caviar. f you are allergic to just oysters, well, that’s OK, as that is just one course. You can skip it. Skipping more than one course is not something we want to see happen anymore.

KIDS: We are 21+ only. At some point we may offer a “Take Your Kid to RAW LAB” service on a regular basis but when haven’t started this yet.

SUBSTITUTIONS: We are very limited in our ability here. The size of our space, storage, service style and other factors severely limit our ability to substitute dishes. We can offer double portions of some dishes, however. If you are allergic to shellfish (oysters, clams, scallops, caviar, crab, shrimp, lobster or salmon, its not a good spot for you. Dairy, nut or gluten sensitivities are easily managed, however.

REVIEWS: Speak for themselves. Focus on RESY which has been the result of 3 years of service and 500+ reviews from people WHO HAVE BEEN to RAW LAB. Be very, very wary of YELP and GOOGLE as many 1 star reviews posted by those who’ve never been or sabateurs have taken our average way below what the truth is. RESY is the truth!

MEET RAW LAB CREATOR, FOUNDER, OPERATOR & OWNER: Kevin Joseph, Master Mermmelier

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

…A FEW DETAILS…

• RAW LAB is, essentially, a FUSION CONCEPT…a FUSION of…

  • An Ancient, Oriental (Japanese) SERVICE STYLE (OMAKASE) which means “To Entrust” in Japanese.

  • A Modern, Occidental (European/American) CUISINE (RAW BAR) which focuses on certain species, preparations and presentations

• We are a STAND ALONE RAW BAR, and NOT just an OYSTER BAR, NOT a SUSHI OFFERING and NOT A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. We are not a restaurant at all as we have no tables. We are a bar, a RAW BAR.

• We offer MUCH MORE than the standard American RAW BAR offering and, for most we can be a delightful alternative to even your favorite seafood restaurant.

• We have disrupted / changed the Seafood Restaurant / Raw Bar model in a way that offers some real advantages. We TOOK THE RAW BAR out of the SEAFOOD RESTAURANT THAT ALSO HAS A RAW BAR and ELIMINATED THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. This has allowed us to specialize in, expand the offering of and improve the value proposition for what a RAW BAR could be, on several metrics. While we do have to abandon some of the elements of style for the standard fine-dining restaurant model, we’ve found that our guest does not miss them. Instead, what we’ve done in this new paradigm seems to create a host of advantages that are more valuable to the modern Epicurean. The basic things to understand about this model are:

  • This is not an appetizer. Courses are not tiny. This is not a tasting menu, this is an EATING menu. You will leave feeling like you ate a full meal. But it’s not a Sushi Experience despite our Omakase-Style of service. More on that below.

  • You will learn, A LOT, about A LOT of things because your fellow diners are going to be asking great questions and your chef is going to to be answering them. You’ll see, touch and taste things you never have before. You’ll be EDU-tained and you’ll love it.

  • NOT EVERYTHING WE SERVE IS RAW OR SERVED CHILLED. About 1/2 our menu is Raw/Chilled/Cold. About 1/2 of our menu is NOT RAW, served cold/chilled and one item is served hot.

  • Our Oyster Service and our Caviar service are each worth the cost of admission because you’ll understand and appreciate and enjoy both oysters and caviar on an entirely new level, for the rest of your life. Our unique business/dining/experienc model delivers on this ever time. They serve not to make us look smart or superior but to deliver to our guests THE TRUTH and THE OPPORTUNITIES to enjoy both, much, much more, for the rest of their lives.

  • Doubt any of this? Here’s a way to dip your toe in the pool: Try LTLE FISH. Come enjoy some wine while you watch others dine on dishes, a la carte, that are, in fact, RAW LAB’s greatest hits. If it’s not your jam, you’ll have simply wasted some time over a glass of wine.

• OMAKASE-STYLE SERVICE

Often consumers confuse our adoption of an Omakase-Style of service to mean that we deliver an Omakase Sushi Experience. It’s understandable as Omakase was synonymous with Sushi (from a Master Sushi Chef) for 3000 years. So, an “Omakase” in America, means a Sushi Offering. We use the term “Omakase-Style” for a host of reasons. 1. It applies ONLY to our service style, not our food. 2. Our guest does not choose courses or pairings and “Entrusts” the chef which the meal. 3. The price is fixed. 4. Most of the food is seafood and most of it served raw or cooked/chilled. So, while some of the similarities with the ancient tradition of Omakase are embraced, others are adapted. We find opportunities to feature (and tweak) American Raw Bar standards as well. Therefore, in the end, RAW LAB is an “Omakase-Style Raw Bar”

