‘I never wanted this day to come.’ The Charlotte Cafe is closing after 30 years

A longtime south Charlotte restaurant known for its Southern comfort foods is permanently closing.

The Charlotte Cafe, which opened over 30 years ago at The Arboretum shopping center on Providence Road, will serve its last meals on Thursday, owners Jimmy and Mary Roupas told The Charlotte Observer Monday.

The cafe’s lease was not renewed or renegotiated by The Arboretum, the Roupases said.

“Everything comes to an end,” Jimmy Roupas said. “The mom-and-pop shops are just a dying breed right now. They’re being swallowed up.”

The Charlotte Cafe is known for its chicken and dumplings, over 30 vegetables and family recipes. Mary Roupas, sitting on a diner stool at the counter Monday morning, said she was trying to hold it together.

“I can’t believe I’m talking about this. I never wanted this day to come,” she said. “I don’t want to start crying.”

But the couple isn’t bitter.

“The landlord has helped us tremendously over the years, especially during rough times like with COVID,” Jimmy Roupas said. “They really stuck by us.”

The cafe has 12 full- and part-time employees.

Property manager American Asset Corp. officials did not respond to requests for comment Monday from The Charlotte Observer. It’s not yet known what might replace the cafe.

Charlotte Cafe an ‘extension of home’

The couple opened their first Charlotte Cafe in the 1980s at Park Road shopping center. That restaurant closed about four years ago, Jimmy Roupas said.

The Charlotte Cafe at The Arboretum opened in the early 1990s as Carolina Grill and Soda Shop, expanding about five years later. The Roupases revamped the 2,600-square-foot Arboretum space into a second Charlotte Cafe location.

The cafe at The Arboretum served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 150-item menu includes meatloaf , pork chops and seafood, and vegetables or sides like fried zucchini, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes and gravy.

With its diner-style booths and black-and-white checkered floor, the restaurant was about being comfortable, “an extension of our home,” Mary Roupas said.

“Their food is ready before they’ve warmed up the seat,” she said of regular diners. “This is their home, too.”

The cafe also focused on being family-friendly, including a toy section for children to play. Children even ate fried okra and tomatoes here, Mary Roupas said.

There’s been a lot of hugs and tears, the Roupases said, since they started telling their regular customers.

“It’s my world, my life, with the friends and families who have embraced us and supported us,” Mary Roupas, 71, said. “It’s all we’ve ever done is service.”

‘It’s all we know’

Jimmy Roupas, 75, says it may be time to retire although he’d entertain the idea of reopening elsewhere. He also plans to spend more time with his two grandchildren, ages 2 and 5.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have no clue what I’m going to do,” he said.

His bride of 51 years says she’ll likely help out at her nephew Fred Kanos’ restaurant, Copper Premium Pub in Lake Wylie, S.C. The Roupases ran Cafe 49 at the Charlotte Highway location for several years before it closed in 2015. The restaurant had a similar menu to The Charlotte Cafe.

The Roupases moved from Greensboro to Charlotte in the 1970s to work alongside family at Leo’s Delicatessen, which was one of the city’s oldest deli’s when it closed over a decade ago.

“The restaurant business is a lifestyle. It’s all we know,” said Mary Roupas, who worked at her father’s restaurant in Fayettville growing up. “Charlotte has been so good to us. The restaurant business is hard, it’s a blessing you can do it.”

Customers say goodbye to the cafe

After the Roupases talked with the Observer, they shared the news about The Charlotte Cafe’s closing on social media.

Many customers thanked them for the memories and good food, calling it “a very special place.”

“I was just thinking last week that your place is like Cheers. It’s nice to go somewhere that everyone knows you. You will be missed,” one person said.

“We have all much enjoyed our time spent and meals eaten with you. Wishing you all an amazing future ahead,” another person said.

Other changes at The Arboretum

The Arboretum has seen several store opens and closings over the past year.

Retailers that opened this year at The Arboretum include Nautical Bowls, an açai bowls chain based in Minnesota; Vicious Biscuit, a Charleston-based breakfast and brunch spot; and Link & Pin, owned by Charlotte restaurateur Rob Duckworth.

Other recent openings include Hotworx fitness studio and Elite Dental, according to the center’s website.

The 582,651-square-foot shopping center has over 80 local and national retailers with major tenants, such as Harris Teeter, Walmart and Barnes & Noble.

Last month, the shopping center lost one of its largest venues, Regal Cinebarre Arboretum, which abruptly closed, the Observer previously reported. The Charlotte movie theater is the latest casualty in Regal’s parent company’s bankruptcy proceedings.

In September, the Bed, Bath & Beyond store at The Arboretum was listed with 150 stores nationwide that will be closing.

This story was originally published December 12, 2022 at 4:41 PM with the headline "‘I never wanted this day to come.’ The Charlotte Cafe is closing after 30 years."