Patrick
Patrick, SC · Food & Drink
Charlotte Observer
NC grocery chain is expanding again in Charlotte area as competition intensifies
A North Carolina grocery chain is expanding in the Charlotte region, with its next location planned for the Lake Norman area amid heated competition. Lowes Foods will anchor Terrell Town Center at 9210 Sherrills Ford Road in Catawba County, Charlotte-based developer MVP Properties plans show. The Terrell store will be nearly 51,000 square feet. “We are working with the developer on the site, but it’s very early in the planning process,” the Winston-Salem-based grocer confirmed Tuesday. A 20-year lease agreement with Lowes Foods, MVP and Terrell Town Center Investors was filed Oct. 14, county property records show. The development at N.C. Highway 150 and Sherrills Ford Road also includes a Chipotle Mexican Grill and two other parcels, MVP’s plans show. The Lowes Foods site in Terrell is less than a mile east of Publix at The Village Shoppes , 7883 Village Center N., in Sherrills Ford.
Charlotte Observer
I thought Charlotte diners cared about food more than vibes. Was I wrong?
I assumed that Charlotte diners prioritize what’s on the plate over the atmosphere surrounding it. Was I wrong? When I asked CharlotteFive readers whether atmosphere matters as much as food when choosing a restaurant, the answer was an emphatic “yes” across the board. Some went even further, suggesting that the right vibes can matter more than how the food tastes. “People give rave reviews to places based on vibes and the food is terrible!” TikTok user NewToTheCrown commented. “A lot of people just care about making content in a good-looking place and sometimes the food,” user garruloushaze wrote. “Food could be better at a dated, dim place but not photo-worthy.” That idea that both food and atmosphere are important is shared by Sam Hart, the executive chef behind Spaghett and Counter- , which retained its Michelin Star at a ceremony in Nashville honoring the best restaurants in the South last week. “Everything matters,” Hart commented on Instagram . “As soon as you believe something doesn’t, nothing does.” Not everyone took the question of atmosphere seriously, though. Instagram commenter T Dubya offered a more sarcastic take. “I don’t know, the quiet nihilistic rage that comes with sitting in a fluorescent box
hoodline.com
Cook Out and 7 Brew Plot Henderson Debut at Old Ruby Tuesday Site
The burger chain Cook Out and the fast-growing drive-thru coffee company 7 Brew are both eyeing Henderson, with plans calling for two new buildings on the site of the former Ruby Tuesday on Dabney Drive. Henderson's Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled to take up the special-use-permit applications on Nov. 3, 2026, putting the project's next step on the calendar even as key details remain unsettled.
takemetotn.com
This North Carolina Mennonite Bakery Has People Driving Hours For Fresh Bread And Whoopie Pies
Out on a quiet country highway near Grifton, folks line up before the doors open at 7 AM, and some of them have driven across half of eastern North Carolina to be there. The prize is homemade bread, a bakery counter full of take-home treats, and a hearty breakfast served inside a working farm store.
hoodline.com
Charlotte's Old Taco Spot Becomes a 6,500-Square-Foot Wine Haven
A onetime taco restaurant in South Charlotte has been reborn as a 6,500-square-foot wine destination, complete with hand-blown stained glass, a curved vaulted ceiling and a layout built around connected rooms rather than one open floor. Napa Bistro & Wine Bar Stonecrest sits at 7708 Rea Road in the StoneCrest at Piper Glen shopping center, where it replaced the former taco spot entirely rather than simply remodeling around it.
takemetotn.com
This Tiny North Carolina Bakery Stone-Mills Its Own Flour Daily And Ranks No. 1 In The State
Most bread starts its life in a factory far away, but one small Raleigh bakery starts with whole grains and a mill of its own. The line out the door on weekend mornings tells you something special is going on inside. Locals joke about never moving away from it, and...