A popular Charlotte diner will reopen, and hopes to be ‘an economic engine’

A popular Charlotte diner will be serving its comfort foods once again.

A rezoning request for 3100 The Plaza, across the street from Food Lion, shows a project plan for Mattie’s Diner in the former Tire Depot site. The one-story, 2,168-square-foot service garage was built in 1950, according to Mecklenburg County deed records.

Property co-owner James Doyle confirmed plans for the diner and said the restaurant had a good following before it closed in 2015 after five years at the Music Factory. It was shuttered to make way for AvidExchange headquarters.

“We hope it will be an economic engine for The Plaza,” Doyle said.

He said it could be eight months or more before the diner opens.

The 0.37-acre corner lot at Shamrock Drive and The Plaza sold for $700,000 on July 18, according to county records. The site plans include entrances on both roads and a patio.

Owner Matt King had been searching for a new home for the restaurant, known for comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and fried chicken prepared diner-style in front of customers.

King said Monday Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership helped store the mobile portion of his 70-year-old stainless steel diner after other site plans fell through. King found the diner in a used-car parking lot in New Jersey, his home state.

“This is where we want to be,” he said of The Plaza.

Meeting area needs

The retro building will be upfit to the existing Plaza building, King said.

The Plaza building will house the prep kitchen and bathrooms, and garage doors will open into a second dining room, King said.

“The challenge is to keep the diner as the gem,” he said. “The second building could dwarf it and it’s got to be designed to keep the original diner as the prize and match the area.”

King said the property owners have been helpful and realize what a local diner can do for the community.

“There is still a big need in that area for this,” King said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 8:40 AM with the headline "A popular Charlotte diner will reopen, and hopes to be ‘an economic engine’."