230: David Thompson, David Thompson Architect (Charleston, SC)

The Southern Fork

Restaurants are immersive experiences, and while some grow organically, most are planned with intention, and it’s often the architect who is bringing that intention to life, setting the stage for the nightly dance of server, food, guest, and environment. Architect David Thompson has been involved in the building or renovation of many of the restaurants that have been featured on this show. His firm was founded in 2010 in Charleston, SC, and he’s brought the vision of The Ordinary, The Grocery, and multiple projects by Steve Palmer’s Indigo Road to life, so his is a unique insider’s view into the makings of a culinary culture. The questions he asks when designing a space can better help us to understand not only restaurant life for those who work in them, but how our experience as diners is shaped by the space in which we are dining.