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

…MYTHS & FABLES…

1. MYTH: We NEVER refund if you cant make it…”ALL SALES ARE FINAL”.FACT: There are ways to get a refund. And you can always sell your seats, give them as a gift or transfer them to anyone you like. LEARN MORE AT OUR POLICIES PAGE

2. LOCAL: Our focus is NOT on “Local” product, although we do feature it as much as it fits with our other culinary ethics: 1. MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS and 2. “Whole-Live-Raw-Bioavailable”. There are no local “Farm to Table” Lobster, Caviar or Salmon options in Charleston and, frankly, and these products are integral to our offering.

3. FARM TO TABLE: More often than not, this is really Farm To Fable! So much so that it’s HARD to find legitimacy in this ethic. Sure, there are some things that big restaurants buy direct from Farmers, but its commonly a fraction of what they serve. We buy oysters direct from Farmers, always. Shrimp directly from those who caught them. Caviar too. But that’s about it. It’s not our lane and, honestly, it’s just not possible. Almost everything moves through a chain of custody that is layered. The trick is to investigate that chain of custody and KNOW that the product you use isn’t being mis-managed along the way.

4. IT’S A TOURIST TRAP: Raw Lab was 100% locals for the first 6 months. Then it dropped to about 90% for about 18 months and now about 80% of our guests are locals. Many of whom are repeat customers returning with friends and family visiting from out of state. Anyway, we don’t get tourists at RAW LAB, we get travelers or visitors to Charleston. Very different demographic. So, in fact, we’ve NEVER seen a TOURIST. They’re over at Hyman’s. The tourist trap term has been used by the haters and those who don’t see how spending this much money could be worth it.

5. FRESH IS A LIE: The freshest fish is NOT the best fish! Ask any “REAL” Sushi Master. The BEST fish is the fish served at the right point in it’s decay. This is known as THE SWEET SPOT. Same is true of meat, wine, cheese…etc. And some fish is BETTER / SAFER if frozen properly. WATCH THIS short video of Anthony Bourdain explaining this principle. He get’s into it at 1:30. YOUR WELCOME!

PURCHASE SEATS ON RESY HERE

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

IN SEARCH OF

We will trade seats at RAW LAB in exchange for the products, services & experiences listed below. And, we will PROMOTE your brand to our guests in a host of elegant ways.

BOOK KEEPING SERVICES

BUSINESS LEGAL SERVICES - TRADEMARKS

BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES

CONTENT CREATION

REFERRALS TO PROFESSIONALS / ENTREPRENEURS WHO COULD OWN & OPERATE “RAW LAB”

…ALSO…

INSHORE FISHING TRIPS

OFFSHORE FISHING / DIVING TRIPS

MASSAGE / BODY WORK

VACATION RENTALS & HOTELS

WORLD-CLASS DINING IN CHS & BEYOND

PLANTS & PLANT CARE

WOOD, METAL & GLASS WORK

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES (MECHANICS)

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY

PUBLIC RELATIONS

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

EDITORIAL COVERAGE

CUSTOM CERAMICS & GLASS WORK

GRAPHIC DESIGN

LIMOUSINE SERVICES

OUR CLIENTELE

Diners at RAW LAB are Interesting, Interested, Affluent & Influential Gourmands & Epicureans who seek out elite dining experiences as they travel the world. From our opening until now (July 2023) 80% of our guests have been residents of Charleston area. Another 10% are SC residents. A shockingly high number of these guests have come back and brought friends and family, some as many as 8 times! About 10% of our guests are visitors from out of town. This is an extremely coveted demographic for any product, service or experience and the delivery of your message to these people, in this way, at the time we do it is precious word of mouth….the HOLY GRAIL of marketing.

HOW WE PROMOTE OUR PARTNERS & PROVIDERS

1. Business Card / Offer in Check Presenter

2. Offers / QR Code in our “Partnerpedia”. A book that is passed around with the dolce where guests can browse partner offers, scan QR codes, write comments and provide us with emails and phone numbers to keep in touch.

3. Partner page on our website (coming soon to www.empireoyster.com/rawlabpartners)

CHECK PRESENTER

Each check is presented in a 500g Sterling Caviar Tin. Inside the tin we present business cards from our partners and providers with special offers or interesting information about their products, services & experiences.

