Olive Garden will feature a design similar to the Statesville location, which serves as the company’s new prototype.
The new ABC location features an ode to Table Rock at the store's entrance
First day opening of the new location of the ABC Store in Morganton, NC.
The site formerly occupied by Fatz Cafe is now a clean slate, preparing for Olive Garden’s grand opening in November 2025.
At 2111 S. Sterling St., the new restaurant will feature a design similar to the Statesville location, which serves as the company’s new prototype. According to the Morganton building permit, the 6,327-square-foot restaurant will seat about 150 patrons.
Management anticipates the opening will proceed as scheduled, excluding any weather or unforeseen delays.
The Paper first reported the possibility of Olive Garden coming to Morganton in April 2024. Any verifying information was difficult to find until KV Development LLC submitted plans for the potential restaurant to the city’s Development & Design Department in early June. Demolition of the FATZ building and grading of the site began earlier this month.
Olive Garden will be located at 2111 S. Sterling St.
CHARDA PEARSON / THE PAPERAfter weeks of preparing and relocating inventory, the new ABC Store in Morganton is ready to welcome customers.
The store’s doors officially opened Monday, Feb. 17, and will celebrate its grand opening event on Monday, Feb. 24.
Customer Grady Gresham shopping at the new ABC store located at 412-A W. Fleming Drive.
LISA PRICE / THE PAPERStarting at 9 a.m., the store will offer exclusive allocated products for bourbon enthusiasts, creating a buzz of excitement. General manager Wilma Carswell anticipates a high demand.
“It will be a mad house in here for the allocation. Some people thought we would have it this morning,” Carswell laughed.
The opening will feature a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. by the Burke Chamber of Commerce, with a tasting event hosted by Weldon Mills Distillery and Lux Row from 10 a.m. to noon.
Wilma Carswell (left), general manager of the ABC Store, and the late Steve Gregory, who was longtime chairman of the Morganton ABC Board, at the store’s first day open at its new location on Feb. 17, 2025.
LISA PRICE / THE PAPERThe first purchase at the new store, a bottle of Eagle Rare bourbon, was made by Steve Gregory, chairman of the ABC board. According to Gregory, the bottle will be displayed at the in-store bar along with the first bottle to be purchased by the first chairman of the ABC board, William A. Leslie, in 1963.
Gregory expressed his excitement for the new shopping experience now available to the Morganton community.
“I’m just elated by the way it turned out. We’re just really excited for the people of Morganton to have a place to have a nice shopping experience,” Gregory said.
Charda Pearson is the business reporter. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2012, or charda@thepaper.media.
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