The One Who Keeps the Book Charleston
How to Get a Table at Frannie & The Fox, Charleston’s Hot Spot for Pizza and Craft Cocktails
Frannie & The Fox has become a Charleston standout on the Market, a historic district that is buzzing with tourists on a daily basis, yet sometimes overlooked by locals. Chef Tim Morton’s Italian-inspired cuisine has changed that. Since opening in the summer of 2020, the stunner of a restaurant designed by Swoon Studio has gained a buzzy momentum that now has locals clamoring to score a reservation. Add the in-the-know tourists, and these days, a Resy at Frannie & The Fox is becoming one of the most coveted prizes in a city that treats eating out as entertainment.
Luckily for you, you’re reading The One Who Keeps The Book, our regular series that aims to answer the most important of questions: How do I get in? The first answer is Resy, of course. But every restaurant manages its tables differently and there are always tips, tricks, and shortcuts to be discovered. So here, we go straight to the source to get them for you.
Frannie has three distinct areas, each with its own personality: a long, low bar with a refined tropical vibe, great for solo diners; an expansive dining room that still feels intimate with its low ceiling and various banquettes; and a courtyard open to the sky that is a secret, serene treasure.
But beyond that, it is the unseen environment that really sets the tone, says general manager Ally Bazinett. “My biggest thing here is employees first. If the people who work here enjoy coming to work, enjoy the job, then that’s the number one thing. Putting that first, making that a priority, is where a lot of the Frannie magic happens.”
Resy: How many seats does the restaurant have?
Ally Bazinett: We have about 85 seats, and if we are running that, we’re completely full. Space is one of the benefits here, and three seatings a night is always our goal.
When do you open reservations?
We take reservations three months out. One of our most popular seatings is Sunday brunch, and that’s usually completely booked out two weeks or more, so it’s best to reserve that as soon as you know you’d like to join us.
One thing that is so wonderful is that Frannie is just as satisfying an experience for family and friend gatherings as it is for date night. What about children? How do you accommodate them?
We are fortunate to have a large space, and by nature, pizza is kid-friendly, so we often see earlier Resys that are families with small children. We can easily add a high chair at one end, and even if there is a lot of activity at a table, it’s not as disruptive as it would be in a more cramped dining room.
Speaking of activity, how about large parties? What do we do if we want to bring the whole gang for a Frannie’s experience?
For parties of seven or more, I’d refer you to our direct reservation supervisor, and there’s also a link on our events page. Because we can accommodate large parties in a city where not that many restaurants can, we keep busy with these direct reservations. You’ll need to manage expectations, though, and know that we don’t seat more than a party of six in the courtyard.
Oh that courtyard! With its cafe tables and “secret garden” feel, It really is so Charleston. What are the best seats out there?
Probably the sofas in front of the outdoor fireplace. They are first come, first served, so a lot of our guests enjoy getting a drink at the bar then sitting there before heading to a table.
Beyond that, the courtyard is really a great catalyst for the restaurant to be able to offer additional seating. If there isn’t an event on the other side of it (used more exclusively by the hotel), then there is open seating over there too, but a beautiful weather day is a great day to consider walking in without a reservation. The courtyard provides 40 additional seats, which helps us be more flexible with our last minute guests, but when it rains, those seats aren’t available and so it’s harder to accommodate walk-ins.
If we do have the “walk-in” itch, which nights and times are best to score a table?
Monday through Wednesday we can often accommodate walk-ins, especially if the weather works with us.
As far as times, right at 5 p.m. when we open, is a smart time to come in, because I like to have a full first seating if possible, and then on the opposite side of that, after 8:30. The 6 -8:30 p.m. range can be really challenging for us to have a table for you. However, if the bar is open, it’s available, and we have a lot of solo diners that take advantage of that. Our bar staff is really engaging to watch, too, which is an added bonus.
Alright, once we’re seated, what’s the go-to order?
The Spirit Animal, a mezcal cocktail that isn’t changing anytime soon. It’s got a great round profile with that smokiness and really shows what the bar team can do. And as for food? Everyone across the board in-house loves the Taleggio pizza [with burnt honey and black pepper]. It’s just so balanced and when we suggest it for guests, we have a 1000 percent success rate for them to end up loving it. It’s just that good.