PARTNER / MEMBER BOOK

As checks are presented, so too is our Partner / Member book. It gets passed around and guests are encouraged to browse offers and scan QR codes. They are also welcomed to give us their name, phone number and email so we can inform them of future partner offers, membership opportunities and more. Comments and feedback is also encouraged and given in this way.

SOCIAL & DIGITAL MARKETING

We are going to begin a monthly newsletter in the fall of 2023. In it we will feature our trade / sponsor partners regularly.

PARTNER PAGE

Coming soon to www.empireoyster.com/rawlabpartners

#RaiseTheRawBar

Empire Oyster created this concept in 2017 and have been perfecting it ever since. This is a vanguard Chef’s Table / Test Kitchen experience for up to 12 seated guests at a time, where the focus is on rare, exotic and luxury seafood from the bottom of the seafood chain. Part of our offering is an exploration of the most sustainable, responsible and healthy seafood choices. We call it MARINE CUISINE and describe it as Seafood v. 3.0. Here we #MakeUglyFishesDelicious in a smart, fun and sexy way.

Our model is the magic. Instead of being ANOTHER seafood restaurant that ALSO offers a raw bar, we have removed the raw bar from the restaurant and eliminated the restaurant. We are focused on being the finest raw bar in the history of the world because we are ONLY a Raw Bar! We #RaiseTheRawBar so you can #SeasTheBay. This is not an appetizer or tasting menu, its a meal…a food & wine experience and, for many, an epiphany in both seafood and fine dining.

We feature a host of marine species and dishes informed by an elegant culinary ethic which is designed around eating “Whole, Live, Raw & BioAvailabe”. These days, we guarantee our guests at least 15 “Points of Discovery”. These are things we deliver in our service that even the most sophisticated foodie, gourmand or epicurean is likely to have never seen before. It delights and enchants, while, at times confusing and challenging your senses in an exciting way. The entire time, you are only inches away from the chef who prepares everything in front of the guests. Every dish is enjoyed by all of the guests at the same time. The process and the chef de-mystify seafood and seafood wine pairings in an un-pretentious presentation that empowers our guests to experiment at home or to feel more comfortable ordering seafood and pairing wine to it elsewhere. Its also FUN! This is not a formal or “stuffy” omakase experience.

Raw Lab also delivers an elevated wine experience. Each course is paired with a great seafood wine and any of the wines could be paired with any of the dishes. Guest’s commonly discover new varieties and styles of wines they love. The focus is on obscure or lesser known varieties of dry white, rose and orange wines. A luxury back bar offers a very high end collection of sake & spirits and some nice red wines, by the bottle.

Enjoy private dining in a salon like atmosphere with other interesting & Interested guests who have the opportunity to ask dozens of questions about oysters, seafood and the wine pairings. No other oyster or seafood experience is designed around a 12 seat u-shaped bar where all of the dishes are presented to the world’s only “Ice Moat”, at the same time. Everyone in the room is on the same page and in proximity to everyone else. It creates a unique opportunity for Edu-Tainment and connecting to others which rewards much more than your palate.

Also, the space itself is designed and managed to deliver a strong sense of ESCAPE! If you are visiting, you won’t feel like you are a tourist, you’ll feel like a traveler. If you are local, you’ll feel transported to another time, place and dimension. You wont feel like you are in a restaurant, because, well, YOU ARE NOT! The decor, the music, the light…it all transports our guests and time flies.

Finally, this room is very private. You can’t see anyone walking by and nobody walking by can see you! Our guests enjoy total discretion, always. This very discreet room is also available for private events.

MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS

Learn more about this culinary ethic HERE and check out some pictures at that link or in the gallery below.

HOW IT WORKS

Enjoy 9 - 12 rounds of WHOLE, LIVE, RAW AND/OR BIO-AVAIALBE DISHES & UP TO 14 WINE PAIRINGS

It’s all VERY VERY VERY different @Raw.Lab.CHS. On many levels, this is an entirely new value proposition and Food & Wine experience, It is impossible to explain in writing or in words but it will make perfect sense once you’ve experienced it personally.

Omakase is an ancient Japanese service style typically applied to sushi service. The word means “to entrust” or “I leave it to you”. In this style of service guests do not order anything, they simply “entrust” the chef to deliver his or her best product, service and experience based on seasonal access to the finest and freshest product. We’ve applied it to oysters & MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS, a collection of dishes created by Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph. Our OMAKASE STYLE service is not a SUSHI Omakase which many gourmands, foodies and epicureans are familiar with. No, this is an RAW BAR OMAKASE, something different, entirely.

