Indigo Road Hospitality Group founder Steve Palmer said he's still afraid to fail, even after opening dozens of successful restaurants across the Southeast. While he's proud of what the staff has accomplished at Maya , the group's Mexican-inspired destination in Charleston, the restaurateur has known for months that the concept wasn't working. At one point, he considered giving the keys to 479 King St.
back to the landlord. Instead, he'll bring a new restaurant to the space, once home to The Macintosh. "Maya hasn’t been working for a while," Palmer told The Post and Courier, adding that he wished he'd made the decision sooner.
"I blame myself for it." Former Macintosh space in Charleston is now a Mexican restaurant. Here's where it misses the mark.
In the summer of 2011, Indigo Road opened the Cocktail Club on the second floor of 479 King St., which once housed People’s Clothing Store. A few months later, The Macintosh opened on the floor below, where executive chef Jeremiah Bacon went on to earn five James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef: Southeast.
Chefs at The Macintosh were among the pioneers that transformed the eight blocks of King Street between Calhoun and Line from a boarded-up former retail corridor to a hopping nightlife district . Locals flocked to the once-empty sidewalks to rediscover classic cocktails and explore novel farm-to-table fare. In 2021, after a decade-long run, Indigo Road closed The Macintosh and opened Maya.
The upscale Mexican restaurant.