Firebirds Launching New Concept Location in Huntersville

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Firebirds Launching New Concept Location in Huntersville

A Mecklenburg original turned national success story, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, headquartered here, will open its first Huntersville, NC, location and fourth in the greater Charlotte market on Tuesday, November 9, at 16641 Birkdale Commons Parkway in the Birkdale Landing mixed-use development.

Firebirds was created in Charlotte in 2000 by prominent local restaurateur Dennis Thompson, with the first location in the StoneCrest at Piper Glen retail center. With the Huntersville location, Firebirds now operates 54 restaurants in 19 states.

The new restaurant will introduce this market to the concept’s revamped look created by Charlotte-based starrdesign. The contemporary, polished take on the American steakhouse and wood-fired grill features an open, light-infused layout with floor-to-ceiling windows, lighter-toned woods, charred black brick, exposed steel, abstract artwork, and tones of orange, red, and teal. The entry, FIREBAR®, and lounge flow freely into the interior dining area, with every seat in the restaurant providing a view of the concept’s signature exhibition kitchen, wood-fired grill, and prominent brick fireplace. The 5,600-square-foot restaurant will seat 136 in the dining room, 15 at the bar, and 34 on the enclosed patio with retractable windows.

“The vision that launched Firebirds more than 20 years ago remains the same today:  offer a reliably excellent dining experience with flavorful, high-quality food and warmly professional service at a comfortable price, while putting down roots as an engaged neighbor in each community we serve,” said Firebirds CEO Steve Kislow.

Leading the Huntersville team are General Manager Crystal Keatts, a restaurant industry veteran of more than 15 years, and Executive Chef Rashaune Davis, a Johnson & Wales graduate who joined the company in 2004. The restaurant is currently hiring at numerous hourly positions back- and front-of-house, offering competitive pay, health insurance, flexible hours, a $200 hiring bonus after training completion for new hire, and an additional $200 bonus if a referral by a new team member is hired and completes training. Interested candidates may apply online at firebirdscareers.com or in person at the restaurant Monday-Friday, 10 AM-4 PM.

Top 10 Things To Do Around Charlotte This Weekend – 10/29/21

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Top 10 Things To Do Around Charlotte This Weekend – 10/29/21

October is almost over and Halloween weekend is here.

This weekend, the Charlotte region will feature number of concerts, spooky events, and fall festivals.

Here are the top 10 that we know of happening over the next few days:

#1 Cabarrus Fair

This year, the Cabarrus Fair has officially partnered with the Queen Charlotte Fair to hold a massive fall fair at the Route 29 Pavilion in Concord (5650 Sandusky Blvd., Concord, NC).

This year’s event will highlight local vendors for all aspects of the fair, including a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, carnival rides, live music, and all the fried fair food you can eat.

Gates will open Thursday, October 21 at 4pm. Ticket prices for this season’s event will be $8 online and $10 at the gate. Kids ages 6-12 will be $5 online and at the gate. Kids 5 and under are free.

You can find out more information or buy your tickets here.

#2 Newsboys

As one of the world’s top Christian bands, Newsboys has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which have been certified gold.
They’ll be performing live this coming Saturday night at the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte staring at 7pm.
Find out more info or get your tickets here.

#3 Taste of Soul Charlotte

Come get a Taste of Charlotte’s Best Black-owned Restaurants, BBQers, Caterers, Chefs, & Bakers.

General admission excludes sample tickets.

Event Times:

Thursday Oct 28: 2-9pm

Friday, Oct 29: 2-9pm

Saturday, Oct 30: 2-9pm

Sunday, Oct 31st: 12-7pm

For more information click here.

#4 Museum of The Moon

The Museum of the Moon will be exhibited in downtown Belmont for three weekends serving as the backdrop for a series of lunar-inspired events. Over the centuries, the moon has been used as a timekeeper, calendar, and source of light to aid nighttime navigation. The evenings and weekends will evoke passion and exploration as the ethereal blue light cast by the full moon serves as the perfect environment for poetry readings, art exhibitions, theater performances, and musical concerts. We hope the exhibit will be an educational experience of a lifetime and inspire the next generation of scientists, artists, poets, writers, and musicians from Gaston County. During Halloween weekend, the mysterious dark side of the moon will surely invite the most ghoulish of them all into downtown for a “spooktacular” good time.

