Mattie's Diner will soon close its doors
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Mattie's Diner. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios
Mattie's Diner, the cherished restaurant housed in a 1940s chrome diner car on The Plaza, will close after the lunch shift on Aug. 10.
Why it matters: Mattie's is a longstanding local favorite known as much for its breakfast staples as it is for its family-friendly patio and feisty New Jersey attitude.
Between the lines: Mattie's has been for sale for about nine months, owner Matt King tells Axios. He's closing the diner to focus resources on his more profitable breakfast restaurants — The Wafflery, which has locations in the Belmont neighborhood and Boone.
- The Wafflery's Charlotte location is doing well despite its relatively small size, says King, who credits its success to its to-go business model, loyal customer base, plus the fact that it sells liquor. It's also an easier, more streamlined and duplicatable menu than the diner, King adds.
- In terms of profit, King says the Charlotte Wafflery made more in three months than the diner did in three years.
What he's saying: "It's time to grow this other business," King tells Axios. "We can't devote the time and energy that the diner needs to thrive. It's a special place, no doubt."
Flashback: The Mattie's in Plaza-Shamrock (3100 The Plaza) is the second iteration of King's original restaurant.
- King bought the diner car from a used car lot in New Jersey in 2005, according to the Charlotte Observer archives. He opened Mattie's Diner at the Music Factory in 2010, and for years the restaurant catered to concertgoers, comedians and musicians alike — a past life captured in photos lining the wall at Mattie's today.
- Mattie's Diner, then a 24-hour establishment, closed in 2015, and King worked for years to find a new spot for the diner. Mattie's opened in its current location on The Plaza in spring 2022, serving originals like the Mattie's Ma's Meatloaf and milkshakes along with new vegetarian and vegan dishes.
The bottom line: "The diner, as much as we love it, it's sort of sucking us dry," King says, adding that the business remained tough even though he discontinued dinner service there. "It's a different animal...It's all about volume."
What's next: King would still like to sell the diner turnkey — meaning everything in the restaurant, from the red-leather booths to the recipes.
- He also hopes to open another two Wafflery locations by the end of 2025.