Church and Union Charleston

Upscale Restaurant Diningchurchandunioncharleston.com

Church and Union Charleston is an upscale Modern-American restaurant on historic Market Street in Charleston, SC, part of a three-location group (Charleston, Nashville, Charlotte) led by Top Chef Alum Jamie Lynch. The restaurant serves lunch, dinner, brunch, and private events to individual diners and groups.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersCharleston, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Church and Union Charleston does

Church and Union Charleston is an upscale Modern-American restaurant located at 32b North Market Street in downtown Charleston, SC, operating inside a repurposed historic church building. The restaurant is part of the 5th Street Group portfolio, which operates three locations across Charleston, Nashville, and Charlotte under the Church and Union brand alongside sister concepts Tempest, La Belle Helene, and Ophelia's. The kitchen is led by Chef Partner Jamie Lynch (a Top Chef Alum), Chef Partner Adam Hodgson, and Executive Chef Doug Watson, and was recognized by Forbes in 2024 among "57 Irresistible Pastas From Restaurants Worldwide."

The business runs a direct-to-consumer, transaction-based dining model with no proprietary technology platform. Revenue is generated from dine-in service across four dayparts — weekday lunch (Mon–Thu 10am–3:30pm), midday (daily 3:30pm–5pm), dinner (daily from 5pm), and weekend brunch (Fri–Sun 9am–3:30pm) — with menu pricing spanning $7–$116. The restaurant also operates a Private Dining program for groups of 12+ (requiring a credit card on file and selection from a group menu packet), and sells gift cards through its website that are redeemable at all three locations. Reservations are handled via OpenTable for general seating, with large parties and private events routed through a dedicated inquiry form.

The concept originally launched as 5Church in 2015 and rebranded to Church and Union in 2021 following separation from an estranged investor. The Charleston flagship is positioned next to sister restaurant Tempest on Market Street, leveraging a clustered dining destination model. Marketing is primarily organic — Facebook, Instagram, email newsletter, and earned media coverage in Forbes, Southern Living, MSNBC, and Charleston Regional Business Journal.

Church and Union Charleston firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Church and Union Charleston
Website: https://churchandunioncharleston.com
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Church and Union Charleston is an upscale Modern-American restaurant on historic Market Street in Charleston, SC, part of a three-location group (Charleston, Nashville, Charlotte) led by Top Chef Alum Jamie Lynch. The restaurant serves lunch, dinner, brunch, and private events to individual diners and groups.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Church and Union Charleston industry classification

Industry

Product category: Upscale Restaurant Dining
NAICS: Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
SIC: Retail-Eating Places (5812)
akta.pro primary industry: Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

Upscale American dining
Restaurant private dining
Weekend brunch service
Modern American cuisine
Hospitality dining services

Where Church and Union Charleston is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Charleston
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Church and Union Charleston business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Dine-in Service: Revenue generated from food and beverage sales during daily dining service including dinner, lunch, brunch, and midday menus. Customers pay per visit with transaction-based pricing for individual menu items.
Private Dining Events: Revenue from private dining reservations for large parties (12+). Requires credit card on file and selection from group menus. Additional revenue stream for special event hosting.
Gift Cards: Prepaid gift card sales representing stored value that converts to revenue upon redemption at any of the three locations (Charleston, Nashville, Charlotte).

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Dinner Menu - Full-course dining with appetizers, mains, steaks, and sides
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Brunch Menu - Weekend breakfast and lunch offerings with cocktails
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Lunch Menu - Monday-Thursday midday service
Other	Multi-year contract	Private Dining - Large group events (12+)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Church and Union Charleston product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Church and Union Charleston is an upscale Modern-American restaurant offering daily dinner service, weekend brunch, weekday lunch, and a daily midday menu at its downtown Charleston location on historic Market Street. The restaurant also provides private dining experiences for groups of 12 or more and sells gift cards redeemable at all three locations (Charleston, Nashville, Charlotte). Dining is supported by curated wine and specialty cocktail programs led by Chef Partner Jamie Lynch (Top Chef Alum), Chef Partner Adam Hodgson, and Executive Chef Doug Watson.

