Changes ahead for Greenville's High Cotton after sale

The announcement last week that Hall Management Group of Charleston was acquiring Maverick Southern Kitchens' four restaurants sent a current of chatter throughout the food communities in Charleston, where both Maverick and Hall are based.

But the news also means changes for Greenville, which has been home to Maverick's second High Cotton location since 2007.

In short, changes are coming for Greenville's High Cotton, but they will happen only after many conversations, according to Bill Hall, owner of Hall Management.

"Dick (Elliott) gave me his plan when he sold it to me, and the management team has given me their thoughts, and I'm here in Greenville to get their thoughts," Hall said. "You don't come in and rip the bar out without asking the man who runs it."

The Hall Group — which includes Hall's wife, Jeanne, and their sons Thomas and Billy — owns Halls Chophouse, a high-end steakhouse on King Street in Charleston, and Rita's Seaside Grille in Folly Beach.

Along with the two High Cotton restaurants, the deal includes Slightly North of Broad and the Old Village Post House.

The Lowcountry restaurants are pretty "turnkey," Hall said, but High Cotton Greenville "needs help."

Initial plans call for changing some of the restaurant's aesthetics. Hall Management plans to begin renovations on High Cotton Greenville's interior space in July. Changes include new paint, new carpet, new bar stools and chairs, new artwork and moving the bar more toward the dining room.

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"We want to perk it up a bit," explained Jeanne Hall.

As of now, there are no plans to change any staff, Bill Hall said, though there are plans to add to the culinary staff. Any changes or additions will be vetted by the restaurant's current general manager, Chet Green, and executive chef, Adrian Carpenter, Hall said.

The Halls' sons oversee day-to-day operations in the company's restaurants.

"We have a couple people my son would like to send here who would like to live in Greenville because it's a great community," Hall said. "So we're looking at staffing and working with Chet and chef to see what they feel we need to do to boost business."

The culinary shift may mean some changes to the menu, though Hall didn't give specifics. The only thing he offered is that some nice steaks likely will be added.

And one more change the Halls would like to implement — live music. Halls Chophouse features live entertainment seven days a week, and the plan is to add something similar in Greenville.

Renovations at High Cotton Greenville are set to begin in July and should be completed by late August. High Cotton will remain open during that time, save for a few days.

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• www.hallschophouse.com