Velvet Taco hints at expansion, files for construction at beloved Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood

The freestanding DQ at 1431 Central Avenue first opened in 1950 and over the years, it became a distinguished piece of Plaza Midwood’s personality. The historic ice cream shop closed last fall and plans to reopen down the street in the Eastway Crossing center at 3054 Eastway Drive.

[Related Agenda story: Longtime Plaza Midwood Dairy Queen finds a new home]

Founded in 2011, Velvet Taco is a fast casual restaurant chain based in Dallas. The company opened its first North Carolina location last December in a 500-square-foot stall inside Optimist Hall. The stall serves a variety of funky tacos, including a Korean pork taco, falafel taco, picnic chicken taco, and chicken and waffle taco.

The food stall will remain open, Velvet Taco spokeswoman Cassie Cooper says.

“We feel Charlotte is an amazing city and while we can’t confirm any new location details at this time, we can confirm we are exploring opportunities to bring more Velvet Taco restaurants to the city,” Cooper tells the Agenda.

[Related Agenda guide: Funky taco joint named Velvet Taco open now inside Optimist Hall — view menu and 18 photos]

Velvet Taco hasn’t signed a lease for a new restaurant yet, she adds.

Preliminary construction filings with the city show that the existing 765-square-foot building on Central will undergo a renovation to add a canopy and an outdoor seating area in front of the building. Local developer Aston Properties, which bought the 0.3-acre property at Central and Pecan avenues for $1.05 million in October 2018, declined to provide additional details.

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