Ford Fry Is Expanding His Empire to Charlotte

After recently revealing plans to enter the Nashville market, empire builder Ford Fry has his eye on another Southeastern city. Fry is taking his Superica Tex-Mex restaurant to Charlotte, according to a Friday announcement.

Superica will set up shop in Charlotte’s South End at 101 West Worthington Ave., taking over a 7,000-square-foot space that will be designed by Atlanta firm Smith Hanes Studio. The timeline currently calls for an opening in “early 2018.”

“We want to share with North Carolina the Mexican flavors inspired by the Texas Hill country that translate across state lines,” Fry said in a prepared statement. “Charlotte’s South End neighborhood and the Design District are focused on growth, innovation and creativity — and we’re introducing a fun, energetic atmosphere that speaks to that community.”

Superica first opened at Krog Street Market in February 2015, and he added a Buckhead outpost in July 2016. Fry is expanding the brand to the Battery development adjacent to the Atlanta Braves’ new Cobb County ballpark, and he’s been working on a Charleston location for a while. Though, a representative tells Eater Atlanta “nothing is set” for the Holy City.

In addition to Superica in Inman Park and Buckhead, Fry operates Marcel in Westside Provisions District, Bar Margot at the Four Seasons hotel in Midtown, BeetleCat in Inman Park’s Inman Quarter development, JCT. Kitchen & Bar and The Optimist in Westside, King + Duke and St. Cecilia in Buckhead, No. 246 in Decatur, and The El Felix in Alpharetta’s Avalon development. Houston’s State of Grace, which opened in 2015, was the mega-restaurateur’s his first expansion beyond Atlanta.

• Ford Fry Is Officially Expanding His Empire to Nashville [EATL]
• All Superica Coverage [EATL]