K&W Cafeterias

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K&W Cafeteria
FormerlyCarolinian Coffee Shop [1]
Company type Private
K&W Cafeteria Inc.
Industry Casual dining restaurant
FoundedNovember 28, 1935;89 years ago (1935-11-28)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
FounderGrady T. Allred, Sr.
Headquarters
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
,
U.S.
Area served
 North Carolina, Virginia
Key people
Gary Allred
(Chairman and CEO)
Dax Allred
(President )
Todd Smith
(Executive VP) [1]
ProductsHomestyle food
Owner Piccadilly Restaurants
Website www.kwcafeterias.com

K&W Cafeterias Inc. is a Southeastern United States chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. It has been a subsidiary of Piccadilly Restaurants since 2022; until its acquisition by Piccadilly, its headquarters were located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. [2] [3] K&W serves traditional Southern favorites including fried chicken, turnip greens, fried okra, and homemade desserts.

Contents

History

Grady T. Allred, Sr., a founder of K&W Cafeterias, entered the restaurant business on Thanksgiving Day 1935 as an employee of a small restaurant on Cherry Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Carolinian Coffee Shop was owned by brothers Thomas, Kenneth and William Wilson and their brother-in-law T.K. Knight. In 1937, the initials K&W (for Knight and Wilson) were adopted and K&W Restaurant was established.

Allred later acquired a one-third interest in the K&W Restaurant. After operating the restaurant with his partners for a few years, Allred purchased their interests and became the sole owner of K&W Restaurant around the year 1941. [2]

The K&W Restaurant continued to flourish at the Winston-Salem Cherry Street location until fire damage forced it to close for several months. After repairs and restoration were completed, it reopened as a restaurant/cafeteria combination. The cafeteria concept of the operation became so popular and successful that Allred decided to convert the unit entirely to a cafeteria style food service.

K&W occupied its original location in Winston-Salem until an urban renewal project forced a move to 720 Coliseum Drive in Winston-Salem.

K&W Cafeteria, Mercer, West Virginia K&W Cafeteria - Mercer Mall.jpg
K&W Cafeteria, Mercer, West Virginia

Grady Allred, Sr. died in 1983. The chain continued to be operated by the third generation of his family.

On January 18, 1988, the K&W located at 380 Knollwood Street in Winston-Salem exploded due to a natural gas leak. The restaurant was destroyed and the attached Sheraton hotel was severely damaged beyond repair, leading to a demolition. Four people sustained minor injuries due to the blast.[ citation needed ]

In 1991, K&W began offering takeout service through the To Go Shop. In 2009, K&W Catering began, for events such as weddings and corporate meetings. [2]

On September 6, 2020, K&W announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on restaurants. [4] The company emerged from bankruptcy in September 2021 after reducing the number of locations from 18 to 14 and the number of employees from 1,035 to 834. [3]

On August 16, 2022, president Dax Allred announced the acquisition of K&W and its 11 locations by Piccadilly Restaurants. [3] As of May 2025, the company operates 9 locations in North Carolina and Virginia.

References

  1. 1 2 "K&W Cafeteria About Us". K&W Cafeterias. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Daniel, Fran (2012-01-15). "K&W turns 75". Winston-Salem Journal . Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2012-01-15. - "Headquarters: 1391 Plaza West Road, off Healy Drive in Winston-Salem"
  3. 1 2 3 Craver, Richard (2022-08-17). "The end of an era: K&W Cafeterias sold to Louisiana company". Winston-Salem Journal.
  4. ↑ "After closing 6 locations, NC-based K&W Cafeterias files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy". CBS17.com. 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
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