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Goodbye, 5Church: Big changes are coming to uptown hotspot

5Church is closing in Charlotte and Charleston — but don’t start thinking this is bad news.

After the successful launch of Church and Union in Nashville, 5th Street Group has decided to retire the name 5Church on Dec. 31 and reopen beginning Jan. 1 as Church and Union Charlotte and Church and Union Charleston.

And yes, there will be a new menu and a new look — including new signage, logos and more. CU Charlotte will under go a $1 million renovation in 2023, 5th Street Group’s Alejandro Torio told CharlotteFive on Monday morning.

As for food, one big thing we can look forward to is the CU Burger, a staple menu item at Church and Union Nashville.

Church and Union’s Nashville location.
Church and Union’s Nashville location.

If you want to catch your 5Church favorites before they are gone, several menu items will be retired, including:

  • 5Church Lamb Burger

  • 60 Second Steak

  • Viper.

Some things will remain the same, though:

  • The restaurant will continue to be open for dinner, brunch and lunch.

  • And the hand-painted ceiling showcasing the written verbiage of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” by artist Jon Norris and the signature five-dollar-bill paintings by artists Matt Hooker and Rodney Raines will remain.

Mark your calendar

Want to say goodbye to 5Church? You can say goodbye to 2021 at the same time. Mark your calendar for these upcoming events (we’ll let you know details as we get them):

  • GoodBye 5Church party blowout on Wednesday, Dec 29.

  • The last 5Church NYE dinner and party will be held on Friday, Dec 31.

‘BIG announcement’

The tease came on Sunday via social media: “BIG Announcement by @The5StreetGroup tomorrow morning!” Torio tweeted.

It certainly got our attention: Torio doesn’t tend to over-hype anything, and 5th Street Group doesn’t seem to know the meaning of small. This is the restaurant group behind 5Church, La Belle Helene, Tempest, Church and Union. It’s also the group behind the Tip the Kitchen initiative.

5th Street Group’s Patrick Whalen, Jamie Lynch and Alejandro Torio.
5th Street Group’s Patrick Whalen, Jamie Lynch and Alejandro Torio.

5th Street Group’s Patrick Whalen, Alejandro Torio and chef Jamie Lynch of Top Chef fame opened 5Church Charlotte in 2012. 5Church Charleston opened in 2015 and Tempest in 2020, both in Charleston.

The team purchased and reopened La Belle Helene in Charlotte in 2021. Church and Union also opened in 2021 in Nashville.

“We just secured 20 more years,” Whalen told a reader on CharlotteFive’s Instagram on Monday morning. “So thats our corner until 2041.”

The new restaurant name “Church and Union,” comes from the Nashville restaurant’s location, located between Church Street and Union Street. “Church and Union as a brand allows 5th Street Group to operate the business as we see fit — 5th Street Group,” Torio told CharlotteFive.

Church and Union Charlotte

Location: 127 N Tryon St Suite 8, Charlotte, NC 28202

Neighborhood: Uptown

Instagram: @churchandunioncharlotte

Opening Jan. 1, 2022