Find out the full schedule and more info here.

#5 Charlotte Hornets vs Portland Trailblazers

This coming Sunday Night, the Charlotte Hornets will be taking on the Portland Trailblazers live in the Spectrum Center.

For more info or tickets click here.

#6 Battle of The Bands

This weekend, the HBCU Battle Of The Bands returns to the Bojangles Coliseum and will feature marching bands from North Carolina Central (NCCU), South Carolina State (SCSU), Benedict College (BC), Fort Valley State (FVSU), and Winston Salem State (WSSU).

There will also be a Fan Fest from 10 – 3:30 pm hosted by Bluz and Chirl Girl featuring live music by The Hamiltones, The Project 919 Band, Quentin Talley & The Soul Providers, Jay D  Jones, Karen Poole, DJ Tab D’Biassi, and the Johnson C. Smith University Drumline.

Doors for the Battle Of The Bands open at 4 pm with the show starting at 5.

For more information or tickets click here.

#7 Myke Towers

This coming Friday night, rise hip hop star Myke Towers will be performing live at the Bojangles Coliseum.

He’ll be taking the stage this at 8pm.

Find out more information or get your tickets here.

#8 Octoberfest

Come to CaroMont Health Park in Downtown Gastonia this Saturday afternoon for a huge Oktoberfest celebration. From beer tastings and keg rolling to live music and food, this event will be fun for the whole family.

Find out more information here.

#9 20th Annual Rich & Bennett’s Charlotte Halloween Crawl

Charlotte’s Original Halloween Crawl is back on Saturday, October 30, 2021, and better than ever. They have 23+ locations involved throughout Uptown Charlotte and lined up great drink specials at each of the bars

Find out more information here.

#10 Live Under The Oaks – Birkdale Village

Start your weekends unwinding with live musical performances in The Grove every Friday starting at 6pm from April to October! No tickets or reservations are required.

Check out more information here.

If you think other events should be on this list or future lists, let us know – Scott@CharlotteStories.com

NC Employers Among the Least Tolerant in The Country of Drunk or High Employees

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NC Employers Among the Least Tolerant in The Country of Drunk or High Employees

Most private companies are not mandated by law to have drug-free workplace policies, however, there are exceptions to this. Workers in safety and security-sensitive industries, as well as federal employees are required to maintain sobriety in the workplace under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

DrugAbuse.com just conducted a survey of 3,700 employers across the country, asking them to rank their tolerance of intoxication in the workplace from 1 to 10 (1 being the most tolerant and 10 being the least). The survey revealed that overall, employers in the state of North Carolina are among the least tolerant of drunk or high employees, with a ranking of 5/10.

Employers in Connecticut, Maine and Nebraska were found to be the most tolerant of employee intoxication with an average tolerance ranking of 3/10.

The survey also delved into different industries to find out which are most and least tolerant when it comes to being intoxicated on the job. Employers in the banking and real estate industry were found to be equally tolerant (2/10).

Comparatively, those in public service, charity, and healthcare industries were least tolerant, ranking an average of 4/10, certainly due to the nature of these fields requiring regular interactions with customers, volunteers and patients respectively.

Survivor Resource Center a ‘Monumental Step Forward’ in Serving Charlotte Survivors

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Survivor Resource Center a ‘Monumental Step Forward’ in Serving Charlotte Survivors

On average, a domestic abuse survivor must go to nine different locations, fill out 37 pages of paperwork, and repeat their story 27 times. This complicated, often exhausting process leads roughly 80% of survivors to walk away without getting healing, legal, and supportive services.

Domestic violence survivor Audra Toussaint understands this frustration because she’s lived it, noting that “many survivors are simply not able to follow through with the process and tragically end up remaining in a situation that is unsafe or unhealthy.” The newly opened Survivor Resource Center in Charlotte represents a monumental step forward in streamlining and simplifying this disjointed system for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment.

