Cities that Sizzle

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan, 2001

Walsh has taken the money and done for the area what he helped do for Union Square -- convert it to a vibrant, diverse business community. Among the changes to Center City are a free shuttle bus service that carries 50,000 passengers a month, the weekly North End Green Market, and provisions that make parking more affordable and much easier to find.

"Charlotte has a lot going for it," notes T. Jerry Williams, executive director of the North Carolina Restaurant Association. "There are a lot of banks, a lot of other industries and a great airport hub. It's the center of a dynamic area that stretches from Raleigh-Durham to Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., and a lot of people come over the border to shop and eat."

Williams adds that the highway system in place has made Charlotte a more accessible city.

"People used to complain about all the roadwork going on in Charlotte," he explains. "Now, that's paid off, and it's very easy to get into and around Charlotte."

Melvin Tennant, executive director of the Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau, notes that when Route 485 is finished, it will circle the town and provide even more locations at its exits for restaurants and other retail trade.

Of course, Charlotte's growth is not only about business, Tennant adds. Tourism also is helping to improve the city's fortunes.

"In Mecklenburg County more than 36,000 jobs are tied in some way to tourism," Tennant explains. "Charlotte has become the No. 1 travel destination in North Carolina, and tourism generates close to $2 billion in revenue for the area."

Until recently, Charlotte's restaurant growth has been spotty and driven primarily by regional and national chains, according to Dennis Thompson, president of Blue Marlin Inc.

"What you find in Charlotte is some areas where there are more restaurants than people to frequent them and others where the demand isn't being met," says Thompson, whose company operates three Blue Marlin restaurants in the city, with others in South Carolina and Virginia. "The area around the University of North Carolina-Charlotte has more restaurants than it can handle. When Concord Mills mall opened, quite a few chains came in, and there were already a lot of restaurants there.

"The South Park area is very trendy and could probably handle more restaurants," he adds. "But there's not a lot of space there, and there are some zoning problems. The majority of restaurants that have opened lately -- Dean & DeLuca, The Palm, P.F. Chang's -- have gone in on the ground floor of office buildings."

Thompson points out that although much of the restaurant growth has come from chains like Outback, Longhorn Steak House, Red Lobster and Chili's, more local operators are now looking to expand as well.

"Recently, there have been more openings by local operators," Thompson says. "Guytano's did well in South End, and that caused Guy Ciccone to open the bistro Phil & Tony's. I understand they're ready to open a second location for that restaurant."

Another local restaurant group that has expanded is Harper's Restaurants Inc. With five Harper's in operation, the company recently opened a new concept, Mimosa Grill. President Tom Sasser notes that Mimosa's location, in the First Union Building in Center City, is an acknowledgment of the renewed vibrancy of the area.