A Charleston specialty cafe is expanding to James Island with its third location this summer and plans to reintroduce drinks on tap.
Caviar & Bananas, owned by Joe Caradonna, is set to open at 1739 Maybank Hwy., taking over the former Maple Street Biscuit Co. location.
“It’s a good move for us. It’s a totally different demographic that we haven’t tested, so I think it’ll be successful, and it will open some new doors for us in a world outside of a city landscape,” Caradonna told What Now Charleston.
The name Caviar & Bananas is often a conversation starter.
“It’s the most interesting and funny thing to stand outside the doors and hear people walk by that have never been down here. It’s either, ‘Oh! Caviar & Bananas? That sounds really cool,’ or ‘That sounds really disgusting,’” Caradonna said.
He continued, “It’s a metaphor where you can come in to get something as extraordinary as caviar or something as ordinary as a banana. We cater to all walks of life and put a cool, unique spin on the items we offer.”
Founded in 2008, the shop is known for its breakfast and lunch offerings, grab-and-go items, gelato, smoothies, and shakes, alongside an espresso bar featuring Foresight-roasted coffee. It has locations on George Street in downtown Charleston and on the Medical University of South Carolina campus.
Caradonna said the new location plans to expand its grab-and-go offerings to be more family-friendly, catering to customers on their way home from work or picking up their kids from school. The cafe plans to bring back beer on tap, which was offered at the downtown location several years ago.
The team is currently transforming the former outpost.
“The former tenant did a good job cleaning it up. We’re doing more of a renovation versus a lot of demo, but it will look drastically different once we’re done. That was one of our main goals: we want it to look like us, not just a freshly painted version of the former tenant,” Caradonna said.
He is eager to open the James Island outpost but knows it won’t be an easy feat.
“I think it’ll be a challenge, like any new business. We don’t take anything for granted. We do have a longstanding name in Charleston, but we don’t want to throw that weight around. We’re going to go in full force and give it 110%,” Caradonna said.
Caviar & Bananas is set to open in May. Caradonna said additional expansion plans are already in the works. Visit the website and follow along on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.
