Loggerhead’s Beach Grill
By Lauren Dean
Ed and Yvonne Iames celebrated their 27th anniversary on May 21 with the official opening of their restaurant, Loggerhead’s Beach Grill located at 123 West Ashley at the former site of The Pelican and The Roadhouse.
Mayor Tim Goodwin cut the ceremonial ribbon and welcomed Iames to Folly Beach. “It’s nice to have another quality restaurant at Folly Beach,” Goodwin said. “I’m sure you’ll do well in the tourist season, but your challenge will be to keep the locals coming.”
Loggerhead’s has already established a loyal local following that is appreciative of the smoke-free environment and what they describe as “great food.” “Especially the conch fritters,” said customer Brooke Johnson. “They are their signature item, and they’re the best I’ve ever had.”
Iames, who was born and raised on the New Jersey coast, had always wanted to own a restaurant of his own and seafood was what he loved best. After working in the food and beverage industry for more than 30 years in a five-state area centered around Philadelphia, he was ready to make his own imprint on the restaurant business.
“Long story short, I took a year off and my wife got tired of me hanging around the house,” Iames said. “The kids were grown, and we were ready to relocate, so we started looking for a restaurant to buy.”
They liked the Southeast coast and in December Yvonne drove to Charleston. “Nothing was available or the deals weren’t right,” Iames said. They were about ready to give up on the area when they connected with restaurant broker Tim Hager, who said “I’ve got this little place on Folly. . .”
“It went from there,” Iames said, “We loved the location, and we hope we’ll be here for a long time.” The restaurant opened for business on April 16. Iames said when he told people they planned to open April 16 they would laugh and say “Try June 1,” but everything fell into place thanks to a hard-working and dedicated crew.
Iames said the building was literally falling apart, but he recognized the potential. The layout remains basically the same, but the restaurant was completely revamped structurally and mechanically, the bar refurbished, the old musky carpeting removed and replaced with hardwood floors, and new decks with yellow umbrellas invite patrons to catch the ocean breeze from the rear of the restaurant.
The bandstand and dance floor remain. “The musicians tell us it’s the best stage in Folly and we want to carry on the tradition of presenting a great music venue for Folly Beach,” Iames said.
All their seafood is fresh and prepared daily at the restaurant, sometimes using old family recipes. Although the menu does not yet reflect it, Iames has just installed a new broiler and broiled seafood entrees will become a mainstay of the restaurant with broiled seafood specials offered all summer.
Loggerhead’s has a daily happy hour from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and live entertainment Friday and Saturday nights. The Folly Beach Bluegrass Society performs there on Thursday nights from 7:00 to 11:00. Bluegrass enthusiasts and musicians are invited to attend and join in the jam.
