Zack’s is the latest casualty. What’s happening to Charlotte’s iconic restaurants?
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Price’s Chicken Coop is closing
The beloved, nearly 60-year-old restaurant in South End is closing its doors this Saturday.
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‘With heavy hearts.’ Beloved Price’s Chicken Coop in South End says it’s closing soon
Zack’s is the latest casualty. What’s happening to Charlotte’s iconic restaurants?
‘Sad day in Charlotte.’ Crowds gather for one last meal at Price’s Chicken
Learn more about the rich, decades-long history of popular Price’s Chicken Coop
Editor’s note: On June 28, 2021, Zack’s Hamburgers announced that it will close its doors at the end of business on July 1, 2021. This story has been updated to reflect the news of its closing.
In Charlotte, the line to say goodbye formed once again. Earlier this month, customers gathered at Price’s Chicken Coop, and on Monday, June 28, it was Zack’s Hamburgers. At the close of business on Thursday, July 1, Zack’s will close its doors.
“We’re glad to be here today. It’s a sad, happy, sad day. Our prerequisites, unfortunately: You know the story with Mr. Ks, great guy, George is, a great place. And then we got another prerequisite from The Chicken Coop, excellent guys there also. We try to make sense of all that’s going on,” owner George Demopoulos told CharlotteFive.
“One factor, to try to make sense of this: They had a story about 17 restaurants that are older, some of them are not around anymore. I started thinking about what kind of businesses that we all are. I told my wife, “‘I generalize all of us, we’re part of a fleet of four-generational family-owned businesses. As things progress, each generation gets a little smarter. I know my kids moved on to do other things and that’s what’s happening with these businesses. And it is sad,” Demopoulos said.
“The hardest part for the other two places I mentioned — and including us — was the devotion we’ve had for the customers. That’s where we feel bad. My wife — wonderful lady, I’m existing because of her — had tears waking up some mornings. “‘George, I feel bad. The customers are depending on us and we’re abandoning them.’” Demopoulos said his wife, Elaine, told him.
On the heels of Price’s
On Thursday, June 17, the line that formed outside of Price’s Chicken Coop after the restaurant announced it would be closing after 59 years gave every indication of how iconic the chicken place was for the Charlotte community.
“I have been born and raised here in Charlotte. It’s a landmark that we’re going to miss,” Janice Albin told CharlotteFive’s Alex Cason while waiting in the line. “I used to walk here as a kid, and now it’s going to be gone. I gotta get that final meal in. I wish you could see my face — it’s a sad face under the mask.”
More goodbyes
Losing iconic restaurants is nothing new to Charlotteans — in the past year alone, we’ve seen Bill Spoons, Chris’ Deli, Mr. K’s, Oakhurst Grill, Sammy’s Deli and others shut their doors permanently.
These closures are no doubt sad, yet it raises the question: Could we have done more to support them? A quick Yelp search shows one local restaurant that opened in 2013 has 916 reviews — another one that opened in 2016 has 559 reviews — yet Price’s — open 59 years — has just 469.
Our support helps
Over the past year, we’ve also seen struggling restaurants thrive with community support.
Lang Van Vietnamese Restaurant was at risk of closing permanently when COVID-19 drastically reduced its business. “For the first time in my life, maybe I have no more, nothing,” Lang Van owner Dan Nguyen told CharlotteFive in June 2020.
Longtime Lang Van patrons rallied together, raising $62,352 in a GoFundMe. Brooks Sandwich House reopened in May 2020 after co-owner Scott Brooks was killed in December 2019; customers happily waited in line for hours to support the staple in NoDa.
It’s not realistic for the Charlotte community to keep every icon afloat via GoFundMe campaigns or hour-long waits. Instead, we should keep these restaurants at the forefront of our minds when dining out — before we hear we’ve lost another favorite.
In CharlotteFive, we do a recurring series called Charlotte Classic Eats, about our city’s longtime restaurants that should be saved.
A lot of our older restaurants do not have a large social media presence (if any), in part because they were here before social media was even a glint in Charlotte’s eye. So it’s up to us, Charlotte, to share with each other about these icons via Twitter, TikTok, the ‘Gram.
Charlotte’s iconic restaurants, now closed
Sometimes, restaurants are here long enough that we just think they will always be here.
A favorite restaurant is a staple in our lives, always here for us — until it’s not. Here are some of the restaurants our city has lost:
Andersons Restaurant (pro tip: there is still a catering business).
Carpe Diem (pro tip: order family meals at Earl’s Grocery, owned by Carpe Diem’s former owners, Bonnie Warford and Tricia Maddrey)
This list is all the more reason to remind us to support the places we love — and not assume they will always be here.
Charlotte’s story, told in its restaurant kitchens
It’s important to support our longtime favorites now — while we still have them. Here are a few to keep on your radar:
21 South
Beef N Bottle Steakhouse
Comet Grill
Dino’s Family Restaurant
Dish (Pro Tip: You can now get your Sammy’s Deli breakfast here.)
Green’s Lunch
Landmark
Mert’s
Pinky’s Westside Grill
Portofino’s
Last summer, during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zack’s Hamburgers owner George Demopoulos talked to CharlotteFive reporter Jennings Cool about the importance of supporting local restaurants. “Everyone is going through something — not just us here on South Boulevard,” he said at the time. “Myself and the staff at Zacks Hamburgers appreciate all of our customers’ support, and we will continue to hope for the best for all.”
Today, it’s you we hope the best for, George. So long, and thanks for all the burgers.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 1:54 PM.
