Showmars is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based restaurant chain, serving a mix of American and Greek cuisines. It was founded by George Couchell (pronounced "coo-shell") in 1982. As of June 2006, Showmars operates 25 locations and employs about 1,000 employees.
In 1982, first generation Greek immigrant George Couchell (who graduated from Duke University and was a Naval Officer) opened his first Showmars restaurant in Monroe, North Carolina. Besides Charlotte locations, it also covers Fort Mill, Gastonia, Huntersville, Concord, Mooresville, Monroe, Rock Hill, and Matthews. According to the Charlotte Observer, the partners' goal is to open three restaurants a year in The Carolinas. Showmars has recently opened locations in Shelby and Denver.
Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population was 885,708, making it the 15th-most populous city in the U.S. and the second-largest in the Southeast behind Jacksonville, Florida. The city is the cultural, economic, and transportation center of the Charlotte metropolitan area, whose population ranks 22nd in the U.S., and had a population of 2,569,213, in 2018. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a sixteen-county market region or combined statistical area with a 2018 census-estimated population of 2,728,933.
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,618. It increased to 1,110,356 as of the 2019 estimate, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat and largest city is Charlotte.
Hardee's Restaurants LLC, is an American fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has evolved through several corporate ownerships since its establishment in 1960 in North Carolina.
Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. As of January 2021, the chain operates 260 stores in seven South Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. Supermarket News ranked Harris Teeter No. 34 in the 2012 "Top 75 Retailers & Wholesalers" based on 2011 fiscal year sales of $4.3 billion.
Carolina Place is a shopping mall located in Pineville, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. The 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m2) GLA mall, in the shape of a curve, is anchored by Belk, a Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy combo store, Dillard's, and JCPenney.
Bojangles is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in cajun-seasoned fried chicken, and buttermilk biscuits that primarily serves the Southeastern United States. The company was founded in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977 by Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas.
Greektown is a historic commercial and entertainment district in Detroit, Michigan, located just northeast of the heart of downtown, along Monroe Avenue between Brush and St. Antoine streets. It has a station by that name on the city's elevated downtown transit system known as the Detroit People Mover. Greektown is situated between the Renaissance Center, Comerica Park, and Ford Field.
Belk, Inc., is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings and wedding registry.
Lowes Foods is an American supermarket chain based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The chain initially grew in the mountains of North Carolina and rural areas of Virginia, but, starting in the late 1990s, it expanded in metropolitan areas of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Uptown Charlotte is the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina. The area is split into four wards by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets, and bordered by Interstate 277 and Interstate 77. Uptown Charlotte is the largest business district in Charlotte and the Carolinas.
North Carolina Highway 200 (NC 200) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway runs north–south from the South Carolina state line near the community of JAARS, to US 601 near Concord.
Cook Out is an American privately owned fast food restaurant chain operating in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Maryland. Founded in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1989, the chain has since expanded and now has drive-thru restaurants in over 100 cities. The chain itself has grown in size with many locations now spread throughout Virginia. Their menu primarily features grilled hamburgers and cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and North Carolina barbecue.
Ted's Montana Grill is an American restaurant chain. The company was founded by media mogul and bison rancher Ted Turner along with restaurateur George McKerrow Jr. with the help of corporate chef Chris Raucci as a for-profit effort to stop the extinction of the American bison. The first Ted's Montana Grill opened in January 2002 in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Today it has 45 restaurants in 17 states. Its first Montana location opened at the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman in June 2008. The company is based in Atlanta.
S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina-based chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, Southern-style food. Branches were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia.
United Carolina Bank (UCB) was a bank headquartered in Whiteville, North Carolina. It was formed in 1980 by the merger of four banks, including Waccamaw Bank of Whiteville. BB&T acquired UCB in 1997.
The Charlotte metropolitan area or Metrolina is a metropolitan area of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.
Several special routes of U.S. Route 74 exist. In order from west to east they are as follows.
Jack Z. Fulk was an American businessman who co-founded the Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits fast food restaurant chain in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Buffalo's Cafe is an American restaurant chain known for its Buffalo-style chicken wings. Buffalo's Cafe began in 1985, as a single restaurant in Roswell, Georgia. In 1991, founders David Hyde and Ralph Perella began franchising the restaurant under the name Buffalo's Franchise Concepts Inc. (BFCI) The company had 40 locations by 1998. In 2001, the chain was renamed Buffalo's Southwest Cafe following the introduction of southwestern food. A location in Kuwait opened at the end of that year.