For starters, our oyster service launches the experience and features our Accoutrmement Premier, which is a proprietary collection of toppings, dressings and treatments for oysters available absolutely nowhere else on earth. All of the dishes are constructed right in front of you, and just for you. This is “seafood porn” and “food theater”, presented, in your lap, almost literally. But you’re not just watching it, you are a part of it as you interact with the chef and other guests. Also, this is not a little “tasting menu”. You will leave FULL. View the MENU HERE but dont expect exactly that menu as it is evolving fast and changes every night. LEARN MORE HERE

READ REVIEWS ON YELP & OPEN TABLE

RESERVATIONS VIA RESY || LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

843 580 7729

RESERVATIONS FOR PRIX FIXE OMAKASE & SEMI-PRIVATE DINING

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

843 580 7729

THIS IS A FIT FOR THOSE WHO…

• …seek the unprecedented, unique and original.

• …have been to all the great CHS restaurants 10 times each and seek something completely different.

• …value elite food & wine experiences and have 3-4 hours available to do enjoy our service.

• …are NOT allergic to shellfish, mollusks or crustaceans. Fin fish allergies can be worked around by skipping a course or two.

• …are comfortable with or seek a community table type of setting and a salon like atmosphere.

• …appreciate elite food, wine and service without any pretension.

PRIVATE DINING

Book the room privately and we’ll serve you anything we can make.

When you book the room privately for your group it is yours, privately. We’ll play whatever music you would like and even allow you to bring in your own DJ. Bring your favorite wines or spirits from your private collection. The room is your oyster and your guests are the pearls!

2 - 12 guests for $4,500 ++ (Food, Beverage & Service Included, Taxes & 20% Gratuity NOT included)

13 - 14 guests for $5,500 ++ (Food, Beverage & Service Included, Taxes & 20% Gratuity NOT included)

RESERVATIONS VIA RESY || LOCATION & DIRECTIONS || CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

843 580 7729

COMING SOON - MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

ADMIRALS CLUB

Own a reservation for 4 every night of the year. Pay only when you use it. Share it with anyone.

CLUB EMPIRE

Preferences on reservations, private room bookings and more.

OPERATING HOURS 2022

Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat

ONE, 6:30pm Seating for up to 12 guests. Service begins at 6:30pm, SHARP.

RESERVATIONS VIA RESY

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

LOCATION OF RAW LAB

99 South Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Between Chruch Street & Meeting Street

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

MISSION, MANTRA & METHOD

RAW LAB has a clear set of goals and a clear culinary ethic. you might recognize them as novel. IT MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK IT IS. theSE LANES, GUIDELINES OR PHILOSOPHIES may be a fit for you or your circumstances ON ANY GIVEN EVENING. OR they may not be. To be clear on what we are trying to do (and not do) we submit the following.

MISSION

We seek to #RaiseTheRawBar such that all might #SeasTheBay.

We have dedicated our lives to the protection, preservation and restoration of marine, littoral and aquatic habitats by delivering exceptional hospitality experiences that build value in people, places and processes that produce the foods we feature. In the process, we aim to provide a product, service and experience that serves as a RISING TIDE for consumers, producers, distributors and suppliers.

Through our product, service and experience we endeavor to achieve the following in a fun and exciting way:

• CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP with and PERCEPTION OF what “SEAFOOD” is and isn’t.

• BUILD VALUE in seafood, particularly “SMART SEAFOOD”, or “Marine Cuisine” as these are the most sustainable, responsible, healthy and safe choice

• GUIDE YOU in a JOURNEY to INFORM YOUR PALATE as to YOUR PREFERENCES for certain flavors, textures and pairings.

• CREATE AN ROI on the meal by helping your to understand certain principals which will allow you to arrive at an understanding of how to develop your palate and find your preferences. This will inform how you source seafood for cooking at home and how you order when dining out elsewhere…for the rest of your days!

• DELIVER A VERY NUTRIENT DENSE MEAL. Not one full of fat and salt, which, while flavorful, are not healthy.

• DELIVERY AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF FUN & DISCOVERY through EDU-TAINMENT whereby we are hosts, and guides

• DEVELOP IN YOU A NEW APPRECIATION AND RESPECT FOR the people, places and processed that provide us with seafood.

Y.J. Cousteau famously wrote: “We protect what we love.”

