GARY AND DONNA LANG
A Quarter Century Behind the Success of Breakwater
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by RICHARD STEINBERGER
Talk about risky business: Industry studies show nearly 60% of new restaurants fail within the first year, and that number leaps as high as 90% for independent establishments. Even those that make it past the one-year mark have an average life expectancy of only four or five years.
How, then, to explain Breakwater, going strong after a quarter century as one of Beaufort’s go-to destinations for anything from an after-work cocktail to a casual weeknight dinner to a milestone celebration for locals and tourists alike?
For owners Gary and Donna Lang, the recipe is deceptively simple.
“We care about it,” Donna says. “We provide a good work environment, so our employees are happy here and they make us look good. Our front-of-the-house manager, Juliet, has been with us more than 15 years.”
“It’s also because of how we treat our customers,” Gary adds. “We’ve always had a warm and inviting atmosphere, and the food has always been good and consistent.”
And if there’s one thing he knows inside and out, it’s the food. As Breakwater’s managing chef, Gary creates the menus, curates the wine list, and until recently has filled his share and more of line shifts in the kitchen.
Breakwater’s menu changes with the seasons to highlight fresh, local seafood and other ingredients as much as possible and prides itself on offering dishes with “innovative Southern flair.” Think buttermilk fried chicken — “It’s one dish that’s never come off the menu,” Donna says — lamb meatloaf, shrimp and succotash, or grilled beef tenderloin. But you might want to start with fried oysters, tuna tartare, or an artful stack of fried green tomatoes layered with pimento cheese if you’re lucky enough to visit when they’re on the specials list. And consider a side of pan-sauteed green beans, or roasted brussels sprouts.
FIRST TIME’S THE CHARM
The Langs’ success is even more impressive when you consider Breakwater is their first venture as restaurant entrepreneurs, and they were also new to Beaufort when they first opened their doors.
Gary was born in Atlanta and grew up a few steps away in Gainesville, Georgia. Donna was born in Michigan but also grew up in Georgia. They met and married in nearby Cumming in the late 1990s, and soon thereafter Donna convinced Gary to go to culinary school. When they realized his culinary school graduation from the Art Institute of Atlanta and her daughter’s high school graduation would coincide, they cooked up a plan to get out of the congested Atlanta area and open their own restaurant, but weren’t sure where.
The Langs were familiar with the Hilton Head area thanks to frequent visits to a friend living there, but agreed that wasn’t quite the right spot for them. Instead, they started investigating towns close by. When they found a small bistro for sale on West Street in Beaufort, they stopped looking.
Like so many other visitors, “We fell in love with Beaufort,” Donna says.
In 2001, they opened Bistro 205, with Gary serving as chef — and everything else from janitor to electrician, he says — and Donna managing the front of the house. They later rebranded the restaurant as Breakwater and continued operating there until 2009. After eight years, they realized they needed a bigger space, and in October 2009 moved to Breakwater’s current location on Carteret Street.
BRANCHING OUT
That success led the Langs to open a second Breakwater in 2012 in Greenville — at that time, another small town with a lot of charm and potential. Unfortunately, a lot of others in the hospitality industry had the same idea at the same time.
“All the big restaurant groups in Charleston and Atlanta started opening there and snatching up employees,” Gary says. “It was a small market when we got there, but it was a large market when we exited.”
“It was a tough market for us as basically a mom-and-pop operation,” Donna adds.
It was also tough on their family, as Gary had to move to Greenville temporarily to establish the new restaurant while Donna continued running the business in Beaufort. They decided to leave Greenville after five years and focus on Beaufort — which has plenty of its own challenges for anyone in the hospitality industry, they say.
“This is a big retirement town,” Gary explains. “For a lot of people who live here, this is a second home. Business is very seasonal, with a big drop in third quarter when many people leave town for the summer. Charleston and Savannah used to have the same pattern, but they’re much larger cities and a lot of restaurants there have huge marketing budgets.”
Still, Breakwater continues to thrive. “Our market has grown,” Gary says, noting the seasonal drop-off in business, while tough, is significantly less than it used to be.
Breakwater has also grown into an important part of the community, regularly supporting a wide range of causes including the Palmetto Animal League, Historic Beaufort Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Child Abuse Prevention Association.
TRANSITIONING TO NEW ROLES
After 25 years at Breakwater, the Langs are still firmly seated in the owners’ chairs and are in the restaurant often, but say they’ve eased up on the reins. Gary still serves as managing chef and runs the company’s financial side. “I’m basically the CEO,” he says.
Meanwhile, Donna moved about three years ago into a new role as selections coordinator with Allen Patterson Builders, helping clients with their selections for the company’s custom-built homes. “I love it,” she says.
Still, both admit they have mixed feelings about relinquishing their day-to-day roles in the business.
“I miss knowing everything that’s going on,” Donna says. “I miss seeing our customers.”
“I don’t miss the line shifts, but when you build something, it’s hard to let go, especially for chefs,” Gary adds. “But as we’ve let go of the reins, our staff has continued to carry us forward. We’ve been able to step away from the day-to-day because of the amazing staff we have. They do an incredible job, and that’s why our customers keep coming back. It’s the food and the service and making you feel welcome.”
Both the Langs also agree they enjoy the greater flexibility their evolving roles have created. “Stepping away has allowed us to do other things,” Donna says, including spending more time with their daughter, son-in-law, and two young grandchildren in Carrollton, Georgia, an occasional round of golf at Dataw Island, and even a recent two-week trip to Spain and Italy.
And they say they have no plans to leave Beaufort — or Breakwater — anytime soon.
“Beaufort is a community,” Donna says. “People know your name, we know everybody, and we’ve made some amazing friendships. And there’s great community support here. Everyone takes care of each other.”
