Fenwick’s Restaurant in Charlotte Says Goodbye

It’s been a 40-year run for the family-owned Eastover/Myers Park based restaurant; and now it’s time. Time to say goodbye. After 40 years of business – still a fan favorite, at the height of their game – Fenwick’s owner Don Rabb and his family have announced that the much loved neighborhood restaurant will serve its last customers in late March 2025.

40 years of good eats and great company

Ask anyone in the hospitality business and they will tell you: dedicating four years to build a restaurant, develop a reputation and then keeping it staffed and successfully running at the top of its game, is quite a feat. To say nothing of going strong for 24, or 34 years… but 40 years? It’s a rarity, that’s for sure.

But Don and Catherine Rabb did just that. They built a community centered around their little neighborhood spot, Fenwick’s on Providence Road in Charlotte’s Myers Park/Eastover neighborhood. The Rabb family, their friends and Charlotte’s culinary community lost Catherine in December of 2021.

I wrote this tribute then and still think about my friend, Catherine, all the time. It’s truly hard to believe its been that long. Her spirit has lived on at Fenwick’s ever since.

Don shared with me shortly after the time of Catherine’s passing that the family wasn’t sure what to do. At the time, they took only a couple of days and then reopened for business as usual. They all dug in. Catherine and Don’s son Dustin Rabb and Catherine’s brother Andy Brown and Andy’s son, Currie Brown all on the line. Don and long time family friend and Fenwick’s office manager, Bill Parker, took turns working the front door as hosts; with waitstaff like Sharon Steinhauer and Jen Moersch and others working the room. And, as hard as it was, they kept it going, ever more the labor of love it had been from the start.

All the Memories

“Since Catherine’s passing several years ago, there hasn’t been a single day where her absence wasn’t deeply felt. Catherine was the heart and soul of this venture,” said Don, in a recent press release. “Her vision, passion and unwavering dedication to excellence laid the foundation for everything we accomplished. Her warmth could light up a room, and her touch was present in every detail, from the menu to the ambiance. While we have carried on, it’s simply not been the same without her guiding spirit.”

Fenwick’s Will Always Be A Favorite

Don, Catherine and Bill have been longtime friends to Tom and me. I’ve been a Fenwick’s customer since the very beginning in 1984. When Catherine’s on Providence, Fenwick’s sister restaurant opened in 1985, I was a regular there, as well, for the dozen or so years it served the neighborhood. Since Tom and I have been married, and while we were dating, we have always loved snagging seats at the tiny Fenwick’s bar for lunch or dinner.

We’ve known the family was considering closing the restaurant for some time. But with the confirmation of their recent decision, we all sat down to chat over brunch at New South Kitchen & Bar at the Arboretum in Charlotte. Dustin Rabb later joined us there, as well.

Don told me that with each year since they lost Catherine, the family has talked about the future, finally deciding that it would be great if they could make it to 40 years.

And here they are; and now it’s time to move on to the next adventure. Time to look back and stand proud on all they have brought to the table (quite literally). Time to laugh and enjoy all the memories; time to thank all of Fenwick’s customers, first timers and long-time regulars.

“We have customers who eat with us four nights a week – and we’re only open 5 nights a week,” Dustin said. [It’s not lost on us that…] “Fenwick’s has been an important part of people’s lives.” The family and staff have never taken that lightly. If you are a customer at Fenwick’s, you are family.

“I just want to hug every one of the people who have kept on coming in all these years,” Don added. “I wish I could personally thank every single one,”

‘Cue the Fenwick’s Memories… Let the sharing begin

Always hard to hear about a favorite restaurant closing, but in this case, while announcements began to take place this week, the crew will still be there serving those fabulous fried oysters, brimming bowls of tomato bisque, salmon or fried oyster salads and that delicious pecan pie topped with lots of whipped cream, all till the end of March.

We all have our stories to tell, memories to share. But the best stories of the very beginnings of Fenwick’s come from owner, Don Rabb.

Sometime before 1984 Don was working as the GM of a well-known Charlotte hot spot called Shenanigans, on Independence Blvd. He had been gone for a couple of days. In the interim, the manager brought on a new hire to wait tables. It was a busy day at the bar when Don met Catherine. She was just getting to know the ropes; and his impression was that she might not be able to handle the job.

Boy, did she show him.

The two subsequently started dating and later married. In 1983, with Catherine’s inspiration to go out on their own, they decided to take another plunge. Fenwick’s opened in 1984, the former home of a short-lived lunch spot of the same name. Before that, the building was a neighborhood Steak & Egg. In fact, I don’t really remember the sandwich shop – it came and was gone in an instant. But I do remember eating at the Steak & Egg when I was a student at Queens College (now University) in the late 1970s.

It’s All in the Name

When Catherine and Don opened, there had already been some updates to the decor from the old Steak & Egg days. With all of Catherine’s little touches, they soon made the space their own.

“Catherine had an incredible ability to come up with really fabulous recipes which were soon to become signature items on the Fenwick’s menu,” Don remembers. Think, chicken and broccoli casserole, shrimp remoulade salad, tomato bisque, pecan pie and that incredible bread pudding! Fenwick’s successes were all guided by her inspirations.

Not only did Catherine and Don open Fenwick’s, but that same year they did a double dip (you’ll get that pun in a moment) and opened Catherine’s on Providence. The charming breakfast-lunch-dinner spot opened in the space once home to Mayberry’s Ice Cream Parlor.