He was right. Like him, we love the ocean, bay, marsh, river…all aquatic and marine habitats and creatures. We LOVE them, in a religious, fanatical and passionate way. We also love how these habitats have nurtured humanity in every way. Our history, culture, cuisine and economy has been NURTURED through these ecological zones since Homo Sapiens first saw the tide go out.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

MANTRA

“DISCOVERY, FUN & LEARNING is the DELTA between EATING and DINING”.

- Kevin Joseph, Owner & Founder @ RAW LAB

We all “eat” at the $50 or 100 price point. Seldom is there a real WOW at that price point in either food, service, atmosphere or experience. And that’s ok. Not every meal should be a dining experience. But when that’s that you want, it has to deliver some WOW moments…or its simply not worth it.

To make money in the restaurant game at $100 a head it MUST be high volume and turning those tables is of utmost importance. We’re not into that. So we created an immersive experience that is worth A LOT more than $100 to some people.

You can get wonderful, amazing, great moments at $100 a head from RAW BARS in seafood restaurants. Sure. But how many WOW moments can you recall? We mean, life changing “never seen that before” kinds of moments. Real epiphanies…etc.

For 1000 reasons, we haven’t? And we’ve been looking high and low for 14 years! Truth is, Raw Bar service and fare has not changed much over the past 150 years. Generally, this is because the physical set up of a raw bar in a restaurant does deliver on the value that Raw Bar food & experiences CAN BE! You are almost always separated from the Chef / Shucker who knows about the food and a waiter is your intermediary. Is that not inferior to seeing it all happening in front of you, getting great answers to your questions, seeing things you’ve never seen before?

So we removed the RAW BAR from the seafood, restaurant…and eliminated the restaurant. We need 1/100th of the staff do do 100x more with RAW BAR because we are focused on it exclusively. And we have removed the barriers to discovery.

We’ve honed operations and improved the experience. The owner, Operator IS the waitstaff, kitchen crew, bar team and management. And DJ! The most important benefit of all of this is an extraordinary authenticity and authority on hospitality & raw bar product, service & experience.

This ultra-focused approach to hospitality, expensive and delicate foods allows and social experiment has distinguished us as we’ve proven the model.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

METHOD

We have two culinary ethics or philosophies. They are primarily driven by these 4 factors:

1. Our values, how we eat and what we love

2. Our relentless study / exploration of seafood, marine biology and nutrition over the past 15 years

3. 50 years of hospitality experience and a deep dive into how seafood is sourced, served and understood

4. Our space, 242 sf of dining / prep / plating space serving up to 12 courses to 12 - 14 guests

TWO CULINARY ETHICS

#1: MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS.

Not sushi or sashimi. Not “Seafood”. This culinary ethic is informed by a host of values, science and preferences. It is the result of decades of trial & error, research, travel and more. It excludes some very popular fish species which we feel are not safe or healthy to eat anymore due to high levels of heavy metals and the toxins that micro-plastic decomposition creates in the largest concentrations in the largest fish. This isnt opinion, this has been measured and demonstrated to be true. Its materially true that a 50 or 500 pound fish (particularly apex predators like Tuna, Mahi, Swordfish…etc) contain many magnitudes more of these toxins than oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster or small fin fish. That’s an issue that can affect your health. Many fisheries for large fin fish are filthy in other ways too (as are some, but not all aquaculture practices). Most pelagic apex predators are being fished to the brink of collapse. And the industrial fishing methods employed are subjecting humans to a kind of slave labor.

THIS ISNT THEORY, THIS IS FACT! We hate that the facts are habitats that produce seafood and the creatures in them ar being destroyed by toxins and mismanagement. While it is the fact, we can work to change these things. As we do, its good to keep some toxins our of our bodies. So, here’s some science to help you understand the issue. Tip of the iceberg.

To learn more Google some of these terms: Biological Magnification in Fish, Microplastics in Fish, Tuna Fishing Practices.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that MARINE CUISINE offers your best choices in safer, healthier. more responsible, more sustainable fish through well managed fisheries and best practices in aquaculture.

#2: WHOLE, RAW & LIVE / BIO-AVAILABLE

We want to feed you like we eat ourselves. For optimal health and vitality. Nothing processed. Nothing fake. No additives, preservatives. LOADS of the good bacteria our bodies evolved to need, want, use and thrive with. That’s what this ethic means.

WHOLE: Eating the entire animal, as much as possible. Oysters, clams and mussels are a good example of this.

RAW: Not cooked, cured or heated. Like a salad, ceviche, crudo, caviar, oyster on the half-shell…etc.

