Despite pandemic, a Latin American street food restaurant is coming to Ballantyne soon
A Latin American street food restaurant is coming to south Charlotte this summer.
Sabor Latin Street Grill will be opening in Ballantyne, the 17th location for the restaurant chain in the Carolinas. It will be at 14021 Conlan Circle inside the Ballantyne Quad development at Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Huffines Lane.
The restaurant serves Latin dishes such as empanadas, arepas and yucca fries, as well as typical Mexican fare like tacos and burritos, said Dalton Espaillat, CEO of Raydal Hospitality, the ownership group of Sabor Latin Street Grill.
Espaillat said he’s been looking to open a Sabor Latin Street Grill in the Ballantyne area for the past two or three years. When a location opened up, he decided to move forward despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We decided to just take a stab at it during this time and hope for the best,” he said.
Other locations of the restaurant traditionally served 60% takeout pre-pandemic, Espaillat said. So the restaurant was more prepared to handle COVID-19 restrictions than others.
North Carolina is currently in phase two of Gov. Roy Cooper’s three-phase reopening plan, and restaurants are allowed to open for takeout and for dine-in at 50% capacity.
The new Ballantyne location is large, so Espaillat said it will be able to comply with social distancing and capacity requirements under Cooper’s order. The location is 2,510 square feet, and has 101 seats at full capacity — 73 inside and 26 outside, according to a statement.
Espaillat said he hopes to open the restaurant before the end of July.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 12:07 PM.