Product overview

Church and Union Charleston is a multi-location upscale Modern-American restaurant group with locations in Charleston, SC, Nashville, TN, and Charlotte, NC. The Charleston flagship operates as a unified dining establishment offering distinct meal period services: dinner service daily from 5PM featuring upscale entrées, steaks, and seafood; weekend brunch Friday-Sunday 9AM-3:30PM with breakfast items and cocktails; weekday lunch Monday-Thursday 10AM-3:30PM; and a midday service bridging lunch and dinner. The portfolio includes core meal services (Dinner, Brunch, Lunch, Midday), supplementary offerings (Dessert Menu, Barista Drinks & Cocktails), and experiential services (Private Dining for groups 12+, Gift Cards). The restaurant is led by Top Chef Alum Chef Partner Jamie Lynch, Chef Partner Adam Hodgson, and Executive Chef Doug Watson, featuring Modern-American cuisine with premium proteins and Forbes-recognized pasta.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Modern-American Dinner Service Full evening dining experience offered daily from 5PM featuring upscale American cuisine including appetizers, mains, steaks, chops, and sides, with prices ranging from $14 to $116 (e.g., Arancini $14, CU Tower seafood platter $116). Targeted at individual diners and small groups seeking upscale Modern-American cuisine in historic Charleston.
Weekend Brunch Service Friday through Sunday brunch service from 9AM-3:30PM offering breakfast items, sandwiches, and specialty cocktails including mimosa flights, bloody marys, and espresso martinis. Brunch items priced from $17 to $36 per person (e.g., Southern Breakfast $20, Holy $h!t Breakfast $36/person). Note: Friday brunch was newly added per current website indication.
Weekday Lunch Service Monday through Thursday lunch service from 10AM-3:30PM featuring starters, sandwiches, and entrées including Steak Sandwich ($18) and Mediterranean chicken wrap. Targeted at lunch patrons seeking upscale Modern-American fare in downtown Charleston.
Private Dining Private dining experiences for groups of 12 or more, requiring a credit card on file and group menu selections from the Private Dining Packet. Targeted at event organizers, corporate gatherings, and celebrations requiring dedicated seating and customized menus.
Gift Cards Digital and physical gift card purchasing for the Charleston location, redeemable across all three Church and Union locations (Charleston, Nashville, Charlotte). Targeted at customers giving dining gifts and stored-value recipients.

Companies that use Church and Union Charleston

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Church and Union Charleston technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Church and Union Charleston partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

TempestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister restaurant located adjacent to Church and Union Charleston on Market Street. Both restaurants are part of the same restaurant group and operate in proximity, potentially offering complementary dining options for visitors.
La Belle HelenecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellow restaurant in the portfolio, featured as a related restaurant brand. La Belle Helene operates under the same restaurant group, indicated by shared branding and website footer presence.
Ophelia'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellow restaurant brand in Nashville featured as part of the restaurant group's portfolio. Shares website footer and branding with Church and Union locations.
5th Street GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent restaurant group/company that owns and operates Church and Union, La Belle Helene, Ophelia's, and Tempest restaurant brands across Charleston, Nashville, and Charlotte markets.
OpenTablecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party reservation platform integrated into the Church and Union website. Provides real-time availability and booking capabilities for general dining reservations at all locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Church and Union Charleston competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Church and Union Charleston financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Church and Union Charleston leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Church and Union Charleston funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Church and Union Charleston M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Church and Union Charleston

What does Church and Union Charleston do?

When was Church and Union Charleston founded?

Church and Union Charleston was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Church and Union Charleston based?

Church and Union Charleston is headquartered in Charleston, United States, in the North America region.

How does Church and Union Charleston make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Service is the primary driver. The others are private Dining Events and gift Cards.

Does Church and Union Charleston have an API?

No public API is recorded for Church and Union Charleston.

What industry is Church and Union Charleston in?

Church and Union Charleston's product category is Upscale Restaurant Dining. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAA, Fine Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFACAK, Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5812.