The Bowl at Ballantyne signs three retailers, including a popular local restaurant
Two restaurants and a hair salon will join Olde Mecklenburg Brewery opening at The Bowl at Ballantyne in South Charlotte.
Charlotte-owned Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen, Honeysuckle Gelato, and Drybar will open next year in the retail portion of the Ballantyne Reimagined project, Northwood Investors LLC said in an exclusive with The Charlotte Observer.
Bowl at Ballantyne is a 20-acre project featuring more than 90,000 square feet of retail, a second apartment tower and new roads with a “Main Street” feel.
The Ballantyne project is “transformational for South Charlotte” from being known for corporate offices into a destination, Ward Kampf, president of Northwood Retail, told The Charlotte Observer.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, which was announced as the anchor tenant for The Bowl last year, expects to open early next year. The brewery will have 14,000 square feet of indoor space and a 7,000-square-foot patio.
The Bowl will mix local, regional and national retail serving nearby hotels, apartment residents and corporate employees, as well as drawing visitors from throughout the city and South Carolina.
“We’re not just adding more retail to Charlotte, we’re adding a place that’s unique in nature and experiential,” Ward said. “We want this to feel like this is something that does not exist anywhere else in Charlotte.”
About Bowl at Ballantyne businesses
The three new tenants opening at The Bowl at Ballantyne are:
▪ Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen will open in a 7,498-square-foot space at 15110 Bowl Street, Suite 101. Owned by Charlotte restaurateur Jim Noble, Rooster’s is known for its wood-fired meat and vegetable dishes, and seasonally inspired lunch and dinner menu. There are three other locations in North Carolina, including South Park and Uptown. Noble Food and Pursuits group has several other restaurants: Bossy Beulah’s, Copain, The Jimmy, The King’s Kitchen and Noble Smoke. Opening: Spring 2024.
▪ Honeysuckle Gelato, based in Atlanta, will open in a 808-square-foot space at 15119 Bowl St. in Suite 102. What started as a food truck run by three friends in 2011 has expanded to four locations in Georgia and North Carolina, including Optimist Hall, which opened in 2019. Honeysuckle Gelato serves scoops, pints, gelato sandwiches and milkshakes in flavors inspired by Southern desserts such as Butter Pecan Blondie. Another location is at Optimist Hall in north Charlotte. Opening: Spring 2024.
▪ Drybar, a hair salon chain based in California, will open in a 1,445-square-foot space at 14020 Stream Way. Drybar — with other local shops in South Park and Atherton Mill and another store opening this year at Birkdale Village in Huntersville — focuses on blowouts. Opening: Late 2024.
See renderings of the Bowl at Ballantyne, a 20-acre project bringing a ‘main street’ feel
Other new restaurants in Ballantyne
Two more stores also are planning to open on the west Ballantyne campus, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Locally-owned Summit Coffee will open in July across from Ballantyne Hotel between Chase Bank and Bank of America.
First Watch breakfast and brunch chain based in Florida expects to open in the fall in a shared building with Summit Coffee.
Last month, Pittsburgh-based opened its 10th Walnut Grill location at 15719 Brixham Hill Ave. in Ballantyne. The American eatery bar and grill serves upscale fare in a casual setting.
Ruby Sunshine, a popular New Orleans-style brunch chain, will open its second Charlotte-area restaurant this summer at 12330 Johnston Road in Ballantyne, in the former Cantina 1511 space at Toringdon Circle Shopping Center. Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group said it “pivoted” from plans to open this summer in downtown Matthews to Ballantyne.
More about Ballantyne Reimagined
At Ballantyne, Northwood owns and manages 535 acres, 4.4 million square feet of office space, four hotels with nearly 600 rooms, a 212-unit luxury apartment building and 2.5 million square feet of LEED-certified space.
In 2017, Northwood Investors bought the Ballantyne corporate park for $1.2 billion from local developer the Bissell Cos. Dubbed “Ballantyne Reimagined” the project creates an “urban, walkable” community
A 6-acre stream park is expected to open by fall and The Amp Ballantyne, an outdoor amphitheater with a 3,500-person capacity, will debut Sept. 26 with its first live performance by All Time Low.
Ballantyne Reimagined creates “a sense of community,” Ward said. “I think this is going to be the soul of south Charlotte.”
Ballantyne lands New Orleans-style brunch restaurant as chain expands in Charlotte area
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery begins expansion, and will anchor new Ballantyne center
