A second popular restaurant chain has closed at this prime south Charlotte spot

Catherine Muccigrosso
·2 min read

Another national chain restaurant has closed at The Arboretum shopping center, a prime Charlotte shopping and dining destination.

McAlister’s Deli is the second store that has closed in the past week at the complex at 8136 Providence Road. The Arboretum is a 582,651-square-foot plaza with a mix of national and local retailers and restaurants, including Barnes & Noble, Harris Teeter and Walmart.

The Oxford, Mississippi-based deli chain referred customers to three other Charlotte area stores on Rea Road, Park Road and in Matthews in a social media post about the sandwich shop’s closing on Jan. 1.

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McAlister’s Deli officials did not respond to a request for comment by Tuesday. Officials with Arboretum property manager American Asset Corp. did not immediately respond to a request for Tuesday by The Charlotte Observer.

Another popular restaurant chain at The Arboretum, Chili’s Bar & Grill, has its last day there Tuesday, Jan. 9, a company official previously told the Observer. The Tex-Mex restaurant’s lease had expired.

McAlister’s is a 35-year-old deli chain based in Oxford, Mississippi with 500 restaurants in 28 states, according to the company’s website. There are 53 McAlister’s locations in the Carolinas, including 17 in the Charlotte region.

McAlister’s is owned by Atlanta-based parent company Focus Brands, which also owns chains like Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzsky’s.

McAlister’s Deli, a sandwich shop chain based in Oxford, Mississippi, has 17 stores in the Charlotte region.
McAlister’s Deli, a sandwich shop chain based in Oxford, Mississippi, has 17 stores in the Charlotte region.

Other changes at The Arboretum

Over the past two years, several other retailers and restaurants have closed at The Arboretum. That includes locally-owned restaurants The Charlotte Cafe and Akropolis Cafe, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, as well as Omega Sports and Regal Cinebarre Arboretum.

But some of those vacated spaces were filled with new businesses, such as Crunch Fitness, Nusa, a locally-owned Indonesian restaurant and Curry Gate Indian restaurant.

Other openings include Nautical Bowls, an açai bowls restaurant chain based in Minnesota; Vicious Biscuit, a Charleston-based breakfast and brunch spot; and Link & Pin, owned by Charlotte restaurateur Rob Duckworth.

McAlister’s Deli, a sandwich shop chain based in Oxford, Mississippi, has 17 stores in the Charlotte region.
McAlister’s Deli, a sandwich shop chain based in Oxford, Mississippi, has 17 stores in the Charlotte region.

Popular restaurant chain is closing a prime Charlotte location. What we know.

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