LIVE / BIO-AVAILABLE: Contains living organism (bacteria) that are beneficial or even essential to our digestion, nutrient absorption, immune system, metabolic function and/or metabolism. This does NOT mean we serve things still flapping around on the plate. It means we handle food in a way that has allowed homo-sapiens to survive and thrive on this planet while other species of the homo-genus are extinct. Ceviche, Crudo, Caviar, Salads and Raw Items are all bio-available.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

STYLE

Much of what we do and how we do it is driven by the two lanes explored above. But also, there are service styles we employ (Omakase, for example) and there are ways this all works that are really the result of our space: 242 square feet without an oven, fryer or grill.

Theater and education are cornerstones of the value proposition and our guests find value in our way of busting myths and becoming more informed without being made to feel like they are uninformed. They like hearing answers to the many questions posed to the chef who is present throughout. The result is a kind of Edu-Tainment that commonly surpasses the value proposition of traditional dining experiences as our guests learn much about oysters, caviar and other seafoods. They'll garner a greater appreciation of the metrics of quality for each and be more able to understand and order them to suit their preferences as they dine elsewhere or source product for enjoyment at home. Through our intimate, detailed and meticulous model we are able to #RaiseTheRawBar which allows our guests to #SeasTheBay.

Often our guests are as interested in WHY we are serving what we do as what we are serving. They notice, ask about and are interested in our unique set of culinary ethics. There are two lanes we operate in and they are different from the typical "Farm to Table" or "local" or "French". Our structure is built around new culinary ethics that curious consumers are interested to learn more about. The first is Marine Cuisine. The second is Whole, Live, Raw & Bioavailable (WLRB). Marine Cuisine limits us to using species / product that is "vanguard best practices in aquaculture or fishing" which results in the safest, healthiest, most sustainable and most responsible ("smartest") choices.  WLRB means we strive to keep everything as full of beneficial bacteria as possible for maximum benefits from pro-biotics, anit-oxidants and optimal nutritional value and uptake. Many of our guests are well versed in wellness and bleeding edge nutritional principles. Others are keenly interested in learning more.

Our strongest advocates have always been those who easily spot and navigate around gimmicks. Our guests know that the opposite of gimmick is authenticity. Understanding how rare that is, they are keen to express their appreciation of the purpose and passion of the Chef, Owner & Master Mermmelier, Kevin Joseph. In the end our guests can see that descriptive terms like "world-class" and "top-shelf" can be applied to much more than just food, service and atmosphere and that RAW LAB's shine comes not from glitter but from gold.

FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

VALUE PROPOSITIONS

Here’s the 20,-000’ overview. Below is some additional / alternative details.

• EARTH’S ONLY OMAKASE-STYLE RAW BAR EXPERIENCE. Omakase is an ancient Japanese service style typically applied to Sushi or Kaiseki. It means “to entrust” and in this service style the guest trusts the chef to serve the best possible product available, at that time. The guest does not order, there is no published or printed menu and it is typically prixe fixe. We have applied this ancient service style to a New American Raw Bar offering. So, we are not an Omakase Sushi or Kaiseki offering. Michelin’s Definition of Omakase can be found here

• THE 5 PILLARS OF RAW LAB This is a collection of things that we’ve come to understand to be the foundation or pillars of our value proposition. 1. Oyster Flight 2. Caviar Trip. 3. Wine Travel. 4. Sea Salt Complex. 5. Marine Cuisine. They're detailed here: THE 5 PILLARS

• PRIVATE / SEMI-PRIVATE DINNER PARTY / TEST KITCHEN “. Following the 60-90 minute Oyster Flight & Caviar Trip, dinner begins. 5- 6 courses are now presented. You will dine with only 11-13 others. It is Semi-Private when you book a couple seats because you are sharing the room with others. It is PRIVATE when your group books all of the seats. It seats only 12-14 guests in one seating. Every dish is made within 5’ of every seat. You see EVERYTHING as it is being made. Everything is made or plated a la minute.

• DISCREET! Nobody can see in or out of the room. Nobody can enter the room during service other than the guests.

• AN EXTRAORDINARY WINE PAIRING OPPORTUNITY. We pair each course with a different wine. Up to 14 wines are featured with each seating. We feature lesser known varieties which are becoming recognized as outstanding seafood wines. So, as you dine you learn about which seafood wines you prefer, all of which are available “to go”. Our strategy with wine is not to serve you a few full glasses of AMAZING wine, rather it is to serve you many small pours of good & great wine such that you might discover a new brand or varietal you love…and perhaps, take a bottle or two of it home with you so you dont have to go searching for it online or all over trown. Its a flight of 12 - 14 wines on offer. And you’ll be more informed for when you enjoy seafood elsewhere.

