¡THE QC LOCAL!

Charlotte’s a busy place. Here’s the best of it.

🎢 If you asked most Wake Forest University (WFU) Alums if they were in town last weekend, the answer was a resounding ‘NO.’

Where were the Wake Alums, you may ask? Well, we happened to be watching Duke vs. Wake Men’s Basketball in sunny Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I’d argue that it was the loudest sports event I ever witnessed at WFU, and if you watched the game, you know why. Although we’ve had several crushing losses in the past four days, WFU still has a fighting chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

Speaking of College Basketball, the Tobacco Road rivalry, UNC Chapel Hill vs. Duke, is this Saturday at 6:30 P.M, with the cheapest tickets selling for north of $1,300 (sheesh). I imagine Selwyn Pub, Moo & Brew, and Providence Road Sundries will be standing room only given the amount of UNC alum that settle in Charlotte.

🌹ROSE

• You really can’t beat the Charlotte adult sports rec leagues. If you happen to miss Intramural sports, or your high school glory days, I highly recommend looking into the SportsLink Universe of Charlotte. Whether it be Flag Football (our team lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday), softball, basketball, soccer, or ultimate frisbee, they’ve got a team for you. Highly recommend getting some folks together and checking it out!

🪷BUD

• Upcoming Charlotte Concerts! An absolute gauntlet of awesome concerts coming to Charlotte soon. Here are a couple that struck my eye.

  • Two Friends @ The Fillmore, February 14th.

  • Gary Clark Jr. @ Ovens Auditorium, March 1st.

  • Tyler, The Creator @ Spectrum Center, March 26th.

  • Brooks & Dunn @ Spectrum Center, March 28th.

  • Steve Aoki @ Trio, February 28th. Prepare to be caked.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

🍕SUPER BOWL SPECIALS - PIZZA BABY (Both Locations)

A couple of absolute STEALS from Pizza Baby for the Super Bowl, listed below.

• 2.5 ft Roman style pizza that feeds 8-10 for $40 (add pepperoni to make it $48)

• 2.5 ft Roman style hero sandwich that feeds 8-10 for $68

If you’re hosting or need something to bring to your Super Bowl party, this is a great option to consider.

Idea: SOMEONE MAKE A NEW MR. K’s!

‼️Why the hell did we shut down Mr. K’s???

For those of you that don’t know, Mr. K’s was a legendary diner/drive-in of sort, that served phenomenal soft serve ice cream and classic diner fare that was a childhood staple of any Gen Z-er that grew up in Charlotte. The worst part about it is that the empty Mr. K’s is just sitting on South Boulevard, collecting dust and watching fancy new high-rises go up. Well, since it was such a Charlotte staple, I decided to do some digging.

Several of Charlotte’s staples have closed over the past few years because of ridiculous offers from developers, like Price’s Chicken Coop, but Mr. K’s did not fall in that Category. Former owner, George Dizes, had operated the diner for decades and decided to close the doors in early 2021, after 54 years in business, and listed the spot for $260,000. With more than 50 offers, Florida-based restauranteurs Laura and George Kanellopoulos won the 1440 sq. ft space, just weeks after it was listed, with plans to utilize the space as a Southend pizza shop.

However, nearly four years have passed by since then, and the ghost of Mr. K’s still haunts South Boulevard. I’m not sure what the owners thought process in holding the real estate, other than trying to quadruple their money with an offer from a developer, but I think we can all agree that there are far too many apartment buildings in Charlotte already.

So, what’s the idea?

THE IDEA🐝

Make the owners of the current Mr. K’s space a reasonable deal, and reopen as the same, or an incredibly similar concept. Mr. K’s was a proven favorite for more than 50 years, and didn’t close because of a lack of business, so the proof of concept is already evident. If the ask price was $260,000 and there was more than 50 bidders, I would have to think that the list price now would be around double the original ask.

While breakeven may take a while, you’d be capitalizing on the fact that diners in Charlotte are few and far between, plus you are in the heart of Southend. Your Saturday and Sunday morning crowds would be out the door with hungover 24-year old’s.

You could even add a window for walk up order like at Cheat’s Cheesesteaks or incorporate an old-school drive-in style service method to get more orders out the door. Charlotte loves nostalgia and restoring Mr. K’s to what it once was would be a great service for anyone who is willing to brave the task.

UNDERRATED IN THE 704

CAPISHE>

I mentioned it a few weeks ago in the “deals” section, and several of the very few people that read this newsletter approached me saying that they tried Capishe, saying it was their first time trying it.

For the life of me, I don’t know how more people don’t know about it. Whenever I pick up food from there, it is always empty, despite the plethora of tables within the casual-Italian joint. I’m not sure how else I can sell it, other than the fact that I eat it like once every two weeks and it’s a go-to for takeout pizza and pasta. Try it, I promise.

other goings on 🔥

• For those who have been subscribed since the jump, you may remember me mentioning the Chilly Coffee Club. They’ve got an event tomorrow, 2/1, with all the same goodies and more. They’re gaining steam fast, so grab some tickets!

• From the same hospitality group behind Rose Honky Tonk, Nickyo’s Rodeo, will be opening this spring right next to Rose. According to Axios, it’s a revival of a bar with the same name that used to be in Eastover.

Let me know of anything you hear about or wanna hear about!

Hit me up at [email protected] for any q’s or debates you may have.

— Jack