The Heyday, the all-day café and bar tucked into the Hayes Park development on Johns Island, is closing for good on Oct. 25. Owner James Groetzinger said the restaurant simply was not performing in a way that made financial sense, bringing an end to a spot known for its coffee, brunch, farm-to-table suppers and evening drinks on the patio.
Groetzinger announced the closure and plans to sell the business on Monday, saying the decision came together over the previous couple of weeks, according to the Post and Courier. The Heyday sits at 605 Kindred Court off Maybank Highway, inside the 16-acre Hayes Park mixed-use development, and Oct. 25 will be its last day of operation, per the same report.
Groetzinger, who also owns the Island Provisions cafés on Johns Island and in downtown Charleston, said he and his partners had invested substantially in the location and tried to bring a great restaurant to the island. The timeline on when The Heyday actually opened is not entirely settled in the record: one account places its debut on Jan. 24, 2025, while another cites April 2025 as the opening month.
A Hayes Park Anchor Tenant Departs
The café built its identity around a brunch and supper menu centered on farm-to-table produce, fresh seafood and local purveyors, the station's report notes. It had become one of the more visible dining spots within Hayes Park, a 16-acre mixed-use community near Maybank Highway and Main Road that blends retail, restaurants, medical offices and residences into a walkable layout.
The development, built by New Leaf Builders, also includes 56 residences spanning single-family attached houses and townhome options. Hayes Park's commercial roster has featured Somm Wine Bar, High Steaks Butcher Shop, Opal Aesthetics, a pediatrician's office, an aesthetician, an atelier and other tenants alongside The Heyday, according to the Post and Courier's earlier coverage of the project.
Part of a Bigger Shakeup in Charleston Dining
The Heyday's exit lands amid a churning restaurant scene across the Charleston area. The region logged 32 restaurant openings against 20 closings in the third quarter of 2026, according to a report from Kennedy Commercial Real Estate, which noted that most of the closures involved local concepts founded by their own owners rather than chains. The same report pointed to national restaurant profit margins slipping to around 4%, even as the number of announced projects expected to open within the next year climbed into the high 40s by the end of the quarter.
Other restaurant owners in the area have pointed to rising food and rent costs, along with shifting post-pandemic dining habits, as pressures squeezing margins, according to WCBD News 2. A Charleston retail broker cited by the station said limited commercial-space inventory has helped push rents higher and left landlords with less incentive to offer concessions to tenants. One restaurant owner told the station that his liquor-liability insurance renewal more than doubled, jumping from $17,000 to nearly $40,000.
The Heyday is not the only long-running name to shutter recently. Cru Café closed Sept. 28 after 23 years of serving the Lowcountry, WCBD News 2 reported, underscoring that even established operations have not been immune to the current cost pressures.
What Comes Next
Groetzinger's statement framed the closure as a financial decision rather than a reflection of the restaurant's reputation, and he said the plan now is to sell the business. Beyond that announcement, the terms of any sale, a buyer or the fate of the restaurant's staff have not been detailed. For now, Johns Island diners have until Oct. 25 to get in a final visit to The Heyday's coffee counter, brunch tables or patio bar before the doors close.
