As suburban living has grown in popularity and appeal, the quality and selection of small-town restaurants has risen — and Charlotte is proof that sometimes the best meals are worth the drive.
The suburbs often elicit visions of big lots, lower housing prices, strip malls and chain restaurants.
Traditionally across America, it is the most populous areas — New York City, Los Angeles, Miami — that are home to the biggest selection of “good” restaurants. But as suburban living has grown in popularity and appeal, the quality and selection of small town restaurants has risen — and Charlotte is proof that sometimes the best meals are worth the drive.
Restaurateurs have seen the opportunities this shift has created and have been busy making a name for themselves.
First movers
Chad and Katy Hutcheson were on the front-end of the suburban boom when they moved from Myers Park to Belmont 14 years ago in search of more space and a slower pace of life. The Huchesons were quick to discover that that slower pace also came with a price — few dining and grocery options.
A former professor at Johnson and Wales, Chad saw the need and the opportunity. The couple bought a space, came up with the concept of The String Bean — a restaurant, butcher shop and bottle shop in one — and got to work.
The result is a business that has grown every year since it opened (with the exception of 2020, due to COVID) and a second pizza parlor restaurant called Stone Fired Social that recently opened its doors. “To say Belmont has grown is an understatement — it is bursting at the seams,” said Nate Helton, co-owner of The String Bean and Stone Fired Social.
“To say Belmont has grown is an understatement — it is bursting at the seams,” said Nate Helton, co-owner of The String Bean and Stone Fired Social (shown above). Stone Fired Social
During that same year, southeast of Belmont in Fort Mill, Selena Kelemen and her then business partner were opening Fish Market Bar & Grill. The initial draw to that area was the ability to purchase rather than lease the building, but it was the ability to establish a personal connection with customers that Kelemen says was the biggest benefit to opening a restaurant in the suburbs.
“I wanted to get to know my regulars — see them on their first dates, getting engaged, getting married, having babies and watching their babies grow up. That’s what means so much to me,” Kelemen said.
She’s enjoyed her time as a Fort Mill restaurateur so much that she’s currently building a beer garden next door. Pět Piv — Czech for five beers — will open in the spring.
Fish Market Bar & Grill owner Selena Kelemen talks to guests at the restaurant’s bar in Fort Mill’s Baxter Village. Alex Cason CharlotteFive
Businesses are relocating, too
One local family took the recent trend of families swapping city life for rural life and applied it to their business. In December 2019, the Patrick and Linda Murphy fulfilled a long-time dream of owning and operating a restaurant together. They purchased West Charlotte’s successful Heirloom restaurant with the idea of moving outside the city at some point. That time came around faster than expected, thanks to the onset of COVID.
“We searched all over — purposely staying outside of Charlotte,” Linda Murphy said. “We wanted a destination.” The farm-to-table restaurant reopened in Belmont in 2021, then expanded to include a breakfast and brunch spot, The Honeycomb Cafe, in 2022.
“I started my own race rather than jumping into an existing one,” Patrick Murphy said about doing business outside of Charlotte. “The city is money — people who aren’t even from the city are investing. It’s a boxing match. Something is always popping up or closing. In a small town, you can’t have that turnover. There has to be some staples, a sense of community.”
The owners of Heirloom moved the restaurant from West Charlotte to Belmont in 2021. “We searched all over — purposely staying outside of Charlotte,” Linda Murphy said. “We wanted a destination.” Heirloom
Small towns only
“When the population grows and sprawls, income levels grow and sprawl. Now suburban income-level people are demanding better dining. They have a culinary palette, want independent restaurants and are willing to pay,” said Kevin Devanney, owner of Margaux’s Wine, Pizza and Market and the recently opened The Garrison: A Cocktail Bar and Restaurant, both in Pineville.
From the start, Delany’s strategy has been to target the suburbs. Like Kelemen, he saw the value in being able to purchase his own buildings. “The cost to renovate and completely rebuild is less than rent in South End or SouthPark, and you own the building,” Devanney said.
His Pineville investment has paid off. “Ten years ago when I showed up, the town was all boarded up — it was a ghost town. Now it is alive.”
Devanney plans to continue to employ a small-town strategy moving forward. “As a restaurant group, we made some decisions about how we will consider growth. 1. We will purchase the restaurants we move into; 2. We will look for historic buildings or homes; and 3. We will target smaller communities,” Devanney said. Areas including Mount Holly, Steele Creek, Belmont and Salisbury are on the group’s radar.
“Now suburban income-level people are demanding better dining. They have a culinary palette, want independent restaurants and are willing to pay,” said Kevin Delaney, owner of The Garrison: A Cocktail Bar & Restaurant in downtown Pineville. Chad Whittington
‘Enthusiastic about supporting local’
“There really seems to be a resurgence and newfound energy in smaller downtown suburbs with people desiring the same hospitality, culinary experiences, and cocktail programs usually limited to the ‘big’ city. Now they don’t have to drive/Uber to achieve it and they are more engaged and enthusiastic about supporting local,” said Jason Tuton, owner of Southern Fork Restaurant Group, which operates Barrel & Fork in Cornelius.
Another benefit of small town restaurant ownership? Consistency. “From a restaurant operational perspective, the suburbs offer very little seasonality trends to our business. More of a bedroom community, supported primarily by locals — we don’t see the typical summer slowdowns etc. that tend to plague those restaurants primarily located in the metros,” Tuton said about Barrel & Fork.
Dana Jordan creates creative cocktails behind the bar at Barrel & Fork. Alex Cason CharlotteFive
Tuton credits local James Beard-nominated chef and co-owner of suburban hot spots Kindred and Hello Sailor, Joe Kindred, for helping local restaurateurs to think outside the box.
“I would be remiss to not mention Joe Kindred as one of the driving forces behind bringing real attention to smaller communities outside the Charlotte metro and further validating that a great chef and great restaurants can not only thrive outside the city limits, but can exceed those within,” said Tuton.
Tuton has a new restaurant under construction in Mooresville called Savannah Oyster Co. Though he believes that the concept would do well in a large city, he feels that the impact will be much greater in a smaller community.
Barrel & Fork’s wild caught sea bass with poblano crema ancho chile spiced fingerlings and butternut squash with crispy kale. Alex Cason CharlotteFive
Think outside the box
While perhaps counterintuitive to traditional restaurant strategies, the rise of independent suburban restaurants — and more importantly, the communities embracing them — is creating expansion in Charlotte’s restaurant landscape.
“In Charlotte, things can kind of get lost. I thought we could do the most in the suburbs,” Wes Choplin said of opening Choplin’s in Cornelius. “I’m not a fast-paced kind of guy. I don’t want to fight traffic — it takes time away from the restaurant.
“You typically want to be in the densest populations, so it can be nerve wracking if you aren’t,” Johnson said. “There are just fewer people to pull from. But we’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the support of these more suburban communities.”
Editor’s note: Kevin Devanney is the owner of Margeaux’s Wine, Pizza and Market and The Garrison: A Cocktail Bar and Restaurant. An earlier version of this story had his name spelled incorrectly.
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
Laurie Larsh is a freelance writer and travel junkie with an affinity for sunglasses, coffee and all things Tarheels. Relentless curiosity about people and places keep her wondering and wandering near and far and writing stories about it. Follow her travel adventures on Instagram @goexplauring or her website www.goexplauring.com.
