Former Dilworth restaurant space is alive again, paying homage to vintage roots
What’s old is new again in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood, with what was once a retro restaurant space now paying homage to the past in a very modern way.
The former JJ’s Red Hots building is now seeing life once more as The Drum, which was originally a restaurant that fed The Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers when a ribeye steak was $4.25 and a chopped barbecue plate with fries, slaw and rolls was $2.10.
Only this time, The Drum is not a restaurant.
Now, it’s an event space welcoming shoppers for a holiday pop-up stocked with florals, jewelry, fragrances and other gifts.
“I’d like to say we are preserving history,” said Leslie Schlernitzauer, who has owned the building since 1995 with her husband, Bruce. They’re also the team behind Porcupine Provisions, a full-service catering company.
“We’re basically opening up an event space. Popups, dinners, birthdays, wine dinners — you name it,” Schlernitzauer told CharlotteFive.
Memories of The Drum
Although Charlotte is a construction-loving city, it’s also one that clings to cherished memories.
When the space was JJ’s Red Hots — a restaurant popular with many Charlotteans before it closed in March — restaurateur Jonathan Luther gave his own nod to the history of the space with a few accents in its dining room, including a light fixture made from a drum kit.
He wasn’t the only one fondly remembering The Drum.
In 2021, Hamilton Gibbons posted in the Charlotte Over the Years Facebook group, asking, “Does anyone remember the Drum restaurant in Dilworth?”
Among the more than 100 wistful comments that poured in were remembrances of eating there with family members and a few from people who had worked there.
“Absolutely a great family restaurant. Went there often with my parents back in the 50s and 60s,” Mort Farris replied.
Nancy Howie shared, “Loved the Drum!! Grew up in Dilworth and ate there more times than I can count!! Great food and wonderful staff!!”
Among those chiming in to comment on the post was local restaurateur Lupie Duran, owner of Lupie’s Cafe. “Yes my mom worked there in the ’60s!! Her section was on the left as you came in the door. I grew up there watching the staff and grew up to do the same thing. My mother was diagnosed with MS and they were wonderful to us. Learned a lot about people and life there,” she shared.
On that very same 4-year-post, Charlotteans recently reopened the discussion.
“Is it coming back? The old JJ Red Hots space on East is now called The Drum and is under construction looks like,” Melissa Kreager said, sharing a link shortly thereafter to a Charlotte Eats page on The Drum.
Bringing the Drum back to life
When the Schlernitzauers bought the building back in 1995, The Drum’s time had come to an end. They opened Porcupine Cafe in the space, serving what The Charlotte Observer in 1996 called “innovative American food with Mediterranean influences.” Later, Porcupine Provisions — their catering company — took over.
But The Drum’s legacy as a place “where people would get their fried shrimp on a Friday night” has always remained, Leslie Schlernitzauer said.
“It was a meat-and-three; it had been around since 1948,” she said. “So we are calling this place Drum Dilworth. It physically was a drum — it was the first drive-up.”
“It was the first restaurant with car hops. I don’t know if they had roller skates or not,” Bruce Schlernitzauer added.
The family that owned The Drum also owned Wad’s, another Charlotte institution of that era that served chili dogs, fresh lemonade and milkshakes, along with various sundries. Now, Kid Cashew has taken its place.
Over the decades, that original circular building gave way to expansion, with a boxier frame and a rooftop space to welcome more guests. It actually held two addresses — 1514 East Blvd. and 1520 East Blvd. — offering an adjacent home to share with other recognizable restaurants such as City Tavern, Rock-n-Lobster and Boardwalk Billy’s.
Inside, some of the shapely structure that gave The Drum its name is still visible in the newly refreshed space. But the wide-open space boasts new tile flooring and a lighter, brighter presence.
And a new generation of Charlotteans walking in to shop, have dinner or savor a glass of wine can make memories there all over again.
Alex Cason contributed reporting.
The Drum
Location: 1514 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Instagram: @thedrumdilworth
Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.
