Hospitality in Full Color

At Halls Chophouse, hospitality isn’t a tagline—it’s a way of life. And in Nexton, that philosophy resonates. Since opening in 2019, Halls has not only drawn in Summerville’s business crowd and neighborhood regulars, but also set the bar for the wave of restaurants now eager to join the area.

Full credit for the location, Halls Management Group President and CEO Tommy Hall says, goes to his father, Bill Hall Sr. “He always said there was nowhere else to go on the coast—everything was going up the corridor on 26. When we first looked at Summerville and Nexton, it was woods. I didn’t see it at the time, but he was adamant. Six years later, we look back and are blown away by the success.”

Today, walking into Halls Nexton can feel a lot like walking into the Charleston flagship. “It’s almost an exact replica,” Hall says. “So many of our downtown guests now live or work in the area. I see familiar faces all the time.” It’s like an extension of downtown, but with its own heartbeat.

That heartbeat is sustained by a staff culture built on more than just fine dining skills. “Every manager, chef, and sous chef starts at the mothership downtown,” Hall explains. “We hire for great attitude and energy in hospitality. I can teach you about steaks and wine, but I can’t teach you how to make people have a great day.” Many of Halls’ servers started as assistants, food runners or hostesses and worked their way up—a testament to the work culture they have created.

At Halls, service is “black and white,” Hall says, but hospitality is “in color.” That means reading the table: knowing when a guest wants a handshake and a hug, or when they just want a quiet meal. “It’s about making them feel like they’re in our home.”

Sometimes that means going the extra mile—literally. Hall recalls a family coming to Halls Nexton with their young daughter who wanted an ice cream cone from a shop across the street. “We serve ice cream in-house—but our server walked right over, bought her one, and brought it back. The family wrote me a letter. Now that’s my definition of hospitality.”

As much as Halls wants you to feel like you are part of their family, they are happy to serve yours, in your own home, too. As Thanksgiving looms, Halls Nexton offers turkey dinners to go (order early) and even private chef experiences, a trend Hall sees as growing. “We bring the food and the pots and pans, we’ll use your kitchen, and clean up on the way out.” It’s their way of acknowledging that getting out the door with a full household isn’t always easy—and of taking that worry off your plate. 

For Halls, the recipe for success is simple: serve world-class food, hire people with heart, and always deliver hospitality in full color.