Located inside the Children & Family Services Center in Uptown Charlotte, this inclusive center offers a short-term, small-scale solution to the disjointed process survivors can face when they seek help. Partnering organizations represented on-site include Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, and Safe Alliance. Off-site partners include: Atrium Health Domestic Violence Healthcare Project; Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office; Mecklenburg County District Court; and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. Partners will collaborate to address the highest lethality cases on a referral-only basis for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment. The center will provide “navigator staff” to guide survivors through the process, which may include services such as the following:

  • Safety planning
  • Photo injury documentation
  • Crisis counseling
  • Substance use assessment and counseling
  • Economic services
  • Parent support
  • Forensic interviews for child abuse survivors
  • Law enforcement investigations
  • Long-term advocacy

The Survivor Resource Center will serve as a precursor for the highly anticipated, comprehensive Charlotte-Mecklenburg Family Justice Center. This center—which will be named The Umbrella Center—will be a larger-scale operation designed to enhance survivor safety and decrease violence throughout the Charlotte community. Projected to open in 2023, The Umbrella Center will offer a variety of walk-in services, including clinical assessment; individual and group therapy; medical exams and evidence collection/documentation; healthcare services; and workshops and community outreach events.

Rashida Gittens, a domestic violence survivor, sees The Umbrella Center as a symbol of hope for survivors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

“I speak from a position of triumph and love for this initiative because I know anything is possible,” said Gittens. “The Umbrella Center gives me hope.”

For more information about the Survivor Resource Center, visit the center’s website. Visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Family Justice Center website to learn more about this longer-range, larger-scale comprehensive center.

This Charlotte Area Restaurant Was Just Ranked One Of The Best In America

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This Charlotte Area Restaurant Was Just Ranked One Of The Best In America

A small restaurant in Davidson has just been ranked among the best in the nation.

The NY Times just released their list of the 50 best restaurants in America for 2021, and after tens of thousands of eateries were considered, Davidson’s own Kindred Restaurant landed among the top.

In their write-up about the top-ranked eatery, the NY-Times says:

“In 2015, Joe and Katy Kindred left their restaurant jobs in San Francisco and moved the family to his tiny hometown, Davidson, N.C. They opened Kindred, where dishes like North Carolina flounder with shelling peas mingle on the menu with crispy eggplant and labneh. They hand-batter chicken strips for kids, and fry potatoes in duck fat. For a bonus, try Milkbread, their new all-day cafe named after their signature loaf. The menu features milk-bread doughnuts and monster fried-chicken sandwiches, which they started selling to keep them afloat during lockdown. All are great reasons to drive a half-hour north from Charlotte to eat.” 

The list also featured 2 other Carolina restaurants, including Ashville’s Chai Pani and Charleston’s Hannibal’s Soul Kitchen.

Do you agree with the rankings?

What do you think about Kindred?

Charlotte 49ers Drop To. 500, Showdown With Rice, More

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Charlotte 49ers Drop To. 500, Showdown With Rice, More

Struggles On Offense Continue As 49ers Fall To 4-4

The Charlotte 49ers’ promising starts of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 have gone out the window in the blink of an eye.

On Saturday, the 49ers visited the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who were coming off their second straight win.

It was the Hilltoppers who sustained their momentum, crushing Charlotte 45-13. The result placed both teams at 4-4 through eight games.

After going down 21-3 in the second quarter, the 49ers showed some life by responding with 10 unanswered points. But Bailey Zappe tossed a late touchdown to Jerreth Sterns to close out the half, and the Hilltoppers took control from there.

Charlotte was shut out in the second half, and Western Kentucky piled up 17 more points in the second half to cruise to a 45-13 win.

This also marked the second consecutive game in which the 49ers were shut out in the second half, per the school’s official website. Charlotte squad mustered just nine points in the team’s 38-9 blowout loss at home to Florida Atlantic on Oct. 21.

