Photography by Jim Schmid
The COVID-19 pandemic can’t stop Charlotte’s Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel.
Not only are they the loving parents of three children, but they also own some of Charlotte’s most celebrated restaurants under the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group, including Haberdish, Crepe Cellar Kitchen & Pub, Growlers Pourhouse, Reigning Doughnuts and the latest Supperland.
The newest concept came to fruition prior to the onset of COVID-19, and the duo were committed to seeing it through.
“Working to open a restaurant during a pandemic has been really, well, strange in a lot of ways,” Brown said. “Lead times are very far off and during the summer, when there was a lot of construction the oversight was a bit challenging.”
Despite a few obstacles along the way, Brown and Tonidanel debut their newest concept, set in former Plaza Midwood church buildings fabricated by the first Church of Christ congregation beginning in 1938. When the congregation first purchased the land, it could only afford to build a small structure for its early services. After years of saving, a second structure was built on the land in 1956.
“For me, it was really important to try to bring forward the history of the building because there’s no hiding that it’s a church. When you look at it, it looks like a church,” Brown said. “I think leaning into something that has a very apparent history is better than just ignoring it or hiding it. We don’t want to hide it — the building itself is gorgeous. So in some ways, we’ve tried to keep that history alive.”
Instead of the sectioned-off layout typical in a restaurant setting, the interior was intentionally kept as one, large sweeping space, similar to how it would feel to walk into a church. Diners will enjoy meals in nook-type areas complemented by high ceilings, wide windows, and double-stained floors. The aisle running down the center of the building will draw the eye to the raised kitchen, similar to how all eyes would rest on a preacher in the front of a church service.
“We had toyed with the idea of painting the building, but we wanted to hold onto as much as we can to keep the story and the original look of it in place, so we elected not to paint it,” Brown said.
Southern-steakhouse-style menu selections will be cooked on a 14-foot fire grill and inside a brick-fire oven and will include options such as chicken, steak, lobster, fish, and vegetarian dishes. The real star will accompany the main courses — Brown and Tonidandel decided to lean into the idea of a church potluck for sides.
“It’s beautiful, it’s colorful and it’s fun, and it allows our chefs to really get creative,” Brown said.
Supperland 1212 The Plaza. Charlotte NC