• A CHANCE TO DINE WITH A MASTER MERMMELIER. A Mermmelier is “a master of seafood”. As a Sommelier is to wine, a Mermmelier is to oysters and seafood, especially raw bar. RAW LAB’s oyster service is a master class in “ostreology”. The caviar service is superb as well. In this hour or so any given guest (yes, even the best fed and well traveled gourmand and epicurean) has a real opportunity to see, taste, experience and discover several things for the first time.

  • Learn more about what is a Mermmelier and why they create value here.

  • Learn about Chef/Owner/Founder Kevin Joseph here.

  • Learn about our Academie Memmelier here.

• EXPERIENCE 20+ POINTS OF DISCOVERY. Discovery is the quintessence of value in fine dining. You’ll see, feel, smell, taste and enjoy at least 15 products, processes, accoutrements and tools you never have before. Enchantment is guaranteed. You will NOT be lectured, you will be edu-tained. The service is a performance executed in a custom designed and built space and guests are encouraged to ask questions or make comments for the benefit of all present. You will experience Oysters & Caviar as you never have before, guaranteed, as the experience begins with a Masterclass in both. There are at least 10 points of discovery in that part of the event for most diners. We can honestly say now, after 2 years of operations, that the first 90 minutes of your time at RAW LAB will change your life for the better, forever.

• SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, adventurous, exciting, sexy, smart & cool. Dining here is dining at the bleeding edge of sustainable, healthy, responsible, creative and quality.

• PROVEN, MATHEMATICALLY, TO BE A 4.9 STAR EXPERIENCE on RESY, the only dining app that matters in Charleston. Only guests who have been can rate it. This is not the case with other platforms like Google or Yelp, which is why they are not legit.

• A ELITE & EPIC RAW BAR OFFERING not (just) an oyster bar. There simply is NOTHING like it on Earth. Nor has there ever been. We feature a lot more than just typical raw bar fare. We use rare & exotic products prepared and presented in inventive ways. Things like top quality caviar, crab, shrimp, salmon, scallops, lobster and more in fun, creative, colorful, delicious and healthy ways.

• An EXPERIMENT IN MARINE CUISINE & DelicaSEAS. A healthy, delicious, colorful meal, that is safer, healthier, more sustainable and more responsible (and therefore) SMARTER than “Seafood”.

• AN INCREDIBLE COLLECTION OF MEZCAL, TEQUILA & JAPANESE WHISKY. Perhaps the finest in Charleston.

• ONLY ONE SEATING PER NIGHT, each Thurs, Fri & Sat nights. We start at 6:30pm. Service takes about 3.5 hours. Guests are NEVER rushed out because we need the seats for the next seating.

• A SALON / COMMUNITY TABLE / BAR / CHEF’S TABLE where all guests sit together at one large U shaped bar. It creates a salon like atmosphere where interesting and interested foodies, gourmands and epicureans share with and learn from one another. In fact, we consider it to be a “Salon de Marine Cuisine” In fact, we are presenting a Salon in the oldest, truest sense of the term: SALON ON WIKIPEDIA

• At RAW LAB, guests are (1) hosted by a master (2) a process of discovery is executed where all guests can engage with each other and each element of the experience together, in real time, a complex and rewarding topics are explored (Marine Cuisine, DelicaSEAS, best/vanguard practices in aquaculture / fishing…etc), (3) opinions are shared and (4) relationships are created.

• AN EXPERIENCE, where whole, live, raw and bioavailable dishes are served, explained, enjoyed and discussed.

• AN ESCAPE! The food, music, decor, lighting and service are all, purposely, “unfamiliar”, safe, comfortable and interesting.

  FAQ MISSION WHAT IT IS & ISNT IS IT FOR YOU VALUE PROPOSITION PRICING POLICIES DISCOVERY

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LOCATION

99 South Market Street, Charleston, SC 29401

SALON

SALON @ RAW LAB IS…

1. A GATHERING

2. A COMMUNITY

3. AN ONGOING CONVERSATION

THREE CORE AREAS OF FOCUS FOR SPEAKERS, TOPICS & DISCUSSIONS

1. BUSINESS SUCCESS & WEALTH CREATION

2. PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

3. SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT & EXPRESSION

BASIC DETAILS

WHY - To explore the ways in which we can achieve a host of important goals that benefit all those who contribute to the process AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

WHO - Up to 14 Interesting & interested gourmands and epicureans of Charleston. Entrepreneurs. Rebels. Investors. Creatives. Visionaries. Curated by Kevin Joseph, your host, creator of RAW LAB, LTLE FISH & Empire Oyster.

