After 35 years in Charlotte, a classic restaurant has closed its doors

Heidi Finley

Tue, October 22, 2024 at 9:19 PM GMT+7·2 min read

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Village Tavern, a North Carolina-based restaurant known for steak, seafood and Tavern specialties, has permanently closed the doors to its SouthPark location this week.

“We closed officially Monday morning,” the person answering the phone at the Charlotte location told CharlotteFive before directing us to their corporate office.

Kim Ryan, an administrative assistant at Village Tavern’s corporate office in Winston-Salem, read CharlotteFive the same note that Charlotte Ledger first reported was posted outside the door of the SouthPark restaurant. The statement said:

“After 35 successful years, we have decided to close our SouthPark location. We were at the end of our lease and despite great discussions with our accommodating landlord, we ultimately determined the space could not accommodate our newest menus and design prototypes going forward long term.”

The note continued, “We hope to return to Charlotte, a city we love, as soon as we can identify an appropriate location and space.”

Village Tavern isn’t the first SouthPark loss of a longtime restaurant this year. Harper’s Restaurant, a staple in SouthPark since 1992, closed in July after the landlord decided not to renew its lease in order to make room for a bank, CharlotteFive previously reported.

The Village Tavern statement also thanked its employees and customers, saying: “We would be amiss if we did not acknowledge a group of individuals: Our wonderful employees, many of them have been with us for decades, they are the best in the business and created exceptional guest experiences every day! And to all the loyal customers who became friends and family.”

Village Tavern has eight other locations, which include restaurants in Greensboro and Raleigh and two in Winston-Salem. Scott Richardson founded the chain in Winston-Salem that’s celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

[ANOTHER CLOSURE: After 62 years in business, one of Charlotte’s oldest restaurants has closed.]

Village Tavern

Location: 4201 Congress St, Charlotte, NC 28209

Instagram: @villagetavern

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