Two popular Charlotte restaurants permanently close South End, Ballantyne locations
The Charlotte food scene has officially lost two more fan-favorite restaurants.
After 12 years in business, Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse in Ballantyne has permanently closed along with its sister concept, Link & Pin’s flagship location in South End.
Link & Pin, which was named as a nod to the city’s first railroad line, opened in 2019 before expanding to Huntersville and later The Arboretum— which are still open.
Both restaurants, owned by Rob Duckworth, have several locations across the Charlotte area.
What’s next for the shuttered restaurant spaces?
Though this marks the end of an era for both restaurants, Duckworth says he and his team are looking forward to sharing updates about what’s next.
“We are deeply grateful to our guests who have supported us in each neighborhood, and to our dedicated team members who have consistently delivered exceptional dining experiences at both concepts,” he said on Tuesday in a statement sent to CharlotteFive.
“We’re in the midst of evaluating several exciting opportunities for the future of these spaces — including the possibility of a new dining concept.”
He told Axios Charlotte his plans are to bring a West Virginia-based restaurant, Chili Willi’s, to Charlotte.
According to Axios, who first reported the news, the restaurateur said “[Link & Pin’s] been struggling to perform for quite a while since we made it more elevated and steakhouse centric ...Markets change and you gotta keep the business healthy.”
“Our focus remains on continuing to serve our guests at our other Charlotte locations of both Link & Pin and Duckworth’s — including our recent opening of the Comedy Club at Duckworth’s — where they can continue to enjoy the high standards they’ve come to expect from both restaurants,” Duckworth’s statement to CharlotteFive says.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM.
.jpg)