After 50 years in business, one of Charlotte’s oldest restaurants is up for sale
It’s the end of an era for one of the oldest restaurants around Charlotte.
Beauregard’s Restaurant & Bar, which originally opened 50 years ago, has quietly closed, the team confirmed to CharlotteFive after posting about its building for sale on Instagram.
In its five-decade history, there have been a lot of changes within the walls of Beauregard’s as the building remained a staple along Freedom Drive in West Charlotte.
A look back at Beauregard’s
The restaurant originally opened its doors in the Freedom Mall shopping center back in 1974, run by Joe Clark and his wife, Virginia, according to his obituary published in The Charlotte Observer on Feb. 19, 2021.
By 1988, the restaurant had expanded with five other locations, serving deli sandwiches, hamburgers, steaks, salads and more in Charlotte, Gastonia, Lake Norman and Pineville — with menu prices ranging from $1.50 to $11.95, former Observer reporter Kathy Nixon reported at the time.
After 23 years in business, the Clarks sold the original restaurant, followed by several other owners running the restaurant ever since.
Now, with the last remaining restaurant out of all the other locations up for sale, it’s unclear if the Beauregard’s name will carry on in a new space around the Charlotte area.
“It was definitely a staple and historical business to the Charlotte market and it has a lot of history to it. It definitely was a staple for the whole Freedom Drive area and kind of just a big landmark for people who grew up on it,” Will Knight, who has been involved with Beauregard’s the past few years, told CharlotteFive.
In addition to serving its classic American bites, Beauregard’s also became a nightlife space in recent years, too.
According to Knight, the decision to close and sell Beauregard’s was made around December 2023.
“It really wasn’t supposed to be as long as it was … We just, you know, like I said, we were just trying to pay homage and … just trying to give much respect to the previous historic history of the place … and there was a lot of people who loved the place, so we tried to keep that going as long as it could. At the end of the day, what it boils down to is supply demand,” he explained.
“It was kind of like already a sinking ship when we came in, so, you know, when we came in … we tried to revive it and fix the holes and, you know, get it back afloat. But, you know, at the end of the day, if there’s not the proper support, it’s just not going to work because it was already, it was already so far gone.”
At this time, it’s unclear if there are plans for Beauregard’s team to open in a new location.
Keep an eye on this space for updates.
Beauregard’s Restaurant & Bar
Location: 3030 Freedom Dr, Charlotte, NC 28208
Instagram: @beausclt
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "After 50 years in business, one of Charlotte’s oldest restaurants is up for sale."
.jpg)