‘We are Charlotte natives and love you guys’: A Classic Eats restaurant reopens.
Harper’s is back — but not how you remember it.
After closing last summer following a 32-year run in SouthPark, the beloved Charlotte restaurant has returned (sort of) with a new name, a new concept and a fresh location.
Now open in Pineville, Harper’s Cafe is not a carbon copy of the original; it’s a fast-casual breakfast and lunch spot, a commissary kitchen, a catering hub, and a pop-up space, all in one.
This reimagining comes from longtime owner Tom Sasser, who opened the original Harper’s in 1987 on Woodlawn and now shares the reins with his son, Holden and chef Scott Wallen.
Together, they’re honoring the legacy of a neighborhood institution, while expanding its identity to meet new needs: for their family, for the food truck community, and for the growing Pineville area.
“It’s a place where we can serve multiple needs in one location … and to continue and grow different areas of the business while keeping the Harper’s concept in Charlotte,” Holden Sasser said.
And the people are ready for this cafe.
Since its opening on May 30, Harper’s Cafe has been steadily busy, appealing to older regulars like “Mr. Macon,” as Tom knows him, for breakfast at the cafe. Mr. Macon was one of the few regulars that had his name etched into the bar plaque at Harper’s.
It was one of those iconic Charlotte restaurants fueled by loyalty. After the surprising news that the landlord of Harper’s SouthPark’s would shut down the restaurant to make way for a bank last summer, longtime regulars rang the alarm.
They lined up eagerly for the last month of Betty’s pimento cheese and the restaurant’s famous Chicken Supremes. They commented nearly 200 times on CharlotteFive’s Instagram announcement. They visited Resident Culture South End for the Chicken Supreme pop-up.
But unbeknownst to them, Sasser kept working, running Burke Hospitality Group and plotting the opening of this cafe.
I asked him what it’s like to be back in action. But I was wrong to assume he ever left.
“I’ve been in action the whole time,” said Tom, who turns 70 in December. This type of restaurant work keeps him focused and motivated, he said. “If I can physically get up and walk and they don’t have to wheelchair me in, I’ll probably keep going.”
All about Harper’s Cafe
At just 28 seats, this fast-casual joint is about one-third the size of the restaurant Sasser is used to, and unlike the lunch and dinner services offered 7 days a week at Harper’s SouthPark, this cafe serves breakfast and lunch in the morning and afternoon. The hours are decidedly limited, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Guests can expect a handful of Harper’s classics, like chicken supremes, Betty’s pimento cheese, and a hearty club sandwich. If beer and wine are classics, they’ll be there too, minus a physical bar.
The team is also introducing menu items that weren’t done at the original Harper’s, like the house-smoked salmon cobb, the chicken supreme breakfast biscuit and a breakfast bowl. Some nights, Holden’s sought-after food truck, Union BBQ, may host food pop-ups after hours.
Like father, like son
The venture into the commissary kitchen part of Harper’s Cafe was largely due to Holden’s increased needs for space and accessibility for his truck’s food prep. Holden knows the importance of an easy, accessible and affordable commercial kitchen. He plans to work with the tight-knit food truck community — although no formal contracts are signed — to give them a place to prep and practice being in a brick-and-mortar.
It’s neither of the Sassers’ first food rodeo, but “it is my first fast-casual rodeo,” Tom said.
Despite being in the business for over 35 years, Tom still believes “when you get up, you just gotta have open eyes and see what you might learn today.” And a lot of that learning comes from his son.
“You get a different perspective,” Tom said, pointing to Holden’s youth. “I think the greatest thing about folks that are 30 years younger than you is that they don’t necessarily know the way things have always been done,” he said.
Holden, a tapped-in member of the food community, a business school grad, and a food truck owner, brings a different problem solving approach and a younger energy to Harper’s Cafe.
And, more than just the business perks, Tom is just happy to be around his son. “I get the most out of it,” Tom said. “I just always thought that it’s so much better to be around your kids, not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you can find a way to work together, that’s a great thing.”
What remains
While the facade has changed, much of Harper’s core remains, including several familiar faces.
Line cook Ty, who has been a line cook at Harper’s since 1987, is back at Harper’s Cafe. “He moves like he’s 20 years old and is a ball of energy,” Holden said. Daisy, the dishwasher and prep cook, has also returned to the cafe. Grill cook Mike from Taco Molina and catering expert Madison from Mimosa Grill are there, too.
Sasser is grateful for his more veteran status as a restaurant owner, citing his trusted relationships with staff and anyone from equipment suppliers and plumpers to electrician and purveyors as keys to his success.
This go-around, there’s a defined focus on retention, sustainability, and quality of life for owners and staff with truncated hours and less capacity at the cafe.
Running a restaurant can be compared to running a marathon, Tom said, referencing mini-crisis after mini-crisis. It’s challenging, financially and physically, but, despite being in it for over 35 years, Tom is committed to staying involved. It’s his purpose, it’s what motivates him.
“I want to go to work. I want to see what’s happening,” Tom said. And of course, “I want to taste the new sandwich.”
Heidi Finley contributed to a previous version of this story.
Harper’s Cafe
Location: 9101 Pineville-Matthews Rd I, Pineville, NC 28134
Cuisine: American
Instagram: @harperscafenc
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This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM.
