Lucky Rooster's Rollison Innovates On Hilton Head Island

Owner and proprietor of Hilton Head Island-based Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar, Clayton Rollison is an unusual chef. Not in the way he cooks or presents his food, although that remains to be inventive and fresh, but in the way he understands how to run his business making it a long-term, successful enterprise.

Rollison sat down with The Daily Meal to discuss his unique menu strategy and his ability to continuously reinvent his business.

For Rollison, he drives his restaurant forward by having a deep understanding of the subtle nuances of how one runs and operates a restaurant because it's something he loves, while still managing the financial reality that a restaurant needs to be a sustainable entity, all at the same time.

Since most chefs often discuss the art and passion that is required to make it in the ruthless restaurant industry, Rollison believes it's much more about discipline, practice and focus. He, alongside his wife Leah, work tirelessly on recruiting and staffing their restaurant as well as proper kitchen training for all of their employees.

"I show our staff how to execute a recipe and then they need to do it over and over to have that regulation to execute it properly," Rollison explained.

While he believes in hiring people who have a genuine love of the restaurant industry, he also believes he can teach those who have the desire to learn, have a clear focus and remain disciplined, to become excellent restaurant employees.

Given the location of Lucky Rooster, Rollison creates his menu from the produce and protein he can source and purchase at regional farms, using their purveyors and their local waters. Historically, the menu has been populated with classic Southern dishes, with a few specialty items for adventurous culinary individuals such as foie gras, whole pig's head for two, roasted octopus and bone marrow.

Most recently, he has decided to make small, but impactful menu changes to incorporate a section where you choose your protein, sauce and range of sides, to make the menu as approachable to the everyday consumer as it needs to be. He continues to offer specialty items for larger groups or special events—such as the pig's head— and can work with groups on their needs and preferences for special occasions.

One thing that he's most proud of at Lucky Rooster is their innovative cocktail menu and their selection of homemade amaros. The contemporary, yet classic menu boasts cocktails including the draft Brooklyn comprised of larceny bourbon, luxardo maraschino, averna, dolin dry vermouth, solerno blood orange and angostura bitters and the Hanky Panky made of bulrush hand crafted gin, dolin sweet vermouth, fernet branca and aromatic bitters.

Rollison's restaurant ethos permeates throughout his establishment and the cuisine he creates. For this avant-garde chef, he only hopes that his hard work shows in his true contemporary, Southern hospitality.