A Charlotte restaurant is expanding to Fort Mill. Here’s the only change its owner plans
Dilworth Neighborhood Grille is coming to Baxter Village in Fort Mill, with a neighborhood restaurant and bar setup mirroring its popular location in Charlotte.
“Same menu, same cups, same everything,” said owner and Baxter resident Matt Wohlfarth. “We’ve got something good going on, so why not duplicate it here?”
Dilworth Grille at Baxter will move into the former Killingtons and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s spot at 940 Market St. Killingtons, based in Huntersville, closed in December after six years in Baxter. Wohlfarth aims to open Dilworth Grille there by August.
The Charlotte location started two decades ago. It serves craft burgers, tacos, sandwiches and pizza. There’s also a breakfast menu. Options include traditional fare like wraps and salads to a waffle burger, baked spaghetti and crab cake Benedict.
The second location in Fort Mill is a milestone for the restaurant. It isn’t the first time Wohlfarth considered expanding the business, but the time and location finally felt right.
“I feel like every mistake that we could’ve made, we’ve already made,” he said. “So we’ll see.”
He’s eager to see another restaurant opening in Baxter before his, when Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse & Grill moves into 993 Market St., at the former Lucky Duck and Six Pence Pub space. Wohlfarth believes Jekyll & Hyde will offer a good gauge of community interest and support for new dining options.
Apart from location, the one difference between Dilworth’s Charlotte and Fort Mill locations will be size. In Charlotte, 65 employees work in a 20,000-square-foot space that can balloon from a typical service Tuesday to a massive weekend undertaking when sports are in town.
Fort Mill will be about 4,500 square feet and about 45 employees. Wohlfarth expects more consistent traffic, rather than big gameday rushes. He already has a chef, delivery driver and manager for the Baxter site. He’s looking at cooks now. He’d like to have employees hired 20 or 30 days before opening and can use the similar setup in Charlotte for training, so the Baxter site will be ready from the start.
While the COVID pandemic has strained the restaurant industry, it nearly created a second business through to-go and delivery ordering, Wohlfarth said. His Charlotte location is one of the top in the region for mobile ordering and delivery platforms, he said, with more than half of business coming that way. He expects something similar in Fort Mill.
“I feel like we’ll be every bit as big on those platforms,” Wohlfarth said.
For folks who haven’t tried the Charlotte spot, Wohlfarth describes Dilworth as a “catch all for a neighborhood restaurant bar.” He wants a comfortable, inviting spot that sponsors youth sports teams and hosts birthday parties, where parents can come over and unwind while their children attend dance class right across the street.
What could be a long, trafficky drive into Charlotte will be a five-minute walk to the Baxter spot for Wohlfarth. He’s hoping that same convenience will entice neighbors to try out the new location.
And for neighbors wondering, Wohlfarth isn’t expecting to bring his sign game to Baxter. The Charlotte location made news several times after comments on its sign out front about the Carolina Panthers or Charlotte Hornets. Sign comments have roasted the teams during losing stretches.
But area politicians or public figures in Fort Mill won’t get the same treatment in Baxter.
“Wouldn’t that be fun?” Wohlfarth asked. “I don’t think the Baxter people in charge would want that. But maybe a smaller one. An homage to it.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 3:18 PM with the headline "A Charlotte restaurant is expanding to Fort Mill. Here’s the only change its owner plans."
