Local Mexican restaurant closes both its Charlotte and Lake Norman locations
Two local Mexican-inspired restaurants that have been open for years are no longer open — for now at least.
Cantina 1511, which has been a staple in the area for nearly 20 years, has temporarily closed both its two remaining restaurants in Charlotte and Mooresville, as first reported by Charlotte Business Journal.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to announce that Cantina 1511 will not be opening for service today,” a post said on the Charlotte restaurant’s Facebook page on Aug. 7. “Please remember, as tough as they might be, these moments are temporary. We’re already looking forward to greeting you with a warm ‘Hola!’ and serving up your favorite dishes as soon as possible.”
The Cantina 1511 team confirmed to CharlotteFive that the Park Road location has been closed since then, and the Mooresville location closed two days later, on Aug. 9.
Cantina 1511, which originally opened in 2004 on East Blvd., has had several locations in the Charlotte area, including one in uptown and one in Stonecrest, but these two were the last remaining.
A GoFundMe page posted by the restaurant staff on Cantina’s social media pages stated that the doors were closed without notice.
“Every share, every contribution, and every word of encouragement helps to sustain us during this incredibly tough time,” the donation page stated. “Right now, we — the dedicated former employees of Cantina 1511 — need your support more than ever as we face unemployment, financial stress, and the emotional toll of losing our work family so abruptly.”
According to Charlotte Business Journal, this all comes a year after Cantina 1511 tried to sell three of its locations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but the sales fell through and case was dismissed.
“The staff, including myself have been incredibly loyal and we really feel abandoned,” Zach Silverstein, a Cantina 1511 employee, told CharlotteFive. “Some of us stuck around out of pure loyalty when we should have been looking out for ourselves.”
Cantina 1511 isn’t the only company that suddenly closed its locations in the area in recent days. Catawba Brewing Co. permanently closed its Charlotte location in the Belmont neighborhood earlier this week, without warning or notice to employees.
At this time, it’s unclear what the Cantina owners’ plans are moving forward.
Cantina 1511
Location: 4271 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 120 Marketplace Ave D, Mooresville, NC 28117
Instagram: @cantina1511
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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