(See what we did there?) Sometimes the recipe for success is a simple one. That’s not always the case in the restaurant business, where it seems there are as many fails as starts. Our friends at Char Bar No. 7 continue to buck that trend with a “quality meets casual” attitude— and the menu and team to back it up. Again, well done!
Seven years. Seven restaurants. It was more than luck and a great name that launched Tyler Hager and CharBar No. 7 on the path to success. Yes, it all started with an idea about the number 7. And in a serendipitous coincidence, it’s grown that way so far, too.
“We wanted it to be family-friendly,” says Hager, co-owner of the seven-restaurant CharBar No. 7.
The original idea for the restaurant was based loosely on an old haunt from his college days down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. But Hager soon realized that limiting his menu to just seven items would also stifle the creativity of a great chef and operations manager he’d hired in Gregg Bibik. So with a focus on quality steaks and approachable but inventive burgers, CharBar No. 7 was launched.
“We like to say it’s where quality meets casual,” adds Hager.
The menu has stayed true to its steaks and burgers background, while adding menu items that allowed the creativity Hager sought for Bibik. In a current climate where rising rents and a tight labor market are forcing even established restaurants in Charlotte to close their doors, CharBar No. 7 has grown and thrived.
Hager says the business grew from an opportunity working with the Hickory Tavern — the successful local restaurant company owned by his father and a cousin. In fact, the first CharBar No. 7 opened in a space his former restaurant company had sold. The store’s “neighborhood feel,” good food, relaxing patio and great service were a hit.
And they haven’t slowed since. Bibik, the former Macaroni Grill manager and Johnson & Wales grad, tries new things to keep even the most regular customers looking at the menu. “We keep it just trendy enough,” says Bibik, “we let our chefs be creative so that people stay interested.”
After the initial success at a strip mall on Carmel Road, a second location opened in Matthews. Then a third in Greensboro, Asheville, and Southern Pines locations opened before another in Mountain Brook, Alabama. Most recently, the company’s first stand-alone restaurant opened in Mint Hill.
Walk into the new Mint Hill location and you’ll see a noticeable difference when compared to the setting of the original site on Carmel Road. But expect the same great feel, friendly staff, and of course, the menu. “The food,” Hager says, “is the most important reason for our success.”
Photos: T. Cooper Hull Photography