Coming soon to South End: A German-New York deli and a whiskey cocktail bar
Two more businesses have signed on to Vantage South End, a mixed-use development that is also home to Lending Tree and just blocks from uptown.
The Good Wurst Co. delicatessen and the Dram & Draught whiskey and cocktail bar will be among the six or seven retailers at the 5-acre site, real estate firm The Spectrum Companies said in a news release. Each space includes outdoor patios.
In the summer, fintech company LendingTree moved its headquarters into one of the Vantage South End’s two 11-story towers on South Tryon Street at Carson Boulevard. Lending Tree has 175,000 square feet, occupying part of the sixth floor and all of the seventh through 11th floors in the west tower.
The 635,000-square-foot development helps bridge the uptown business district with growing South End, The Spectrum Companies CEO Steve McClure said in a statement.
“The addition of these retailers will help cement South End’s reputation as a place people want to be,” McClure said.
About Good Wurst Co.
The Good Wurst Co. will take a 2,750 square feet space fronting South Tryon Street with a walk-up deli counter. Owner Lincoln Clark hopes to open in the new spot in the spring.
It will be the second location for the Austrian street food restaurant after opening last year at 3001 Central Ave. in Plaza Midwood.
Despite opening during the coronavirus pandemic, Clark said Good Wurst Co. has a good following of customers and the Plaza Midwood restaurant “continues to get better week over week.”
South End is appealing for a second opening, he said, because it’s an up-and-coming neighborhood with good pedestrian traffic.
Good Wurst Co. has 14 full- and part-time employees, and will hire about 20 more workers at South End.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a menu including German bratwursts, Belgian frites, Montreal-style bagels and New York favorites like Reubens and Coney Island-style hot dogs. Meats — including brats, schnitzel and pastrami — are cured, spiced and smoked on site.
About Dram & Draft
Dram & Draught will bring its first Charlotte location to 2,800 square feet with a corner outdoor patio at South Tryon and Catherine streets.
The whiskey-focused bar first opened five years ago in Raleigh. Two other locations are in Greensboro and Durham, according to the company website.
The Charlotte bar will feature more than 300 whiskeys from around the world, hand-crafted cocktails and mocktails, draft beer and an international wine list.
Owners Drew Schenck and Kevin Barrett also plan to offer social events and cocktail classes. Dram & Draft officials could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
More plans for Vantage South End
The west tower of the development is now 92% leased, according to The Spectrum Companies, while the east tower is expected to be completed in May with 273,000 square feet of office space available.
The development also will offer live music and events in the 1-acre park that includes 1,000 outdoor seats and 18 terraces, according to The Spectrum Companies.
Retail and office space is still available with a total of 55,000 square feet of retail and amenity space.