A new spot for biscuits, buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits and more is coming soon to the Upstate, as the oldest independent culinary establishment in Charleston is expanding with a new restaurant in Mauldin.
Poogan’s Southern Kitchen will be opening in Mauldin’s BridgeWay Station, bringing a culinary tradition of more than 45 years to the Upstate.
Poogan’s opened its first restaurant, Poogan’s Porch, inside a 19th century home on Queen Street in Charleston back in 1976. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style cooking.
The restaurant company later expanded by opening the Poogan’s Southern Kitchen concept in Summerville, South Carolina, in the fall of 2020, bringing the same recipes, traditions, techniques and hospitality to a more casual diner-style concept, offering brunch and dinner.
The Mauldin location will be the third Poogan’s Southern Kitchen, after a second location is set to open in late spring of 2022 in Forest Acres, South Carolina. The spot at BridgeWay Station, the massive mixed-use development currently under construction at the exit of Bridges Road off I-385, will be a 6,000-square foot restaurant with private indoor dining, bar seating and a 500-square-foot outdoor dining area. The outdoor space will be pet-friendly, too (which is only fitting, considering the “Poogan’s” restaurant name comes from the name of a family dog, Poogan).
BridgeWay Station developer Phil Hughes said he was drawn to Poogan’s for the restaurant group’s history in Charleston as he looked to build a new historical legacy in Mauldin.
“Their outstanding, long-term history combined with the quality and excitement they will bring to BridgeWay further expands our goal of providing the region with the highest quality and most fun places to eat, live, work and shop and just have fun,” Hughes said.
Poogan’s is the fourth tenant to formally announce joining BridgeWay Station, alongside Cohesive Coffee, Belladina’s Italian Market, and Dodge Bearings and Power Transmission.
The $150 million first phase of BridgeWay Station broke ground in April, ushering in more than 450,000 square feet of new development, including retail, restaurants, office space, multifamily residential and event space, along with a pedestrian bridge over the highway.
Hughes Investments is spearheading the project alongside McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and Harper General Contractors. Designed to emulate “old-world architecture,” the development is expected to bring more than 1,000 new jobs to Mauldin within the first phase alone, with an anticipated completion date of the fourth quarter of 2022.