WHAT - An assemblage of individuals engaged in an endless exploration of best practices in business, life, health & wellness.

WHEN - Mondays, 6pm - 9pm

WHERE - @ RAW LAB @ 99 S. Market Street, Charleston, SC @ Port of Call (LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS)

NOTE: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. But feel free to enjoy wines by the glasS, CaviaR, OYSTERS…etC.

RSVP HERE

OFFER TO PRESENT / LEAD A CONVERSATION

BLK LAB MEMBERSHIP @ RAW LAB

PROBLEM: YOU CANT FIND A SEAT AT RAW LAB WHEN YOU REALLY, REALLY NEED OR WANT ONE?

SOLUTION: BLK LAB MEMBERSHIP

After nearly 3 years of operations we have proven itself to be an elite dining experience as we’ve maintained a 4.9 Star Rating on RESY. Seats are now hard to find within a 90 day booking window. So, before a black market for “scalpers” appears, we have decided to offer a membership program to prevent the re-selling of seats AND to help you find the seats you need on the night you want, in a pinch or last minute.

HOW IT WORKS

Our BLK LAB Membership allows our members to receive our assistance in buying seats being held by others. We’ll help find the seats that can be purchased and confirm your reservation without our members having to do any work.

ONE TIME MEMBERSHIP FEE: $500 for couples or families. $1500 for for hotels, corporations or other entities.

ASSISTANCE: We’ll do our best to find the seats for you on the date you need. No guarantees, however.

THE CATCH: We cannot guarantee seats on any given date BUT The service IS NOT available to non-members.

THE COSTS & PROCEDURE

JOIN: Pay $250 per couple, family or individual or $1,500 per organization, hotel or corporations.

GET SEATS - OPTION A: WE GET IN FRONT OF THE NOTIFY LIST FOR YOU

RESY allows users to be on a notify list for reservations that become available. We can circumvent this by adding reservations for seats that are not available. You see we seat 12. But we can reserve seats 13, 14, 15 and 16, which DONT exist until someone cancels then their seats become OUR seats and nobody on the notify list sees them come open. We are in pole position and once we have those seats we can give them to members. If this works, members get seats at $250++ each.

GET SEATS - OPTION B: BUY OUT THE SEATS FROM THOSE WHO HOLD THEM.

We only do this for members! We manage or concierge this process entirley. First, we’ll reach out to those with reservations on the night you want and offer them $150 per seat to release those seats back to RAW LAB. If we find people willing to do this they will come and dine at a later date with a credit of $150 for every seat they gave up.

MEMBERS pay for those seats in two ways. (1). First, they pay to buy them out at $150 per seat and (2) Secondly, they pay to sit in them at $250 per seat. So, they pay more but there is still only one transaction, and it is with RAW LAB only. Its like “scalping” a ticket to a show but in this case RAW LAB is eliminating the black market. Essentially, members pay $400++ per seat, and deal only with RAW LAB who manages the process for you..

1. MEMBER PAYS: $150 per seat for the buy out of the guest holding the seats PLUS $250 (plus tax and tip) per seat for the reservation they are assuming.

2. SEAT BUY OUT PAYMENTS MADE: Credit Card or Cash, in advance.

3. PURCHASES ARE 100% NON REFUNDABLE.

4. TOTAL COST PER SEAT: $400 + tax and tip or about $480 per seat.

5. EVERYTHING IS INCLUDED: Taxes, Tip, Food, Wine & Fun (EVERYTHING) is included in the per seat price.

6. ENJOY RAW LAB! It is expensive this way but if it works and you get seats on the night you want, it may be worth if for you. We call it #InsiderDining and its a great way to #WinCharleston

OTHER BENEFITS

• 20% off YETI products via YETI Ambassador / RAW LAB Owner, Kevin Joseph. We place a large order quarterly.

• Order fresh wasabi, scallops, salmon or other products through RAW LAB. Pick them up (fresh) when you come in.

• Call Kevin directly to make reservations (Skip RESY and, sometimes, cut the line).

MORE INFO

Email us through our Contact Form on this website.

LOCATION