Drew Dodd, the executive chef at N.C. Red, is leaving Charlotte to move to Nashville. Before N.C. Red opened last year, Dodd was the executive chef of Myers Park restaurant Stagioni: Four Seasons of Food. Both are part of Bruce Moffett’s Moffett Restaurant Group.

N.C. Red will temporarily close after Saturday’s dinner service as Moffett looks for ways to change the concept to fit what customers will be looking for — and safety will require — after the novel coronavirus pandemic subsides.

“We need to figure out what the systems are going to be as far as seating and keeping our sanitation level up and how we’re going to run the take out window and things like that,” Moffett says. “It was just time to take a deep breath and do a little bit of soul searching and a little bit of research on the way we want to move forward, so we can do it in an economical and well thought-out way.”

Moffett says he hopes to reopen the restaurant in four to eight weeks. It will remain N.C. Red, but will have a more streamlined menu and include late-night service. The restaurant also plans to take advantage of its take-out window on Thomas Avenue by working on its street-side service.

Stagioni, Barrington’s, and Good Food on Montford remain open for take-out service.

Dodd, who is from the Nashville area, plans to move in June. There, he and his wife and their two young boys will be closer to family. He hopes to start a business making artisanal pasta, and eventually open a shop selling it along with sauces, wine, charcuterie, and other Italian goods. —Kristen Wile

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy