Charlotte Business In Need Of Community Help After Restaurant Closes And Food Truck Is Totaled

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The chairs are up and the lights are out at What The Fries. A sight Jamie Barnes still struggles to come to grips with since closing months earlier.

“just how quiet it is. Usually every time I’m walking in here you’d hear the music playing,” said Barnes as he looks at his empty restaurant.

In 2014, Barnes and his partner started as a food truck. They opened the south Charlotte restaurant in March of 2021 with immediate success.

However, COVID costs were making the french fry business nearly impossible to maintain.

“We had inflation of potatoes. When we started 50 pounds of potatoes was worth $15 and we are paying about $65,” Barnes explained.

Barnes made the decision to close the restaurant in March and get back to their roots of the food truck. Until one night, their food truck  was hit by another driver. The food truck was totaled. Barnes broke his wrist in the process.

With no restaurant and now, no food truck, the future looks bleak.

“You keep trying and then you take three steps, and then six steps backwards after that,” explained Barnes.

Barnes says it’s the community support that’s kept his dream going. He vows to reopen the doors soon.

What The Fries started a GoFundMe to help reopen the restaurant.