Exclusive: Hickory Tavern’s new CEO plans big changes for popular Charlotte chain
Hickory Tavern’s new CEO Mark Eason has only been on the job for nine months, but he’s already making big changes at the Charlotte-based restaurant chain.
In an exclusive interview recently with The Charlotte Observer, he said, “We’re doing things a little differently now.”
That includes rolling out of a new menu at the restaurant chain’s 20 stores in the Carolinas.
The kitchens underwent top-to-bottom cleanups and the menu was dissected with help from consulting company Shaping America’s Plate. The Florida-based group has worked with Darden Restaurants like Olive Garden, and Walt Disney World.
Eason said customer expectations have changed since the pandemic, and some of the old habits had to go at the full-service casual restaurant and sports bar. That included slashing menu items like baked potatoes and simplifying cooking steps for quicker service.
“We touched every item on the menu,” Eason said. “The menu really needed to be transformed.”
Eason said Hickory Tavern isn’t taking any shortcuts, instead adding more homemade and better-sourced items. “A lot of these changes were done at an increase in cost to us,” Eason said. “We want quality on the plate.”
Why Hickory Tavern had to change and what’s ahead
Eason said the 27-year-old restaurant was in need of a revamp. As former CEO of Charlotte-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, he grew that chain from four to 55 stores from 2004 to 2019.
“Sales and profits weren’t where they needed to be,” he said, “so we needed to do something.”
Along with the kitchen cleanups and menu transformation, three Hickory Tavern under-performing restaurants — all outside the Charlotte area — were closed when leases expired.
“We needed to get back to the basics, neat, clean and organized,” Eason said.
Hickory Tavern also made staffing changes. Restaurant manager pay increased by 20% to 30%, and four district managers were hired, along with regional chef Steven Augustine and director of training Stephanie Turcotte to oversee operations.
The Hickory Tavern in Huntersville was closed for five months this year. In May, it reopened as the test kitchen for the new menu before the changes rolled out to all of the other stores on Aug. 28.
“We’re gonna turn this restaurant (chain) around one restaurant at a time,” Eason said. “All of this is going to drive us forward.”
Next year, Eason said, the dining areas will be revamped.
And eventually, Eason said Hickory Tavern plans to open more stores but likely in smaller spaces. He did not elaborate on those plans, saying the focus now is on updates on the menu.
Hickory Tavern’s new food menu
On Hickory Tavern’s new menu, prices range from $7 for an appetizer to the most expensive item, a ribeye steak for about $26.
Menu changes include:
▪ Chicken wings that are now cleaned, seasoned and baked instead of cooked in the fryer for 18 minutes. “Now it only takes 2 1/2 minutes to cook,” Eason said.
▪ The seared ahi tuna is cooked fresh instead of precooked and stored in the refrigerator.
▪ Mozzarella cheese sticks, previously frozen, are made from scratch. “It’s pretty labor intensive but the product is so much better,” Eason said.
▪ The fish and chips entree is now cod, not grouper.
▪ Chicken caprese — marinated grilled chicken breast topped with fresh mozzarella, diced tomato, basil, pesto and lemon butter sauce — replaces smothered chicken.
▪ The one 8-ounce ground beef patty hamburger has been replaced with two 4-ounce smash burger patties. “You get that crispy on four sides, double the cheese,” Eason said.
▪ Tacos have been simplified, too, with four base options - chicken, shrimp, steak, fish — plus toppings.
▪ The Freedom Burger — with cheese, lettuce, roasted onions, pickle and house sauce on a sesame seed bun — has been added with a portion of each sale going to The Independence Fund. The Charlotte-based nonprofit helps veterans with mobility and advocacy.
▪ Even the french fries have been changed from the steak fry style to 3/8-inch cuts to cook faster and crisper.
▪ Also new will be seasonal items, such as bratwursts. “That will be our testing ground. We can put items on that feature cart and see what people like,” Eason said. “We can add to our menu that way.”
New beverage menu
The beverage menu also has been redesigned with help from Nashville-based Brittenn Cocktail Productions.
Changes include:
▪ Addition of cocktails that are three steps to make instead of up to nine steps.
▪ Upgraded house liquors.
▪ Added agave spirit cocktail section.
▪ Upgraded the wine list.
▪ Added the beer list to the menu that will include six to eight local beers on a rotating menu.
About Hickory Tavern
The first Hickory Tavern opened in 1997 in Hickory, an hour north of Charlotte.
Co-founders Brad Smith and Tommy Hager sold an interest in the sports bar and grill to New York City-based Rosser Capital in 2014.
Hickory Tavern has 20 stores in North Carolina and South Carolina, with about half of them in the Charlotte region. Hickory Tavern has a total of about 1,200 full- and part-time employees.
This story was originally published September 25, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Exclusive: Hickory Tavern’s new CEO plans big changes for popular Charlotte chain."