The Coffee Cup
was an iconic Charlotte restaurant founded in 1947. It was one of the first racially integrated restaurants in the Southeast, a legacy that lingered as the restaurant brought together a diverse and loyal clientele over its lifetime.
Gardine Wilson purchased it in 2003. “Renewing the structure was like dressing up a dinosaur,” he said. “But the community responded well. Newer citizens who didn’t have any clue about what Charlotte meant got a feel for the city by coming through that little raggedy restaurant with all that personality.” And the food was delicious down-home fare that even caught the attention of Zagat’s.
In 2006, Beazer Homes bought the land on which the restaurant sat and gave Gardine four months to vacate the property. Gardine fought the new owners with public support, the mayor, City Council, and the Historic Landmark Commission. But he was finally forced to leave in summer 2007. Beazer Homes’ plans fell through, but when rumors began surfacing that the restaurant would reopen in 2009, the company bulldozed the empty building to prevent a resurrection.
But all’s well that ends well. The Coffee Cup plans on coming back better than ever! Gardine and his partners have identified a new location—which he intends to own lock, stock, and barrel—and hopes to wrap up the deal by late summer to reopen by Thanksgiving. New plans include a coffee and dessert lounge with Southern staples as well as coffees from all around the world. Gardine said, “Coming back into the Charlotte market would truly be something to give thanks for.” Gardine is also a financial consultant.
Melisa Graham is the communications director at SPARK Publications, editor of b2bTRIBE magazine, author of Used Cow for Sale (a collection of poetry, mom, and wife.
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