Lowcountry Fresh Market & Cafe — Restaurant in Bluffton

We visited today after being told by a friend that the store was disappointing and have to agree. The building is cool and the ‘concept’ is good but the execution is very poor. Owners need some professional merchandising and store design help. I hope you get it figured out because Bluffton certainly can use a gourmet/specialty grocery store. This can be so great!

Points to consider: ~ sense of bounty. This store has to feel like it’s bursting at the seams with product floor to ceiling. Empty shelves and empty show cases kill that impression and give more of a feeling that you’re not seriously great (or even that good) or trustworthy as THE RESOURCE for local and fresh in this area. ~ visual stimuli! This is huge and key to a sense of bounty! There should not be a surface untouched with either product, visual merchandising or graphic signing promoting freshness, bounty and flavor! It’s your personality! Get some! ~ lighting and theatre. Create some drama and enhance sense of freshness with accent lighting in the right places. This is a showplace! ~ great music. Enhance each day part: classical in the morning, classic rock with a bit of attitude during the day and jazz at night, for example. Play to your guests and use sound to create “your” vibe and energy! And turn up the volume! ~ get the food out of the vestibule and inside, where you can pile it high! Nobody shops in the vestibule ....they are just trying to get in (or out) the door! If you want to play the “fresh farmers market” thing, set up a great big presentation or food, plants, etc. outside on the front porch with a cashier and service out there. ~ the wine and beverage area is pathetic. Your selection has no point of view, no identity, no authority, no system, and the wines are junk! This is one area that you need to be the authority. Kroger is so much better and that’s not saying much. Less is more if the selection is right, well presented as something that has been curated (no what was a good buy from the distributor). Tell a story here! ~ touch all the senses: taste, touch, smell, sound and sight. Everyone that comes in wants some magic, they want to be blown away in a one-of-a-kind way! ~ be a great storyteller! Even though everything is not local or fresh, everything needs to tell the fresh story and with an accent on local. The sense of bounty, fresh, great flavor, fun and high energy is what your guests want and what your employees want! This doesn’t have to cost a fortune, it’s all in the attitude of how you present your point of view, the personality of fresh!

Good luck! Bluffton...

This review is not meant to put this place down. It’s not meant as an insult to the owners or those who work there. The staff was EXTREMELY friendly. Some of the best in town. There were many people enjoying the establishment. It’s just got for us. I understand prices and the economy and people needing to make a living. I don’t need to hear that as an explanation as to why this place costs so much. The concept is great. The building, the layout, the entire idea is awesome. They even have a generous sized parking lot. But what good is this place if the residents cannot afford it? I am by no means hard off. I have means to pay to wine, dine and enjoy this establishment. But because I have the means doesn’t mean that I will pay over price for items that are at your local Walmart. Yes, I said it and yes there are items here that are in our local Walmart. The cento pasta sauce can be purchased at just about any other grocery store for $3.28 but here it runs $5.00-$5.50. The tomato paste… same issue. There are FROZEN bags of vegetables that you can get at Walmart here in this store. The price is anywhere from 3-5 times the price than any other grocery store. There is a brand of pasta here that I am pretty sure is at the other grocery stores for at least a dollar cheaper. We purchased a red velvet cupcake and a watermelon slice. The water melon was fine. The price was not bad. The cupcake price was $4.00. Not bad if the quality is good. It was meh. Nothing to be crazy for. The four bagel and 8 oz cream cheese for $14.00-$15.00 not something I will pay for when it is cheaper elsewhere. I understand “freshly baked.” I not new to this world. But if this place is not affordable to the year round families I am not sure it makes a difference if this place is open or not. Like I said I have the means and still won’t return unless the prices become...

I have been coming to Lowcountry Fresh Market for the past few months for their sourdough bread ($12/boule). Last week, I called ahead because they had been sold out the last few times I tried and they said it would be ready at noon. I couldn’t get there til 5 and they were sold out, which was disappointing but totally fine. Today, I decided to try their online order and curbside pickup to make sure I’d be able to get some. I ordered 2 boules and added 3 bagels because the minimum order was $30.

A few hours later, I received a message that said, “Your order with Low Country Market and Cafe is thank you for your order” which was obviously something wrong with their system. I called to confirm it was ready and I could pick it up curbside and was told yeah it’s ready but come in and pay. I said I already paid online and it was supposed to be curbside, and she said no you need to come in. Fine - not a huge deal.

I drive there, go inside and am handed 2 bags. Fortunately, I checked them - first, the bagels weren’t there. Easy fix. However, the sourdough was BURNED. These boules have always been on the well-done side but this was beyond burned. I asked if there were others I could swap out and the cashier went to check. The manager then comes out and tells me they aren’t burned. I’m not an idiot - I know burned bread when I see it. I tell her I’ve gotten this bread several times before and it has never looked even close to this. She said it’s the only sourdough bread they made that day and flatly asks if I want a refund. No apology - no admission that yes, they’re probably too burned to sell. No apology for driving all the way out there for nothing.

All in all highly disappointed. I wanted to love this place but at this point the price and inconvenience are not worth it. I will not be...