WISE COLUMN: 4 Cook-Out locations planned for metro Charleston

The former Checkers at 2036 Savannah Highway is coming back to life as a new restaurant.

The North Carolina-based Cook-Out fast-food chain will soon open in the 1,350-square-foot building that does not have dine-in seating but will offer double drive-thru windows and a walk-up window for orders.

Work is expected to be completed in about two weeks, according to Andrew Gilbert, project superintendent with Arc LLC construction firm of Duncan in the Upstate.

When the restaurant is completed, a second one will be built from the ground up in North Charleston, Gilbert said. Ryan Johnson with the city of North Charleston said it will be at 8970 University Blvd. near Charleston Southern University.

Gilbert said the new restaurant will be about 2,000 square feet with inside dining. He expects construction to take about five months.

Two others are planned for the area, Gilbert said, but he did not have any details. A restaurant representative did not respond for comment.

Food lines
A fourth Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich shop is in the works for the Charleston region.

Business partners Dave Pearson of Summerville and Angela Davis of North Charleston plan to open the new, 1,385-square-foot restaurant at 7565 Rivers Ave. near Colucci's Jewelry either July 3 or July 10.

Pearson previously owned a Jimmy John's in Myrtle Beach but sold the restaurant. Davis has been associated with Jimmy John's for seven years.

The other restaurants are in downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant and near Tanger Outlet Center in North Charleston.

Also, Charleston's new Italian restaurant, 'Cesca Ristorante & Trattoria, opens at 6 p.m. today at 5 Faber St. It will be open for dinner only the first two weeks and then will open for lunch at 11:30 a.m. A brunch is planned for the future.

The new restaurant will be open seven days a week. The owner is Anthony Mazzola, who named the restaurant after his grandmother, Francesca.

Staying put
One of the sites mentioned as a possibility as the new location of Williams-Sonoma on King Street is off the table. Nancy Snowden, owner of the building at 304 King St. that houses King Street Grille, said the downtown Charleston restaurant has a seven-year lease on the property and is not going anywhere. She said she was approached about Williams-Sonoma going into the restaurant site, but declined.

Williams-Sonoma is looking at several sites on King Street and in Mount Pleasant once it moves out of the old Kress building early next year when its lease expires.

The skinny
The Skin Cell, a skin therapy and dermatological products shop, is now open at 802 Coleman Blvd, Suite 205, in Mount Pleasant. Cherri Ross Thompson is the owner. She also offers Migun massage and a range of skin products.

Revving up
The new AutoZone store in Berkeley County will be at 106 S. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner. It plans to open by mid-August. AutoZone has 10 other stores in the Charleston area.

Snip, snip
Walmart at 9880 Dorchester Road in Summerville is celebrating its recent remodeling with a ribbon-cutting at 7 a.m. Friday. The store received a face-lift with new paint and new equipment.

Page turner
The Charleston Friends of the Library will hold “That Summer Book Sale” Friday through Sunday at the main branch of Charleston County Public Library at 68 Calhoun St. in downtown Charleston.

Sales of books, DVDs and CDs will help raise money to help fund library services, equipment, training, materials and public programming. Prices will start at $1 for paperbacks and $3 for hardback books.

It runs 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

New on King
Irresistibles, a contemporary women's clothing and accessories shop, is now open at 181 King St. It's the 14th store for the Marblehead, Mass.-based chain.

Do you know of a business that is opening, closing or expanding? Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524 or twitter.com/warrenlancewise.

Editor's note: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly identified Anthony Mazzola's grandmother. The Post and Courier regrets the error.