elizabeth bush Chef Patrick Fitz, one of four partners opening the new Daniel Island Grill - Sports Pub & Eatery, displays two of the offerings that will be part of the restaurant’s menu. On the right are chicken wings, which come with a variety of sauces. On the left is the Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich, already dubbed one of the staff’s favorites.

If you’re hungry for an affordable place to eat on Daniel Island that offers a hefty portion of excellent service, quality food, and unbeatable hospitality, the creators of a new island restaurant are confident their destination fits the bill perfectly. Daniel Island Grill – Sports Pub & Eatery, the island’s latest culinary venture, is expected to open its doors this week in the space formerly occupied by Arlaana on Seven Farms Drive.

"We’re really focused on families," said Thomas Dowling, operating partner and one of four co-owners of the restaurant. "We all have families and we all have kids. We’re looking for that check average to be about $10 for lunch and about $15 for dinner. We want to provide not only quality food and service, but for us it’s all about hospitality…We’re focused on the way we make people feel. That’s one of our core values. That is what’s going to make us successful."

Dowling is also hopeful that the restaurant’s menu offerings will keep people coming back for more. Wings with a variety of tantalizing sauces, baby back ribs that are slow cooked in a homemade rub and sauce for six hours, certified Angus beef sliders, pulled pork sandwiches, Prince Edward Island mussels, Nathan’s® hotdogs, Pork Osso Bucco, and Wasabi Salmon are just a few of the selections you’ll find on the menu. Already, the Yellowfin Tuna Sandwich and Shrimp Po’ Boy have been dubbed "staff favorites."

"We want to be the neighborhood place where people feel they can come a couple of times a week because of the diversity of the menu," added Dowling.

Kids’ lunch and dinner offerings include hand-breaded chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pasta, and steak strips, as well as a free sundae with every meal.

"I think that we can be a little bit to everybody," he said. "If it’s date night and you want to come out and have a nice steak or a nice piece of grilled seafood, or Osso Bucco, then you can do that with a wonderful wine list. But if you just want to come and have some cocktails and appetizers with your friends for after work happy hour, it’s the perfect setting. There is a breeze under this roof every day. It’s really gorgeous. It really is a beautiful view. I think it’s the best piece of restaurant property on the island."

Dowling and crew have spent the last six to eight weeks "completely remodeling" the restaurant. A new custom bar was created for the interior by The Charleston Group, while the bar previously used by Arlaana restaurant was moved outside to the patio overlooking the pond. The new set-up also includes a 10-draft beer system and multiple flat screen television sets offering plenty of viewing options for sports fans.

"…Later in the night, we want to go for that 20- or 30-something set," said Dowling. "We also really want to focus on sports. College football on Saturdays and the NFL on Sundays. I think it will be a great place for families to come and watch sports…We want to make it fun for everybody. Fun, entertaining and relaxing."

For Dowling and two of his partners, Patrick Fitz and Brian Mahoney, the Daniel Island Grill is providing a bit of a reunion of sorts. The trio worked together over 20 years ago in a resort beach area on Long Island. Mahoney eventually migrated to Charleston and is now in the real estate business. Dowling, a hospitality guru, went on to Atlanta, where he was director of operations for Metrotainment Cafes. Fitz, a chef, became an owner of The Hideway restaurant on Fire Island, N.Y. Four months ago he sold his share in the business, at a time when Dowling and Mahoney were looking for new opportunities. The property on Daniel Island went on the market and the group decided the time was right to join forces once again. A fourth partner, Larry Doyle, is the building’s landlord.

"We want to be here for a long time," added Dowling. "Our goal isn’t to just have one restaurant. We’d like to have another restaurant on Daniel Island. We believe in Daniel Island. We believe in the growth here."

Dowling is undeterred by recent restaurant closings on the island and is hopeful that the Daniel Island Grill is exactly the kind of place restaurant patrons are looking for.

"I think that everybody goes into business thinking they’re going to make it," he said. "But I think that you’ve really got to focus on your guests…We’re excited about being here. We think that there is enough business for everybody out here. The more businesses that open on Daniel Island, it’s more of a reason for other people to come here. We would be more of a destination because people would have more choices…Maybe it would be more of a walking community where you could have cocktails and appetizers out on the patio here and then maybe walk down the block and have dinner…That’s what the island has to get to, where we give people off the island more of a reason to join us."