K&W Cafeterias

K&W Cafeterias Inc. is a Southeastern United States chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. Its headquarters are in the K&W Corporate Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[1][2] K&W serves traditional Southern favorites including fried chicken, turnip greens, fried okra, and homemade desserts.

K&W Cafeteria
IndustryCasual dining restaurant
Founded1937
HeadquartersWinston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Number of locations
29
Area served
North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
Key people
Grady T. Allred, Sr.
ProductsHomestyle food
WebsiteK&W Cafeteria

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.[3]

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 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.

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. The blast occurred while the restaurant was closed. Of the four persons in the lobby/cafeteria building at the time of the explosion, three sustained minor injuries. A fourth person sustained a fractured ankle.[4] Both the restaurant and the hotel were damaged beyond repair and were subsequently demolished.

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]

While other cafeteria chains went bankrupt during the 1980s and 1990s, K&W continued to prosper. From the original restaurant establishment, which seated 110 people, K&W now operates 29 cafeterias and has over 2500 employees throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

On September 6, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic effects on restaurants, K&W announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[5]

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

References
  1. "Group Sales Archived 2011-12-08 at the Wayback Machine." K&W Cafeterias. Retrieved on January 31, 2012. "K&W Corporate Office P.O. Box 25048 Winston-Salem, NC 27114-5048"
  2. 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. "History – K&W Cafeterias". www.kwcafeterias.biz. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  4. Report on 1988 Knollwood location explosion
  5. "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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