In all four of their losses, the 49ers have scored no more than 14 points, and they’ve been held to single digits in two of them. 

Charlotte will look to rebound when they host Rice (3:30 p.m. EST) this Saturday.

For 49ers fans interested in sports betting, Charlotte opens as a six-point favorite against the Owls. 

Chris Reynolds Injury Update

The 49ers sorely missed starting quarterback Chris Reynolds in Saturday’s aforementioned loss to Western Kentucky. Backup James Foster struggled with 13 completions on 25 pass attempts for only 118 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception. The Hilltoppers also sacked him twice.

Reynolds suffered a hand injury on his right throwing hand in Charlotte’s game against Florida Atlantic, which kept him sidelined for the contest against Western Kentucky.

Per Hunter Bailey of The Charlotte Observer, 49ers head coach Will Healy said that Reynolds will remain day-to-day through next week. His status for the pivotal contest against Rice is unclear.

Reynolds has 1,533 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 207 rushing yards and three rushing scores.

Healy On Coaching Approach 

To say that the 49ers hit a home run with the hiring of Healy — in his third year on the job — would be quite the understatement.

In his first year with the Charlotte football program, Healy led the team to a 7-6 record. They advanced all the way to the Bahamas Bowl, falling 31-9 to the Buffalo Bulls. The 49ers went 2-4 in 2020, a season that was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a recent piece, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg detailed how some college football coaches have flourished by implementing the “Ted Lasso” effect. 

The AppleTV+ primetime hit stars Jason Sudeikis as the main character. Sudeikis plays an American college football coach who is tasked with turning around the fictional AFC Richmond soccer team in the Premier League.

In the piece by Rittenberg, Healy talked about his approach to coaching, citing some of the Ted Lasso character qualities:

“I’m not going to try and go be (Alabama head coach) Nick Saban,” Healy said. “He’s better than I am, he’s won more games, he knows more football. I have so much respect for that, but it’s not my personality. It’s the same thing with recruiting a player… I grew up on the lake. That is me, and I’m not going to try to be somebody else.

“I tell guys, ‘There may be some of these things that I don’t understand because I haven’t lived that experience, but I care enough about you to want to understand more, and be there for you consistently.'”

49ers Look To Rebound vs. Rice

The 49ers enter must-win territory as they prepare to host the Owls, who have won three of their last five contests following an 0-3 start.

If there was ever a golden opportunity for the 49ers to regain their form on offense, this is it. The Owls have one of the worst defenses in the country, allowing a whopping 36.5 points per game. 

On the other side of the ball, Rice is averaging a mere 18.8 points per game. Their quarterbacks have combined for only 10 touchdown passes against nine interceptions.

With home advantage and a reeling Rice team next on the schedule, the 49ers simply cannot let this opportunity get away. Even if Reynolds misses his second straight game, the chance is right there for Foster to lead his team to victory.

The Owls have been solid against the pass, allowing an average of 228.6 yards per game. However, the 49ers RB duo of Calvin Camp and Shadrick Byrd should have a field day against a defense that’s allowing 193.5 yards on the ground per game.

If Charlotte’s leaky rush defense (203.6 yards allowed per contest) can contain Rice’s ground game, they should cruise to a much-needed victory.

Gene Therapy Company Building New $125 Million Facility in North Carolina

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Gene Therapy Company Building New $125 Million Facility in North Carolina

One of the nation’s leading gene therapy companies has just announced plans to build a major new facility here in the Tar Heel State.

Jaguar Gene Therapy will be building a new $125 million, 174,000 square foot facility in Durham County and creating 200 new jobs for our state. The company is focused on the commercialization of novel gene therapy treatments for those suffering from severe genetic diseases.

“Our new GMP facility represents a major step forward for Jaguar in our mission to accelerate gene therapy breakthroughs in patient populations with large unmet need,” said Andrew Knudten, M.S., MBA, Chief Operating Officer of Jaguar Gene Therapy. “North Carolina is known for its innovation in biotechnology and its highly talented workforce, both of which are crucial as we strive to raise the bar for manufacturing safe and effective gene therapies.”

