I Scored a Snack | Looking for a Bite
Who doesn’t love eating while watching sports?
Although the lyrics “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks” may not be enough to fill my appetite, I still share that sentiment with anyone who has ever kicked back and watched their favorite team play.
Sports and food are inseparable components of a city’s culture, and it makes sense. Never mind the fact that athletes, teams, and even entire buildings are sponsored by restaurants looking to cement their foothold in the area. When you’re at a game or match watching something that drives up your adrenaline for hours on end, eventually those words are going to slip your lips.
“I’m hungry!”
Charlotte sports fans are no exception, as we yearn to nourish our bodies and our desire for competitive teams. In the summer months before I officially moved to the Queen City, my first sports outing as an adult was the minor league Charlotte Knights. Aside from the usual fare like popcorn and beer, Truist Field also offered an absolute Frankenstein of a hotdog with orange soda slaw and beef brisket from Franx.
As I’ve acquainted myself with the other teams in the area, I’ve had a chance to learn how different Charlotte sports fans fill their bellies before and during their respective events while partaking as well.
What do Charlotte FC fans eat?
Of all of the teams I support in Charlotte, the MLS club is probably the one I attend the most. My usual routine is either taking the light rail and stopping at 7th Street to walk to Mert’s Heart and Soul:
Or getting closer to the stadium and trying to snag an empty seat at French Quarter in Latta Arcade.
But I’m just one man with a mouth, what do other fans do for food? I knew I had to ask before the upcoming match this Saturday.
“Que Onda in Uptown. The tacos are chef’s kiss perfect and they have a secret menu item someone can get if they ask — a sorbet margarita flight! So freaking delicious.”
“The Carolina BBQ Mac and Cheese is delish at the stadium.”
“Rhino Market & Deli is always a favorite!”
“I had a running tradition until the home game before last. I’d get two JJ’s Red Hots at the cart just off the corner of Fan Zone and Dog House.”
The soccer fans were definitely not shy about sharing their meal ideas. Tacos from street vendors and concession stands at Bank of America Stadium were popular, and quite a few mentioned eating just slightly outside of Uptown at Pinky’s Westside Grill.
Tailgates hosted by supporters groups are also a huge part of the gameday experience, and members of Blue Furia highlighted the choripanes made by Argentinian vendor Parrilleros CLT.
What do Charlotte Hornets fans enjoy?
Hornets fans have the advantage of attending games at an arena within walking distance of plenty of convenient restaurants. When the Charlotte staple Midnight Diner was moved (literally lifted and transported as a whole) across from the Spectrum Center, I knew I found a pre-game routine.
Other hoops fans preferred to eat further out in and around Uptown even if it meant requiring extra time.
“D.D. Peckers Wing Shack before games.”
“There’s not a Culver’s near me so I almost always stop there on my way to Charlotte for games.”
“Any time I go to a game, I also go to Mert’s as well.”
One Hornets devotee name-dropped the Shell gas station located on the corner of South Boulevard and East Boulevard, a spot that would draw raised eyebrows from those outside of the city but one that locals know holds arguably the best fried chicken in town.
How about Charlotte Checkers fans?
If there’s one team that has established a legacy within the Queen City, it’s the Charlotte Checkers Hockey Club. It has gone through numerous league incarnations, a stint at the Spectrum Center, and a Calder Cup Championship as recently as 2019.
It also plays out of a coliseum named after a fried chicken restaurant that started in Charlotte in 1977 that is planning to expand in the West Coast.
The bright side of this arrangement is that you can get juicy Bojangles Chicken Supreme tenders as soon as you enter the venue, along with a host of other treats like pretzels and churros. The Red Line Club located inside the arena is also a choice for those who want the traditional sit-down experience.
A few of the Checkers fans I talked to had suggested mainstays not far from the game.
“Lupie’s Cafe on Saturday games since they close early at 4.”
“Sometimes we’ll go to Moo & Brew or Midwood Smokehouse.”
“Chipotle or Bang Bang Burgers before the game.”
I have additional responses in my notes, but it would be redundant to repeatedly list the one spot that Checkers fans adore on Independence Boulevard: South 21 Drive In.
The sheer love that the Checkers faithful have for this nearly 70-year-old establishment was overwhelming. Yet it’s understandable; the original Checkers began in 1956 so we’re talking about generations of fans who have passed by this spot and enjoyed the Super Boy burger on the way to the Coliseum. If there was ever a dining spot that truly represented the way people treat their food like they treat their favorite teams, it has to be this.
Charlotte fans are devoted to their teams even through periods of relocation, questionable leadership, and undulating results. But there’s beauty in seeing that same adulation from the fandoms carry over to the restaurants that eagerly feed them right before the tickets are scanned.
Win or lose, that community is plated for everyone.