The space at Catherine’s was much larger and gave the restaurant’s namesake a playground for recipe development. And with that, room to bring in other chefs to work the line at both restaurants and the bakery at Catherine’s. The fresh baked muffins and breakfast pastries soon became a signature item; so two bakers were in the kitchen each night, baking for the next day. The name for this one-of-a-kind high-end breakfast, lunch and dinner spot was a no-brainer. It only made sense for the head chef and owner to make it her own.

But what about the name Fenwick’s?

“It really meant nothing to us,” Don laughed, as he told the story. “It was the name on the sign when we bought the place.” The name of the former sandwich shop, the Fenwick’s moniker, is said to have come from a spot those owners loved at the coast. Don continued to remember, “We didn’t have enough money to change the sign, so we just kept the name.” Simple as that.

Someone’s in the Kitchen with Catherine

If you love the Raisin Bran Date Muffins at Fenwick’s, like I do, you have Catherine Rabb and the team at Catherine’s to thank for them. Lots of homemade, fresh baked recipes came out of that kitchen and lots of local chefs made an impact there.

Among them Chef Chris Edwards and his wife Sue, now owners of the New South Kitchen at the Arboretum, I mentioned earlier.

Chris worked at Catherine’s from 1989 till the restaurant closed in 1993. He met is wife Sue there who was among those on the front of the house service staff. Not only did they meet and marry but, over the years, several couples met and fell in love over a meal or working in the kitchen at Catherine’s and at Fenwick’s, as well.

Shortly after Catherine’s first opened, Catherine worked in both restaurants even while she was pregnant with her son Dustin. Dustin now works the line with his Uncle Andy, Catherine’s brother and Andy’s son Currie Brown.

Through the years, Dusty, Andy and Currie all worked in the kitchen with Catherine. Early on, Don’s son, Dane was a part of the business, too.

Stories from Behind the Bar at Fenwick’s

This week I’ve also had a change to catch up with much loved, former Fenwick’s bartender, Ellen Taylor. Ellen, who retired during the pandemic after 20 years of working at Fenwick’s, has the distinction of being the restaurant’s longest-running employee, outside of those in the family. Many of you who are Fenwick’s regulars will fondly remember her and her delicious cocktails. The photo below is circa 2012 behind the bar making one of her famous pineapple mimosas she regularly served when Fenwick’s was open for Sunday brunch.

“I will always remember my time at Fenwick’s fondly,” Ellen began. “I was so sad to hear of Catherine’s passing and that Don had lost his sunshine. It was most definitely their place.”

A Place Where Everyone Knows Your Name

“There is no doubt that Fenwick’s will be remembered by generations of people,” she continued. “Regular customers, now with children of their own, came in to eat with their parents when they were young.”

The bar at Fenwick’s was, and still is, prime seating for great conversation at lunch and dinner. Ellen recalls that regulars would often opt to wait for a seat at the bar in lieu of taking available seating at tables and booths in the small, comfortable dining room.

“It was a place for people to go, to have a conversation and to be accepted. It was a place were long lasting friendships were found and kept for decades to come,” she continued, noting that, “I met lots of locals for sure, but also people from all over the world. When folks were in in town, Fenwick’s has always been a must-stop destination.”

“Don gave away more servings of our bread pudding in those days, offering complimentary desserts to help create return business,” Ellen remembers. “He would go from table to table, shaking hands and thanking people for coming in. These days, it’s rare to see that kind of customer service. Connecting with their customers was important to Catherine and Don – it’s one of the things Fenwick’s has always been known for. “

She wrapped up her thoughts by noting, “Fenwick’s has always had a special feel. It’s been the kind of place where everyone felt welcome and like a part of the family. That’s why people kept coming back and that’s why they’ve been going strong for the past 40 years.”

It’s not over till it’s over

Fenwick’s has never accepted reservations and, no doubt, now that time is of the essence, business at Fenwick’s will be brisk over the next several months as things wind down. Do yourself a favor, make plans, be prepared to wait for a table during prime times and create and share some Fenwick’s memories of your own. Don, Bill, Dustin, Andy and the team can’t wait to see you.

A March 2025 closing doesn’t mean the team at Fenwicks will start to slow down. In fact, Don Rabb and Bill Parker will be representing Fenwick’s as they have done every year at the annual Soup on Sunday fundraising event to benefit VIA Health Partners, formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region. You can read more about the annual event in an article I wrote in 2023 here; and get all the details on tickets and times for the 2025 Soup on Sunday to be held on January 26, 2025, from 11 am to 2 pm, here.

Go Eat at Fenwick’s Now

In the meantime, Fenwick’s is open for business as usual Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am -9 pm. The address is 511 Providence Road in Charlotte.

Make time to enjoy lunch or dinner there several times between now and the end of March.

Don and the team would love to hear all about your favorite Fenwick’s moments and dishes.

And, I’d love for you to share your Fenwick’s memories in the comments on this post, on the post about this article on my social feeds on Instagram and Facebook or on Fenwick’s social media feeds.

You can find them on instagram at @FenwicksOnProvidence and @FenwicksCharlotte or on Facebook at @Fenwicks Charlotte

#TellThemHeidiSentYou

Photos from this article from Heidi Billotto, Catherine Rabb and with thanks to photographer Peter Taylor via Fenwick’s