Cheat’s will serve cheesesteaks in the Plaza Midwood/Elizabeth area from a walk-up window. Photo courtesy

Cheat’s Cheesesteak Parlor, one of the most successful side hustles spurred on by the pandemic, has signed a lease on a brick-and-mortar location. Its popular Philly cheesesteaks will soon be available on Pecan Avenue between Plaza Midwood and Chantilly in the former Belle Cheveux salon space, near Rico’s and Villani’s Bakery. Cheat’s will serve classic cheesesteaks, as well as a few other sandwich offerings and soft serve ice cream.

“[The building] has a lot of personality, and it’s right there between between Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth, so it really has a nice footprint to serve both communities,” says Ryan Hart, an operating partner at Cheat’s. “It also allows us to be able to open late night for the late night crowd in Plaza that’s been out partying.”

The restaurant will be run by Hart, who is also bar manager at The Crunkleton, and two other Crunkleton managers: executive chef Greg Balch and general manager Hannah Smith. They came up with the idea to fill a gap in the Charlotte market.  Their plan is to have a small menu done well, inspired by the business model of decades-old chains like Char-Grill — where Hart worked as a teenager — and the success of simple concepts like Ace No. 3.

Cheat’s sources bread from Philadelphia’s Amoroso’s Bakery and uses Certified Angus Beef cut in-house for the sandwiches. Cheese Whiz will be one of the few processed items on the menu for those who prefer their cheesesteaks “Whiz wit.” Even with a standalone location, their focus will be takeout and delivery, as the only seating available will be picnic tables nearby.

Cheat’s will serve its popular cheesesteaks via window service. Kristen Wile/UP

All three operating partners — Hart, Balch, and Smith — will remain in their management roles at The Crunkleton. With Cheat’s and Crunkleton just around the corner from one another, it will be easy for them to shift between concepts as needed.

“I think we’ve shown each other that there’s a lot of mutual love, respect and trust,” Hart says. “Gary [Crunkleton] is the kind of emotional champion behind driving the culture of really working hard to try and thrive instead of just survive. And so this next project is just another step in us as a team trying to thrive.”

Cheat’s debuted last winter and quickly gained a reputation for serving some of the best cheesesteaks in town. The concept’s more recent pop-ups have consistently sold out pre-orders days ahead of time.

The former salon space will need to be converted to a restaurant, with gas lines being run to the building before the kitchen can be built out.