Why did Pinky’s Westside Grill close for a day? It’s about to get national exposure again

A popular Charlotte restaurant with its landmark VW Beetle on the roof near uptown was temporarily closed all-day Thursday.

A hand-written sign on the front door at Pinky’s Westside Grill at 1600 W. Morehead St. said: “Closed all day due to filming. Exciting news to come. See ya tomorrow.”

Well, the mystery was cleared up courtesy of one of Pinky’s owners.

The filming was for The Food Network’s “Triple D Nation,” restaurant co-owner Andy Cauble said in an email to The Charlotte Observer late Thursday afternoon. The show is a spin-off of the network’s popular “Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives” series with host Guy Fieri. “Triple D” premiered five years ago.

Three years ago, Pinky’s also caught some national attention thanks to The Food Network, when the restaurant was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” That episode spotlighted “The Triple G Burger,” made with three five-ounce hamburger patties topped with chili.

Pinky’s co-owner Greg Auten is no stranger to Fieri’s “Dinners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” either. The iconic Penguin Drive-In that closed in 2014 also was featured on the popular TV show.

About Pinky’s Westside Grill

Pinky’s is known for its funky, dive-bar feel. The restaurant opened 13 years ago in a former Volkswagen garage.

Menu favorites include White Trash Burger, with a five-ounce burger with provolone, fried pickles and onion rings topped with spicy ranch sauce, as well as Uptown Tuna Melt and pimento cheese “Pimp’n Fries.”

An employee answering the phone at Pinky’s second location in Huntersville, which opened 10 years ago, said the Charlotte store will reopen Friday.