Salaries for the new jobs are estimated to average over $76,000.

What do you think about the new project?

Mexico Taking On Ecuador Tonight at The Bank of America Stadium

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Mexico Taking On Ecuador Tonight at The Bank of America Stadium

Charlotte is about to host it’s first major soccer game at the newly renovated and astro-turfed Bank of America Stadium.

Mexico’s Men’s National Team will face off against Ecuador’s Men’s National Team on The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol’s #MexTour, which will culminate next month in the World Cup Qualifier against the United States Men’s National Team.

Gates will open tonight at 7pm and kickoff is scheduled for 8:30pm.

The Queen City last hosted the Mexican National Team in 2019 when they were beaten by Martinique in a final score of 2-3. According to Bank of America officials, there were over 60,000 fans in attendance that day.

You can find out more information or buy tickets for tonight’s game here.

Charlotte Ranked Among The Best Cities in America For Singles

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Charlotte Ranked Among The Best Cities in America For Singles

Happy National Singles Week!

Even though we now live in a globally-connected digital age, local proximity is still one of the biggest factors in finding the perfect mate. To help singles who are looking for their soulmate, ApartmentList.com just released a new report ranking the top 100 cities in America for singles in 2021.

Their report was based on the following four key metrics:

  • Dating Satisfaction
  • Social Satisfaction
  • Dating Affordability
  • Percentage of Singles

According to the results, Charlotte ranks among the top 20 cities in the nation, coming in at #18 overall, just behind Long Beach, and just ahead of Houston.

Top 20 US Cities for Singles

Ranking City Total Score Dating Satisfcation Social Satisfcation Dating Affordability Percentage of Singles
#1 Washington, DC 90.53 84.21 100 85.97 98.27
#2 Boston, MA 89.15 100 81.36 64.4 100
#3 Atlanta, GA 81.84 69.17 93.66 84.83 92.39
#4 Minneapolis, MN 81.4 85.1 82.67 75.25 78.89
#5 Pittsburgh, PA 75.74 68.54 81.42 75.43 84.78
#6 Richmond, VA 75.16 80.1 73.14 54.92 87.54
#7 Austin, TX 71.9 71 92.17 73.05 52.25
#8 Denver, CO 69.24 69.76 81.85 74.98 49.83
#9 Chicago, IL 68.6 71.02 77.5 54.61 68.86
#10 Seattle, WA 68.21 60.4 79.1 85.1 56.06
#11 San Francisco, CA 68.2 48.82 87.87 89.42 66.09
#12 Raleigh, NC 67.23 67.48 78.08 71.89 51.21
#13 Salt Lake City, UT 67.07 73.52 71.8 61.15 55.36
#14 New Orleans, LA 66.64 58.91 85.45 55.55 74.39
#15 Columbus, OH 65.4 68.72 74.8 58.72 56.06
#16 Dallas, TX 64.32 72.81 75.05 49.02 51.9
#17 Long Beach, CA 64.21 62.07 79.52 61.68 55.71
#18 Charlotte, NC 63.53 65.01 80.59 58.62 48.44
#19 Houston, TX 62.92 69.84 70.04 59.9 44.98
#20 St. Paul, MN 62.51 66.92 69.97 53.37 55.36

 

Do you agree with the report? 

Bojangles Holding Massive Job Fair In Charlotte Today – Seeking Hundreds of New Workers

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Bojangles Holding Massive Job Fair In Charlotte Today – Seeking Hundreds of New Workers

Today Charlotte-area Bojangles restaurants will be holding a massive job fair in hopes of hiring hundreds of new workers.

The company will be looking to hire all team members, including; Master Biscuit Makers, customer service positions, cooks, assistant general managers and general managers, with compensations ranging from $11/hr to $63k/year.

Bojangles will also offer all new hires a myriad of benefits, including; free biscuits, weekly pay (via direct deposit or cash pay card), in house counselors, and more.

You can find out more or browse all available positions here.

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