Brooks’ Sandwich House is back, with cheeseburgers, community — and memories of Scott

It was cold and overcast the morning of Saturday, Feb. 1, but that clearly didn’t stop anyone from showing up to Brooks’ Sandwich House.

Everyone came for the burgers — yet no one was there for the burgers.

Co-owner Scott Brooks was killed on Dec. 9 as he attempted to open for the day. On Saturday at 10 a.m., the restaurant opened its doors for the first time since.

“It’s almost like an awakening of something new for something old. I’m looking forward just to fellowship and watching everybody coming in and enjoying themselves today,” owner David Brooks, Scott’s surviving twin, told CharlotteFive.

Jackets, scarves, gloves, hats and “Too blessed to be stressed” shirts enveloped the crowd of patrons. People were prepared to stand in line for as long as it took.

In line for hours

NoDa resident Antonio Diaz arrived at 6 a.m. and was the first person in line. He can’t even eat the food at Brooks’ but he was determined to spend money to show support. His plans were to buy food for someone else. “The neighborhood’s out,” Diaz said. “We got them.”

Samantha Mobley arrived around 9:45 a.m. “I’m happy to be here to celebrate the reopening. I was heartbroken to see what happened here. I see the crime in our community up close,” said Mobley, who is a magistrate judge. “I wanted to come out and support the family and just thank them for everything they do.”

At 10 a.m. on the dot after a brief announcement about food tickets, the crowd parted — media on one side and customers on the other — to make way for David Brooks to speak. That corner of the world on the edge of NoDa went silent as the surviving twin took the mic, where he opened the restaurant with a prayer. “Lord, look down on us. Bless this food to nourish our bodies,” he said.

And then it was time to eat.

The doors opened and then the restaurant team did what it has done since 1973: started serving up burgers, hot dogs and community.

A COMMUNITY CONNECTED OVER CHILI CHEESEBURGERS AND FAMILY

In the early morning hours of Dec. 9, Scott Brooks died going to work, where he would have been doing what he loved. What he loved was making and feeding the people of Charlotte the chili that his father had worked so hard to perfect when the identical twins were growing up.

As young children, David and Scott would watch three things on TV: Mid Atlantic Championship wrestling, the nightly news and Lawrence Welk. ”Dad would be making chili,” David told CharlotteFive in 2018.

“He’d be adding, subtracting, adding, subtracting. Finally he got it right, and we’d have burgers every Saturday night. It was really a treat for us all.”

The chili was so good, the twins swore you could put it on a bad sandwich and make it taste good. So, of course, it was only right their dad, Calvin “CT” Brooks Jr., opened Brooks’ Sandwich House in 1973, creating a place that the community has adored for decades.

Some people at December’s vigil told The Charlotte Observer they’d eaten at Brooks’ since they were preteens, long before the area was called NoDa.

We’ve had a long relationship with this place.

A COMMUNITY CONNECTED OVER SADNESS AND A DESIRE TO HELP

The Brooks family did more than give us good food, good company and nationally recognized burgers. David and Scott donated 2.1 acres to help Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis in 2019. Habitat for Humanity will build townhomes.

The reward for information leading to an arrest in Scott’s shooting is at $21,000.

A NoDa artist who goes by Stencil Spray created a stencil of Scott’s face and placed art around NoDa in his memory. He enlarged the stenciled image of Scott and painted it on the back of the restaurant’s building.

Saturday: More than lunch

On Saturday, a tent was set up in the parking lot with heaters, a Protagonist Beer table serving up a cream ale and a pale ale and a table from Glory Days Apparel, where people could buy “Too blessed to be stressed” shirts. Shirts can be also be purchased via Glory Days’ website, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity to benefit the family’s donated land.

Hightop tables inside the tent gave diners a warm place to unwrap their favorite burgers and dogs for the first time in months. “I just gained 5 pounds looking at this,” customer Benjie Holtzclaw said as he unwrapped a double cheeseburger, all the way.

For those still standing patiently in line long after the doors opened, there were teary eyes and smiles, hugs and beers. It felt different without Scott, but good to be back, customers said.

“It’s a time to reflect on the person who Scott was,” said Harold Cherry, who has been visiting the restaurant for 20 years.

“Scott was a wonderful individual that would help anyone,” Cherry said. “He was an icon to this city and this community. He’s dearly, dearly missed.”

Brooks’ Sandwich House

2710 N Brevard St.

New hours: Mon.-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

This story was originally published February 1, 2020 at 1:37 PM.

Melissa Oyler

The Charlotte Observer

Melissa Oyler is the editor of CharlotteFive. When she’s not writing or editing, you’ll find her running, practicing hot yoga, weightlifting or snuggling with her rescue dogs, X and Charlie. Find her on Instagram or X: @melissaoyler. Support my work with a digital subscription