Food Truck Graduates to Full-Scale Restaurant
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The CCharlotte PPost Life! THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 SECTION B WHAT THE FRIES Chefs and What the Fries co-owners Jamie Barnes and Greg Williams. What the Fries will open a restaurant on Park Road in South Charlotte early next year.. Food truck graduates JERRY BROWN Chef Michael Bowling and his sister and business partner Joy Bowling of Hot Box Next Level Kitchen. to full-scale restaurant A new dining What the Fries transitions to a brick and mortar establishment By Ashley Mahoney and fun.” feeling that they have to come [email protected] Barnes and Williams launched back again because the food was option rolls into the truck in August 2015, 13 so distinctive. Now they won’t What the Fries food truck is months after founding What the have to find the truck, they can going brick-and-mortar. Fries as a catering company. Both find us in the same spot.” Chefs and co-owners Jamie moved to Charlotte to pursue cu- What the Fries uses around 200 West End Barnes and Gregory Williams an- linary school at Johnson & Wales pounds of potatoes per day to nounced will open a restaurant in University in 2004. They went feed an average 100 daily cus- By Ashley Mahoney early 2021. The food truck com- [email protected] from classmates and roommates tomers. Their sales are also up 33 ponent of the What the Fries to best friends and business percent over 2019, despite the Hot Box Next Level Kitchen is heading to West End brand will take a brief hiatus partners over the next dec- COVID-19 pandemic, which has in 2021. when the restaurant opens. ade. Their journey also in- been particularly hard on the Chef Michael Bowling will open a food truck exten- It will be located in South On The Net cludes auditioning for service industry and Black-owned sion of the Concord eatery, which he opened inside Charlotte at 10707 Park www.whatthe- Food Network’s “The businesses. Southern Strain Brewing in 2019. The food truck is Road, Suite R, with an in- friesclt.com/or Great Food Truck Race” in Barnes and Williams are also scheduled to begin in February near tended seating capacity of der-now 2014. The audition experi- founding members of Soul Food Johnson C. Smith University’s Arts 100 people. The 3,420- ence fueled their desire to Sessions, a dinner series high- Factory on West Trade Street, where square foot space previously establish What the Fries as a lighting and advocating for Black On The Net it will be parked most of the time. was a Cici’s Pizza. They will offer food truck in Charlotte despite culinary creatives, providing www.hot- However, it will travel for festivals. physically-distanced dine-in, car- not making the show. They turned scholarships to Black culinary stu- boxnc.com The ultimate goal is to open a brick ryout and digital payment op- a $3,000 FedEx truck into a food dents. Fellow co-founders of Soul and mortar restaurant in the area. tions. truck, where they serve hand-cut Food Sessions include two-time The plan is to have the food truck “We are in the process of remov- fries with a twist. James Beard nominated Chef Greg open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. ing the buffet areas and the pizza “This is a long time coming,” Collier and his wife and business They also intend to take advantage of being located ovens,” Williams said in a state- Barnes said of opening a brick- partner Subrina Collier, Chef Mi- along the CityLynx Gold trolley line. ment. “We are changing the game and-mortar restaurant. “Being in chael Bowling and Chef Jamie “We are hoping to get people to come down out of area to a space to sell and pro- one spot — and not on the truck— Turner. Barnes is also an Autism“ Uptown for lunch,” Bowling said. “They can order mote local authors, vendors and will give us a chance to spread our advocate and the inaugural pro- online, jump off, pick up their food and by the time artists, and we’re having a mural wings from a culinary perspec- fessional member of the Piedmont the trolley comes back down the tracks, they can painted. This space will be us: hip- tive. Our goal is for people to taste Culinary Guild. pick up their food and head back into Uptown.” hop, family-friendly, welcoming our food and walk away with the Please see WHAT| 2B The Beatties Ford Road corridor, which encom- passes the area surrounding the JCSU Arts Factory, is one of the city of Charlotte’s six Corridors of Op- Being in one spot and not on the truck – will give us a portunity—a $24.5 million program designed to ad- chance to spread our wings from a culinary perspective. dress gaps in infrastructure. Developments along the corridor have either broken ground or are scheduled What the Fries co-owner JAMIE BARNES to break ground in the coming months. For Bowling, now is the time to get in on the ground “ floor of the development, particularly in the Five Points area, which is where Beatties Ford Road, Fifth, West Trade and State streets and Rozzelles Ferry Save money with holiday shopping hacks Road meet near JCSU. Among the projects underway for the Corridors of BRANDPOINT the holiday shopping season. One of are a few factors to keep in mind. Opportunity is the Five Points plaza, a pedestrian The holiday shopping season may the potential downsides to using First, you should make sure that you friendly area set to be completed by the end of the look a little different this year, but your credit is that you may rack up could pay off the balance in a timely year, including a water feature and amphitheater. one thing that hasn't changed is the more debt. If you aren't in a position manner. The Gold Line is also part of the program, as well importance of saving money. to pay your entire balance each "Oftentimes, retailer credit cards as creating pedestrian-friendly access between Up- Whether you're shopping online or in month, you'll likely end up paying have higher interest rates and could town and West End via the West Trade Street and In- store, these tips can help you spend more in interest over time. cost you more in the long run if you terstate 77 underpass. The latter is scheduled for less and set you up for long-term fi- "Your cash and credit are inter- don't pay them off in full," said Virji. completion by the end of the year. nancial success. twined when it comes to your overall Another consideration is whether Another project along the corridor near the JCSU Know when to use credit or debit. financial health, so it's important to you'd benefit from the perks of hav- Arts Factory is a second Mosaic Village. The first fea- "The answer to this depends on find a balance between using the ing this store credit card. If this is a tured 80 apartment-style suites on four floors in a your individual financial situation," two," said Virji. "In fact, Credit Ses- store you shop at frequently and $25 million partnership between the Griffin Family said Shazia Virji, Vice President at ame helps emphasize the relation- would use the bonus points and dis- and JCSU. Mike Griffin is working with architect Credit Sesame. "Purchasing items ship between the two by rewarding counts, then it may be a good option Shook Kelley/Neighboring Concepts on the second with cash or a debit card can help customers with cash rewards when for you. It's also important to keep in Mosaic Village. prevent you from overspending or they improve their credit score." mind that applying for any credit “The West End right there in that Five Points corri- going deeper into debt, but paying Be aware of the downsides of re- card may temporarily lower your dor is going to be one of the most convenient eat, with credit now allows you to save tailer credit cards. credit score with a hard inquiry. work, play areas in the city,” Bowling said. “I think your cash for expenses that don't If you've shopped at a major retail Free shipping doesn't always pay when all is said and done, it is going to compete with allow you to pay with credit, like rent chain or department store, you've off. South End as far as the traffic that goes on. The trol- or loan payments." If you have a likely been asked if you want to save You've found the exact gift you're ley and all the development that is going on is going credit card that offers reward pro- 10 percent on your purchase by ap- looking for online, and you're ready to help that. I truly believe it is going to be a great grams, you may benefit from the ad- plying for their credit card. Before to check out. Unfortunately, you're eat, work, play neighborhood.” ditional points and discounts during you apply for any credit card, there Please see HOLIDAY| 2B «RIDES Mazda CX-5 has driving dynamics to compete as a crossover By Winfred Cross CR-V plays second fiddle. standard safety equipment can’t say that’s a deal killer SPECIAL TO THE POST This experience is en- and the absence of most but other’s in the class hanced when you get the noise.