CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Months after celebrating 50 years in business, the land beneath one of Charlotte's beloved restaurants is up for sale.
Tuesday night, a property listing for Brooks' Sandwich House could be seen on the website of real estate firm The Nichols Company.
Brooks' Sandwich House owner David Brooks told WCNC Charlotte's Jesse Pierre that the business will stay open until the sale. He will be stepping away from the business, and looking to retire.
“We’ve had a good run and I've made some great friends and great connections and hopefully I've done some good in the community,” said David Brooks.
Brooks said if his children choose to keep the family business going, it'll be at a new location and maybe a different format.
“My daughter, she’s got an interest in food trucks and I said I’ll support you any way I can,” he said.
It's not yet known what will happen to the structure on the NoDa property, but David Brooks thinks it will likely be demolished after it's sold.
The listing does not specify a price for the NoDa property, but advertises just under an acre of land and a 480-square-foot building in "Charlotte’s historic arts and entertainment district."
The listing goes on to state, "This is a great opportunity for a variety of development uses, including multifamily and mixed-use in an iconic Charlotte location currently operating as Brooks Sandwich House."
While the listing price is not outwardly advertised, a 2023 Mecklenburg County property revaluation shows the surrounding land, building and features of the Brooks' Sandwich House property has a total estimated tax value of $2 million.
The popular three-generation, cash-only restaurant is known for its chili, burgers, and hot dogs, and marked five decades in business back in June. In August, Reader's Digest named the top burger in every state, selecting Brooks' as the best in North Carolina.
“They got good beef, and the chili is awesome.. it's just a good combination,” said Jeffery McBurney, a customer. “Hard to find.”
The famous local burger shop faced an enormous blowback in 2019 when one of the co-owners was murdered. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Scott Brooks was shot and killed during an armed robbery while opening his family's sandwich shop on Dec. 9, 2019. The restaurant closed for nearly two months and his twin brother and business partner David reopened operations on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, to a long line of eager customers.
The restaurant had a line all day Wednesday, with some customers there to show support and love after hearing the news of the sale.
“It just warms my heart.... in the past few years we have had tragedies and we have had losses,” said David Brooks. “But I’ve picked myself back up and I just kept myself going. I have such a strong family and they said were here and we've got your back.”
David Brooks said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family especially his wife and time by the lake.
"I've got a fishing pole about that long that I'm about to put a lot of hours on,” said David Brooks.
Editor's Note: The estimated tax value of the for-sale land was updated on Nov. 8 to reflect the total value of six land parcels. Original reporting showed an estimate of only a single parcel.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.